Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory - Personality & Development (Flashcards)

Flashcards covering Freud's personality structure, levels of consciousness, instincts, dream theory, parapraxes, therapy techniques, and the five psychosexual stages.

What are the three components of Freud's personality structure and their primary roles?

Id: primitive, unconscious; seeks immediate gratification (pleasure principle). Ego: conscious/partly conscious; reality principle; mediates between id and world. Superego: moral component; consists of conscience and ego ideal; imposes moral standards.

What are the two parts of the Superego and their functions?

Conscience: punishes via guilt for unacceptable behavior; Ego ideal: rewards and guides behavior by moral standards.

What is the pleasure principle?

The id operates on the pleasure principle—the drive to reduce tension and obtain immediate gratification.

What is the reality principle?

The ego operates on the reality principle—delays gratification and considers real-world constraints.

What are the levels of consciousness in Freud's theory?

Conscious, Preconscious, and Unconscious.

What are the Life and Death Instincts and their drives?

Life instinct (Eros) drives growth, survival, hunger, thirst, and sex; Death instinct (Thanatos) drives aggression and destruction; both energize behavior.

What is Libido according to Freud?

Libido is the psychic energy that animates personality, often described as sexual energy; source of Life (Eros) drives.

What is parapraxes (slips) and their significance?

Parapraxes are slips of the tongue, memory, or action that reveal unconscious wishes.

What is Free Association in psychoanalytic therapy?

A technique where the patient says whatever comes to mind to reveal unconscious material.

What is the Freud iceberg analogy of the unconscious?

Conscious is the tip above water; Preconscious lies below; Unconscious is deep below; the unconscious exerts a strong influence on behavior.

What are the manifest and latent contents of dreams?

Manifest content is the dream's surface storyline; Latent content is the hidden, symbolic meaning.

What is the Oral stage in Freud's psychosexual development?

Age: 0-18 months (some sources say up to 12-18 months); Pleasure centers on the mouth (sucking, eating); the ego begins to form.

What is the Anal stage in Freud's psychosexual development?

Age: 1-3 years; ID-pleasure conflicts with parental control of toilet training; development of ego through control and independence.

What is the Phallic stage in Freud's psychosexual development?

Age: 4-6 years; Interest in genitals; Oedipal (boys) / Electra (girls) complexities; identification with same-sex parent influences gender roles.

What is the Latency stage in Freud's psychosexual development?

Age: 6-12 years; Libido largely dormant; consolidation; child identifies with same-sex parent as model.

What is the Genital stage in Freud's psychosexual development?

Adolescence onward; re-emergence of sexual interest; development of mature romantic and sexual relationships.

What is Catharsis in psychoanalytic therapy?

Emotional release that results from expressing unconscious material during therapy.