Lecture 5-6

Freud argued

that mental disorders are not only physical - they can be caused by psychological factors, especially unresolved childhood conflicts

Psychoanalysis is:

1. A theory of personality 

2. A method of therapy 

3. A technique for investigating the mind  

Personality Structure 

According to Freud,the human personality has 3 parts

ID

EGO

SUPEREGO

All of these personality structures require balance-too much id leads to impulsivity, while too much superego causes guilt, anxiety and rigidity.

ID

present from birth,entirely unconscious and driven by the pleasure principle (wants immediate satisfaction); 

Contains instinctual drives:

-Libido(sexual/psychic energy)

-Eros(life instinct-survival,reproduction)

-Thanos(death instinct- aggression,self-destruction)

Example: A baby crying loudly until fed.

EGO

develops around age 2,partly conscious/partly preconscious; Unlike the id, the ego follows the reality principle.

AIM: find a realistic and socially acceptable ways to satisfy the id’s desires while also considering moral rules and consequences 

Engages in rational, logical thinking, plans ahead, delays gratification when necessary 

Example: Instead of stealing food when hungry, the ego helps the person wait, plan or ask appropriately.

SUPEREGO

develops last, around the age of 4-5 as children internalize the values, rules, and moral standards of their parents and culture.

Contains the conscience which punishes the person with guilt or shame for wrongdoing and the ego ideal which rewards them with pride for good behaviors.

It strives for perfection and imposes moral judgments. 

Example: A person who feels guilty for a harmless mistake or who demands perfection from themselves  influenced by superego.

Mind operates 3 levels of awareness

- Conscious mind

- Preconscious mind

- Unconscious mind

Conscious mind

includes thoughts and feelings we are aware of at the moment; 

Preconscious mind

contains memories that can be easily brought to awareness;  

Unconscious mind

holds repressed memories, desires, fears and unresolved conflicts that influence behaviors without the person’s awareness;

Also, Freund believed that early childhood development occurs through distinct psychosexual stages each centered on an erogenous zone where the child seeks pleasure.

Difficulties during any stage can lead to

FIXATION

FIXATION at the oral stage may result in dependent or oral behavior such as smoking 

Anal stage may lead to extreme orderliness or chaos in contrast 

According to the psychodynamic model, ego uses

deference mechanisms to manage anxiety caused by conflicts among the id,ego, superego.

Repression (neurotic defense)

where painful are pushed into the unconscious;unconsciously blocking 

Displacement (neurotic defense)

where emotions are redirected to a saver direct (anger at boss-yelling at spouse)

Rationalization (neurotic defense)

when a person creating logical excuses to prove unacceptable behavior 

Isolation of affect (neurotic defense)

separating an idea from affect state to avoid emotional turmoil

Identification (neurotic defense)

adopting traits of someone else to feel more secure 

Sexualization (neurotic defense)

assigning sexual meaning to something to manage anxiety 

Reaction formation (neurotic defense)

acting opposite to one’s true feelings (being overly kind to someone you dislike)

Undoing (neurotic defense)

trying to fix something one has done wrong by making up for it in other ways.

Sublimation (mature defenses)

where unacceptable impulses are channeled into socially acceptable activities-turning aggression into athletic achievement 

Suppression (mature defenses)

consciously deciding not to attend to a particular feeling etc.

Asceticism (mature defenses)

eliminating pleasurable aspects of experience because of internal conflicts produced by that pleasure

Anticipation (mature defenses)

delaying immediate gratification by planning the future achievements

Splitting (primitive defense)

contradictory aspects of self and other are compartmentalized in such a way that they remain unintegrated and do not create conflict. Perceiving things as all good or all bad.

Projective identification (primitive defense)

behaving in a way that places pressure on another person to take on characteristics of an aspect of the self or an internal object that is projected into that person

Regression (primitive defense)

returning to an earlier phase of development to avoid conflicts of present level of development

Projection (primitive defense)

perceiving and reacting to unacceptable inner impulses as though they were outside the self (target is not changed)

Denial (primitive defense)

unconsciously refusing to accept these aspects of external reality that are difficult to face by disregarding sensory data

Dissociation (primitive defense)

disregarding one’s sense of continuity in the areas of identity, memory, consciousness or perception as a way of retaining an illusion of psychological control in the face of helplessness and loss of control

Idealization (primitive defense)

attributing perfect qualities to others as a way of avoiding anxiety or negative feelings

Devaluation (primitive defense)

believing that another person is far worse than he/she truly is

Passive aggression (primitive defense)

indirectly „getting back” at someone, may take a form of humorous sarcasm with elements of cruelty or procrastination and tardiness

Acting out (primitive defense)

enacting an unconscious wish or fantasy impulsively as a way of avoiding painful affect

Conversion (primitive defense)

converting anxiety or internal conflict into a physical symptom.

Somatization (primitive defense)

converting negative affect states into physical symptoms and focusing attention on somatic (rather that intrapsychic) concerns

ANXIETY

Central emotional signal-alarm system that warns ego of internal and external danger,

ONLY THE EGO CAN ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE ANXIETY, because it stands between the demands of the ID and the prohibitions of the SUPEREGO.

ID VS EGO

the id’s strong impulses or desires threaten to overwhelm the ego’s control 

ID VS SUPEREGO

the id wants to satisfy instincts, but superego condemns these desires as immoral 

EGO VS EGO

conflict between conscious values and repressed desires 

We have 3 types of anxiety 

1.Realistic-real fear in the environment (external danger),based on actual threats

2.Neurotic- happens when ego feels threatened by id’s impulses.

3.Moral-happens when ego feels threatened by superego; Person fears violating moral or ethical rules

levels of personality organization,

including neurotic, borderline, and psychotic levels.

These levels describe how people experience themselves and others, how they manage emotions, and how distorted their perception of reality becomes.

Neurotic individuals tend to use healthier defenses and have a stable sense of reality, while borderline individuals experience instability and use more primitive defenses. Psychotic individuals, however, may lose touch with reality altogether.

Psychoanalytic View of Psychopathology 

According to classical psychoanalytic theory, when children face conflicts or intense emotional challenges  in early developmental changes-they may become fixated (stuck)

When the person is overusing defense mechanisms, the person may develop symptoms-disguised expressions of repressed emotions.

Example: A person who unconsciously feels anger toward a parent may repress this anger and develop chronic anxiety or aggression toward unrelated people.

Different developmental periods associated with different outcomes if trauma occurs:

4-5 years-neurosis 

2-3 years-obsessive/compulsive symptoms

0/1 year- psychosis/borderline, narcissistic features 

If the ego cannot handle anxiety, the person may regress to earlier, more primitive forms of thinking

Object Relations Theory (Klein, Kernberg)

Focuses on how early relationships (primary with caregivers) shape internal mental templates 

• When child has healthy relationships with parents-they would be more likely to engage in healthy adult relationships in the future 

• Disrupted bonds between child and caregiver leads to personality problems,including borderline or narcissistic 

Kernberg’s stages of Object Relations 

1.Normal Autism (0-1 month)-minimal awareness of self vs others 

2. Normal Symbiosis (2-6 months)- infant experiences the caregiver as fused with the self 

3.Differentiation (6-36 months)- child learns “good self” “good others”/ “bad self” “bad other”

4.Integration-3 years+

Child unifies good and bad aspects into an integrated sense of self and others 

If this integration fails,the person may split others into “all good” or “all bad” common in borderline personality disorder.

Specific attachment patterns relate to specific disorders:

• Avoidant → social withdrawal, emotional detachment

• Ambivalent → anxiety disorders, dependency

• Disorganized → high risk for trauma-related and personality disorders