Freud's Theory of Personality and Psychosexual Development

Instinct

the basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive behavior and determine its direction.

Life Instinct

Serve the purpose of survival of the individual and the species by seeking to satisfy the needs for food, water, air, and sex.

Libido

The psychic energy manifested by the life instincts.

Cathexis

The attachment or investment of libido in objects.

Death Instinct

An unconscious wish to die, drawing from the biological fact that all living things decay and die.

Aggressive Drive

A component of the death instincts described as the wish to die turned against objects other than the self.

Conscious

Includes all the sensations and experiences of which we are aware at any given moment.

Unconscious

The larger, invisible portion of the mind that contains the major driving power behind all behaviors.

Preconscious

The storehouse of memories, perceptions, and thoughts of which we are not consciously aware at the moment but that we can easily summon into consciousness.

Id

The reservoir for the instincts and libido, corresponding to Freud's notion of the unconscious.

Pleasure Principle

The id's function to increase pleasure and avoid pain, striving for immediate satisfaction of its needs.

Ego

The rational master of the personality that helps the id obtain the tension reduction it craves.

Reality Principle

The ego's awareness of reality that decides when and how the id instincts can best be satisfied.

Superego

Our ideas of right and wrong, striving solely for moral perfection.

Moral Principle

The superego's demand for morality above all, admitting no compromise.

Anxiety

An objectless fear that serves as a warning signal that all is not as it should be within the personality.

Reality Anxiety

Involves a fear of tangible dangers in the real world, guiding behavior to escape or protect from actual dangers.

Neurotic Anxiety

An unconscious fear of being punished for impulsively displaying id-dominated behavior.

Moral Anxiety

Results from a conflict between the id and the superego, essentially a fear of one's conscience.

Defense Mechanism

The ego's methods to reduce conflict between the demands of the id and the strictures of society or the superego.

Repression

Involves unconscious denial of the existence of something that causes anxiety.

Denial

Involves refusing to accept reality or facts, often unconsciously, to protect oneself from uncomfortable truths.

Reaction Formation

A defense against a disturbing impulse by actively expressing the opposite impulse.

Projection

Attributing one's own undesirable traits to others.

Regression

Retreating to earlier, childlike behaviors under stress.

Rationalization

Reinterpreting behavior to make it more acceptable.

Displacement

Shifting impulses to a substitute object.

Sublimation

Diverting impulses into socially acceptable actions.

Oral Stage

Pleasure from mouth; dependence on caregiver.

Oral Incorporative

Pleasurable mouth stimulation; leads to dependency.

Oral Aggressive

Hostility from painful teething; leads to sarcasm.

Anal Stage

Toilet training conflicts with instinctual gratification.

Anal retentive

Traits of orderliness and stubbornness from strict training.

Anal Expulsive

Traits of messiness and emotional outbursts from lenient training.

Phallic Stage

Focus on genitals; curiosity about gender differences.

Oedipus Complex

Desire for opposite-sex parent; rivalry with same-sex parent.

Latency Stage

Sublimation of sexual instincts during childhood.

Genital Stage

Development of adult sexual relationships and identity.

Fixation

Permanent attachment to a psychosexual stage.

Psychosexual Development

Stages of personality development based on pleasure zones.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies to protect self from anxiety.

Castration Anxiety

Fear of losing the penis; linked to father.

Electra Complex

Girl's desire for father; blames mother.

Penis Envy

Girl's feeling of inferiority due to lack of penis.

Phallic Personality

Adult traits from unresolved phallic conflicts.

Latency Stage

Sexual instincts dormant; focus on social activities.

Free Association

Technique to uncover unconscious thoughts freely.

Dream Analysis

Interpreting dreams to reveal repressed desires.

Manifest Content

Actual events occurring in a dream.

Latent Content

Hidden symbolic meaning of a dream.

Narcissism

Excessive self-focus; common in phallic personality.