Freud, Baron Cohen and pyschodynamic and indivudual differences

What is the ID

This is present at birth. It is the seat of our instincts and it is unconscious. It tries to get immediate gratification and avoid pain. It includes the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and aggressive (death) instinct – Thanatos.

What is the ego

This develops in childhood out of the id, as the child learns that immediate gratification is not always possible and pain cannot be avoided. It works on the reality principle. It tries to balance the demands of the id and the superego.

what is the superego

This consists of the values and morals of the child, and develops at the age of 5. It is the child’s conscious and ego – ideal, a model of what the child would like to be.

what is the oedipus complex

When a little boy going through the phallic stage wants to posses the mother and kill the father

What were the aims of little Hans experiment

To illustrate the complex of an oediups complex, to demonstrate how phobias can be treated

Design and method of little hans

Clinical case study, with data collected via observation, self report and interview, longitudinal

Oral stage

Happens ages 0-1. During the oral stage, the infant’s primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important. The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking. Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers, the child also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation. Primary conflict is weaning process - child must be less dependent on caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage,

Adult traits with oral fixation

Freud believed the individual would have issues with drinking, eating, smoking or nail biting.

Anal stage

Happens age 1-3 During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is toilet training - the child has to learn to control his or her bodily needs. Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence. Freud believed that positive experiences during this stage served as the basis for people to become competent, productive, and creative adults. Potty training is the primary conflict

Adult traits with anal fixation

If parents are too lenient with potty training, the indivudual can become messy and disorganised (anal expulsive). If they are too ridgid, the person can become stringid, orderly and obsessive ‘you are so anal’ (anal retentive)

Genital stage

Happens age 3-6. Primary focus of libido is on the genitals. children also begin to discover the difference between males and females. 

Boys view their fathers as a rival for their mother’s affections. The Oedipus complex describes wanting to possess the mother and replace the father. Child fears he will be punished by the father for these feelings and leads to a fear called castration anxiety. 

Child begins to identify with same sex parent as a means of possessing the other parent. For girls penis envy was never fully resolved and all women remain somewhat fixated. Karen Horney disputed this theory calling it both inaccurate and demanding to women. Instead, men experience feelings of inferiority because they cannot give birth to children, a concept she referred to as a womb envy.

Latency stage

Ages 6-puberty during this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id’s energies are suppressed. Children develop social skills, values and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family. The development of the ego and superego contribute to this period of calm. The stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become more concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.

sexual energy is repressed

communication skills

Adulthood traits with latency stage

If you get stuck you become immature and not good at adult relationships.

Gential stage

Puberty to death - maturing sexually. Libido is active again. Strong sexual interest in the opposite sex. Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on individual needs, interest and welfare of others grows. The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas.

Unlike the many of the earlier stages of development, Freud believed that the ego and superego were fully formed and functioning at this point. Younger children are ruled by the id, which demands immediate satisfaction of the most basic needs and wants. Teens in the genital stage of development are able to balance their most basic urges against the need to conform to the demands of reality and social norms.

Baron Cohen

Quasi, 16 autistic, 50 neurotypical, 10 tourettes, independent groups

BC sample

group 1 - 16 high-functioning people with Autism or AS: 13 male, 3 female

group 2 - 50 normal age-matched adults: 25 male, 25 female

group 3 - 10 adults with Tourettes (age-matched): 8 male, 2 female

2 control tasks in BC

gender and basic emotion, ppts with AS did average on these tasks

2 non control tasks in BC

eyes and strange stories. Eyes: 25 photos of eyes shown for 3 seconds at a time in black and white,

Freud conclusion

His study of Hans proved that boys in the phallic stage of psychosexual development suffer from the oedipus complex, His use of psychoanalytic therapy to treat disturbed thoughts, feelings and behaviours by firstly identifying the unconscious cause(s) of the disturbance and them bringing them into the conscious so they can be discussed and resolved.