Freudian and Jungian Psychology: Defense Mechanisms, Archetypes, and Personality Theories

Repression

Unconscious elimination of threatening material from awareness, carried out by the ego, which uses anticathexis (psychic energy to block it).

Neurosis & connection to Oedipus complex

Conflict between id, ego, and superego expressed through mental/physical symptoms, often rooted in unresolved Oedipus complex leading to unconscious guilt, repression, and anxiety.

Neurotic anxiety

Fear of uncontrolled id impulses.

Moral anxiety

Guilt/shame from superego standards.

Reality anxiety

Fear of actual external threats.

Id

Fully conscious.

Ego

Partly conscious, partly preconscious, partly unconscious.

Superego

Partly conscious, partly unconscious.

Oral fixation

Overeating, smoking, dependency, gullibility.

Anal fixation

Orderliness, obstinacy, stinginess.

Phallic fixation

Vanity, recklessness.

Defense mechanisms

Unconscious strategies by the ego to reduce anxiety

Cathexis

Psychic energy invested in a mental representation of an object; infant invests cathexis in the mother as primary object of need/comfort.

Manifest content

Remembered storyline/events.

Latent content

Hidden unconscious meanings.

Freudian slip (parapraxis)

A 'slip of the tongue' or apparent accident that reveals true unconscious feelings or desires.

Free association

Say whatever comes to mind to uncover unconscious material.

Dream analysis

Interpret latent meaning to understand hidden conflicts.

Eros

Life instinct: self-preservation, sex, love.

Thanatos

Death instinct: aggression, destruction.

Transference

Patient projects emotions from other relationships onto therapist.

Countertransference

Therapist projects emotions onto patient.

Resistance

Patient unconsciously avoids revealing threatening material.

Know what Freud meant by primary-process thinking

Irrational, chaotic thought of the id. Uses wish fulfillment/ imagination

Freud's determinism

Nothing happens by chance; all behavior and thought have underlying causes

Recall how much personality Freud considered unconscious

most of personality is unconscious

Secondary gains in neurosis

Benefits a person gains from being ill (attention, avoidance of responsibility) that reinforce symptoms

Compensation

Overcoming weakness by effort or skill development

Example of compensation

Child with poor eyesight becomes a strong reader/ thinker

Know how Alder thought we could determine someone's style of life

Through early recollections (childhood memories) and how they interpret

Striving for superiority

Everyone strives -> universal drive to overcome inferiority and achieve self-perfection

Social interest in Alder's theory

Healthy personality guided by cooperation and concern for others; Lack of social interest -> neurotic/ antisocial tendencies

Signs of neuroticism

Inferiority or superiority complex; Pathological striving without social interest; Self-created life goals or beliefs that guide behavior and provide meaning

Define fictions and how they influence behavior

Self-created life goals or beliefs

Guide behavior and provide meaning

Know Alder’s stance on criminals and rehabilitation

Criminals lack social interest. Rehabilitation possible through developing cooperation and social concern

Recall what might cause neurosis in Alder’s framework

Pampering, neglect, or organ inferiority.

Explain concept of masculine protest and how social inequalities could influence psychopathology

Rebellion against traditional female roles; starving for dominance as overcompensation

Social inequalities fuel feelings of inferiority

Dream interpretation in Alder's approach

Dreams are rehearsals for possible future actions; show goals and struggles.

Goal of adlerian psychotherapy

Foster social interest and help clients develop healthier lifestyle goals.

Archetypes

Universal inherited predispositions in collective unconscious. Examples: persona, shadow, anima, animus, hero, wise old man, self.

Complex

Emotionally charged cluster of ideas that influences perception/behavior; stronger complexes disrupt functioning.

Source of psychic energy

Libido/psychic energy.

Attitudes in Jungian psychology

Extraversion: outward focus on external world; Introversion: inward focus on psyche.

Jung's functions

Thinking, feeling (rational); Sensation, intuition (irrational).

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Modern personality test based on Jung's typology.

Word association test

Patient responds to stimulus words -> reveals complexes by delays or unusual responses.

Numinosum

Profound spiritual/religious/mystical experience.

Individuation

Development of whole, balanced self.

Transcendent function

Integrates opposites with psyche.

Jung's view of psychopathology

Caused by imbalance/overemphasis of one psychic element; conflict between conscious and unconscious.

Persona

Social mask.

Shadow

Repressed dark side.

Anima

Feminine archetype in men.

Animus

Masculine archetype in women.

Collective unconscious

Inherited, universal archetypes.

Enantiodromia

Every extreme will eventually turn into its opposite.

Mandala

Symbol of wholeness, unity, and self.

Principle of compensation

One part of personality balances another.

Projective test

Test where ambiguous stimuli are used to uncover unconscious material.

WAT

Respond to stimulus words -> reveals complexes.

MB

Self-report inventory measuring attitudes/functions.

TAT

Makes up stories about ambiguous pictures -> reveals underlying motives and conflicts.

Rorschach inkblot test

Projective test.