Ch 5: Neo-freudian theory, application and assessment

name some of Freud’s hard to accept theories

• how the forming of the adult personality finishes at around 5-6 years old

• emphasizes the instinctual sources of personality, ignoring the social and cultural influences that make up the differences in male and female personalities

• had a very pessimistic view of human nature and humans in general—largely controlled by instincts and unconscious forces

Alfred Adler

a neo-Freudian, left Freud’s psychoanalytic group in 1911 and formed the ‘Society for Free Psychoanalytic Research’ (i.e., Individual Psychology)

• emphasized the role of feelings of superiority and inferior in the development of personalities

starving for superiority

the single motivating force of human motivation. It lies at the root of all solutions of life’s problems and is manifested in the way we meet these problems

• begins with feelings of inferiority

• root of all motivation for anything in our lives

inferiority complex

a belief that they are vastly inferior to everyone else. associated with feelings of helplessness and/or avoid and run from obstacles

• achievements are not an indication of mental health

social interest (Gemeinschaftsgefuhl)

the idea that superiority striving and concern for social interest or personal satisfaction are felt from accomplishments, but only when considering the welfare of others

• poor superiority striving = selfish behaviour

the result of parental influence on personality development

the first few years of development are important

• give too much attention (pampering) robs the children of their independence and adds to feelings of inferiority

• neglecting your child can result in them growing up to be cold and suspicious, as well as incapable of warm personalities and uncomfortable with intimacy

influence of birth order according to Adler

1st born: subject to pampering, later ‘dethroned’ by younger sibling causing a strong perception of inferiority

• leads them to being “problem children, neurotics, criminals, drunkards and perverts”

Middle child (like him): no pampering, intense superiority striving, ‘just a step behind’ the older sibling,

• they end up trying to play catch-up to everyone even later in life—highest achievers

Last born: spoiled rotten leading them to be very dependent and without personal initiative, vulnerable to strong feelings of inferiority

*this theory has very little to almost no evidence in and outside of experiments

Carl Jung

Relied heavily on ancient mythology and Eastern religious views in his writings, making it difficult for students to grasp and understand his theories

• formed analytic psychology

collective unconscious

the theory that just as we inherit physical characteristics from our ancestors, we also inherit unconscious psychics characteristics

• made up of primordial images.

primordial images

Described in terms of potential to respond to the world in a certain way

• ‘there are as many archetypes as there are typical situations in life’

name some important archetypes

• anime: the feminine side of the male

• animus: the masculine side of the female

a principal function of archetypes

to guide the selection of a romantic partner and direction to the subsequent relationship

• look for the partner by projecting anima/animus onto potential mater—we already have an unconscious image of the person we’re looking for

the shadow

contains the unconscious part of ourselves that is essentially negative, the dark side of personalities

• partly in the collective unconscious

• partly, in the form of repressed feelings, in the personal conscious

how did Jung find evidence for the collective unconscious

sourced data from mythology, cultural symbols, dreams, and statements of schizophrenics. collective unconscious is the same for everyone, meaning primordial images should be found across cultures.

Erik (Homburger) Erikson

• established Ego Psychology: the ego is not just the mediator between id impulses and superego demands, but also performs many constructive functions

• the ego is relatively powerful independent part of the personality

  • principal function: to establish and maintain a sense of identity

• personality continues to develop throughout one’s lifetime

identity crisis

the confusion and despair we feel when we lack a strong sense of who we are—typically occurs in adolescence.

the 8 states of development

• trust vs mistrust

• autonomy vs shame and doubt

• initiative vs guilt

• industry vs inferiority

• identity vs role confusion

• intimacy vs isolation

• generativity vs stagnation

• ego integrity vs despair

trust vs mistrust

~1st year of life, are needs met or not?

• needs met: basic trust—world is a good place and people are loving and approachable

• not met: basic mistrust—suspicion and withdrawal

autonomy vs shame and doubt

2nd year of life; is the world something they can control or does it control them?

• allowed to manipulate and influence their env.: sense of autonomy, feel powerful and independent

• not allowed: shame and doubt, unsure of themselves and dependent

initiative vs guilt

early childhood, learning teamwork and conflict resolution

• organize games/activities and seek out playmates: initiative, set goals and tackle challenges with conviction

industry vs inferiority

elementary school age

• success felt: feelings of competence increase causing them to be active adults in the community and achieving societal members

  • industry: the belief in our strengths and abilities

identity vs role confusion

adolescence—many teens fail to develop this strong sense of identity

intimacy vs isolation

young adulthood, developing intimate relationships

• adults who failed to develop intimacy at this stage, face emotional isolation and may avoid emotional commitment thus inhibiting emotional growth and happiness.

generativity vs stagnation

adulthood, develop a concern for guiding the next generation

• stagnation: a feeling of emptiness and question one’s life purpose

ego integrity vs despair

old age, reflections of past experiences and the inevitability of life’s end

• satisfaction when looking back = integrity

• no satisfaction = despair, and disgust and contempt to others

Karen Horney

• particularly disagreed with Freud’s views concerning women—argued that cultural and social forces are more responsible than biology for some of the apparent personality differences between genders

• taught psychoanalysis at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute and New York Psychoanalytic Institute

• was not a student of Freud’s, like many neo-Freudians

• established Feminine psychology

self-defeating interpersonal style

neurotic people in which the way they interact with others prevents them from developing the social contract they unconsciously crave

• these types of people are fighting off feelings of inadequacy and insecurity

neurosis (Freud)

fixated energy and unconscious battles between various aspects of the personality

neurosis (Horney)

the disturbed interpersonal relationships during childhood. according to this psychologist, children too often grow up in homes that foster feelings of anxiety

effects of having no training for raising children and having few restrictions on who can raise children and how they should be raised

• lack a sense of personal worth

• are afraid and unsure of how to deal with their parents

• fear unjust punishment for reasons then can’t understand

• feel insecure and inadequate

• desperately want but fail to receive the warmth and support they need

• end up confused, afraid and anxious

according to Horney, how do children cope with growing up in anxiety-generating situations?

they develop strategies for dealing with threatening people—their destructive interpersonal style

• +ve: they usually succeed in alleviating anxiety in the short run

• -ve: may come to rely on these strategies even when dealing with people outside the family

  • learned that social relationships are a source of anxiety

destructive interpersonal style

type of defense mechanism intended to ward off feelings of anxiety

interactions style neurotics adopt to avoid anxiety-provoking experiences

• moving toward people

• moving against people

• moving away from people

moving toward people

Dealing with anxiety by emphasizing their helplessness as a child. become dependent on others, compulsively seek affection and acceptance from parents and caregivers—intense need to be loved and accepted, only demand love and don’t give any

• sympathy is a temporary relief

• if they find love, everything will be alright, but they don’t love, they cling

• attach themselves to whomever is available

• relationships > loneliness and feeling unwanted

• a type of interaction style of neurotics

moving against people (Horney)

Find aggressiveness and hostility are the best way to deal with a poor home environment. compensate feelings of inadequacy and insecurity by pushing around other children = feelings of power and respect of others

• no real friendships

• more sophisticated form taken as an adult—take advantage of business partners and lash out with hurtful comments

• need to exploit other people

• characterized by externalization

• hurt others before they can get hurt

• = shallow, unfulfilling and painful relationships

moving away from people (Horney)

The desire for privacy and self-sufficiency becomes intense. Seek out jobs requiring little interaction with others

• tune the world out to deal with anxiety-inducing env in childhood

• avoid affection, love and friendship

• develop numbness to emotional experiences and avoid involvement in their environment

• relationships are shallow and unrewarding

womb envy

Men’s envy of women’s ability to bear and nurse children and they compensate for their inability to have children by achievement in other domains.

• ‘rebuttal’ of sorts to penis envy

psychoanalytic theory and religion, and some perspectives from psychologists

essentially debating the core nature of humans and other philosophical dilemmas and how they apply to human psychology/behaviour

• Freud: religious behaviour is a form of neurosis and a type of collective wish fulfilment

• Jung: the religious experience is ‘a great treasure’ providing ‘a source of life, meaning, and beauty’

  • outside the realm of silence so no answers could be provided

  • organized religion took advantage of powerful archetypal symbols in promoting themselves to followers

  • psychotherapy when religion fails

• Fromm: people turn to powerful authority of the church to escape an internal sense of powerlessness and loneliness

  • authoritarian religions: emphasize we are under the control of a God—deny personal identity

  • humanistic religions: God is a symbol for our power—provide a chance at personal growth

personal narratives

asked to describe scenes from their life—they might include a high point in their life, a turning point, an important childhood memory, etc.

• selective presentations and most likely fall short of perfect accuracy

measuring personality with personal narratives

1. interviewed are recorded and probably transcribed

2. judges review the transcripts/written responses and code the stories using preset criteria

concerns: how can people report their life stories? memories can change and fade with time

strengths of neo-Freudian theories

• primary: their elaboration of important concepts that Freud ignored or de-emphasized

  • identified the role of social factors in forming and changing personalities

• introduced many new concepts into the psychological literature that have made their way into everyday language—e.g., introvert, identity crises, inferiority complexes, etc.

• began using an optimistic tone about humans

criticisms of neo-Freudian theories

• some theories are supported by questionable evidence—support for Jung’s description of collective unconscious comes from myths, legends, etc.

  • information gleaned from patients during psychotherapy and drawing their own conclusions about human personality

• as a group, they often oversimplified or ignored important concepts—not as much depth as Freud

  • incomplete/limited accounts of personality and human behaviour

  • e.g., Adler oversimplifying his attempt to explain many complex behaviours into just striving for superiority