Ch 5

Limitations of Freudian theory

Many theorists reject the notion that adult personality is primarily formed in the first 5-6 years of life.

• Many neo Freudians challenge Freud's emphasis on instinctual forces

• Many dislike the generally negative tone of Freudian theory

Alfred Adler

Founder of individual psychology; emphasized striving for superiority, parental influence, and the effect of birth order

Striving for superiority

A human motivation stemming from feelings of inferiority; as we recognize our weaknesses, we strive to overcome them, with increased feelings of inferiority intensifying this drive.

Inferiority complex

A belief that one is vastly inferior to others, often resulting in feelings of helplessness rather than an upward drive to establish superiority

• People who suffer from this run away from challenges rather than work to overcome them

Social interest

The concern and consideration for the welfare of others, essential for healthy superiority striving.

dangerous parenting behaviours

Two parental behaviours that lead to problems in later life:

1. pampering

2. neglect

Pampering

Parents who give their children too much attention run the risk of pampering

• Pampering robs the child of independence and adds to feelings of inferiority

Neglect

Parents "give their kids too much freedom"; but it's actually neglect

• Child who receive too little attention from their parents grow up cold and suspicious

Birth order: oldest

Oldest children receive excessive pampering that is short-lived, as attention shifts to the second born, often leading to a strong sense of inferiority

• a significant proportion of difficult children.

Birth order: middle

• Never afforded the luxury of being pampered

• Develop superiority striving

• Spend a life time trying to catch up

• Therefore, they are the highest achievers

Birth order: youngest

• Pampered throughout their childhood by all members of the family

• Spoiled children are very dependent and without personal initiative

• Vulnerable to strong inferiority feelings because everyone  in their immediate environment is older and stronger

Carl Jung

developed analytic psychology

Collective unconscious

shared thoughts and images among all human beings, distinct from personal unconscious.

• Consists of thoughts and images that are difficult to bring into awareness

• Each of us was born with this unconscious material

• It is made up of primordial images

Archetypes

Primordial images and symbols present in the collective unconscious that shape human experiences.

Anima

the feminine side of the male

Animus

the masculine side of the female

shadow

the negative unconscious part of us

• Located partly in the personal unconscious as repressed feelings and partly in the collective unconscious

  • Evil is personified in myths and stories from various cultures

    • e.g., the devil

Erik Erikson

• Freud saw the ego as a mediator

• But Erikson believed the ego performed many corrective functions

• The ego is a relatively powerful, independent part of personality

• Ego psychology

• The principle function of the ego is to establish and maintain a sense of identity

identity crisis

a term often overused and misused referring to the confusion and despair we feel when we lack a strong sense of who we are

Ego psychology

A concept initiated by Erik Erikson focusing on the ego as a powerful and independent part of personality.

Identity crisis

a term often overused and misused referring to the confusion and despair we feel when we lack a strong sense of who we are

Basic trust vs. mistrust

• The child whose needs are met develops basic trust

  • The world is a good place, people are approachable

• When needs aren’t met, infants develop basic mistrust

  • Begin a lifelong pattern of suspicion and are withdrawn

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

• When children can manipulate and influence what they encounter, children feel autonomy

  • Feel powerful and independent

  • Confident they can navigate challenges

• Overprotective parents can prevent their kids from exercising influence and events, the children develop shame and doubt

  • Unsure of themselves and become dependent on others

Initiative vs. Guilt

• Children who seek out playmates and organize games and other social activities develop initiative

  • Learn how to set goals and tackle challenges with conviction

  • Develop a sense of ambition and purpose

• Children who fail at this stage are left with feelings of guilt and resignation

  • Lack a sense of purpose and show few signs of initiative in social or other situations

Industry vs. Inferiority

• Industry: a belief in our strengths and abilities

• inferiority: a lack of appreciation for our talents and skills

Identity vs. Role confusion

• Teen make decisions about personal values and religion

• Teens understand, accept, and appreciate ourselves

  • They develop a sense of identity

• If you fail to develop this strong sense of identity, you fall into role confusion

Intimacy vs. Isolation

• the challenge of developing intimate relationships

• People form romantic relationships to develop intimacy

• If you fail to develop intimacy you may face emotional confusion

  • May end up avoiding emotional commitment

Generativity vs. Stagnation

• Concern for guiding the next generation

  • A sense of fulfillment by guiding or working with youth/raising kids

  • Develop a sense of generativity

• If you fail, you develop a sense of stagnation

  • A feeling of emptiness and questioning one's purpose in life

Ego integrity vs. Despair

• Look back with satisfaction = leave with a sense of integrity

• Look back with regret = leave with a sense of despair

Karen Horney

• Freud maintained that men and women were born with different personalities

• But Horney argued that cultural and social forces are far more responsible than biology

• Reviews on neurosis and called feminine psychology

Neurosis

A psychological condition defined by anxiety and insecurity; often resulting from disturbed interpersonal relationships.

• learned that social relationships are a source of anxiety, and their destructive interpersonal style is a type of defence mechanism

Neurotic individuals rely simply on ONE of the 3 styles

Moving toward people

• Deal with things already by emphasizing helplessness

• Dependent on others

• Compulsively seeking affection and acceptance from their parents and caregivers

• Sympathy provides temporary relief

• Attach yourself to whoever is available

needy and clingy

Moving against people

• Children find aggressiveness and hostility to be the best way to deal with poor home environments

• Compensate for feelings of inadequacy and insecurity by pushing around other children

• Rewarded with a fleeting sense of power and respect from classmates, but have no real friendships

• As adults,  find the need to exploit others

• Learns during childhood that people are basically hostile and only interested in themselves

Moving away from people

• Instead of interacting with others in a dependent or hostile manner, the child tunes out the world

• The desire for privacy and self-sufficiency can become intense

• As adults, they seek out jobs requiring little interaction with others

• They avoid affection, love, and friendship

• The safest way to avoid anxiety is to avoid involvement

Womb envy

Horney's concept suggesting men may envy women due to their reproductive capabilities.

• She pointed out that Freud's observations took place at a time when society placed women as inferior

  • If a woman at that time wished she were a man, it was because of the restrictions and burdens placed on her by the culture, not by inherent inferiority

Application of Psychoanalytic theory: Freud

• called religion the type of collective wish fulfillment

• To protect ourselves from a threatening and unpredictable world, we project our imagined savior as a form of God

  • God is an unconscious father figure generated in an infantile way to provide us with a feeling of security

Application of Psychoanalytic theory: Jung

• saw that religion often provides followers with a sense of purpose and feelings of security

• The question of God's existence was outside the realm of science

• His interest was with humankind's eternal need to find religion

• Jung's answer was that each of us inherits a God archetype in our collective unconscious

• Suggested that many people seek out psychotherapy when their religion fails to provide reassurance

Personality Assessment: Personal Narrative

• Researchers use this procedure to study personality

• They ask participants to tell their life stories or some of the critical scenes in that story

• These accounts tell us something about the character of the participant

• Interviews are recorded and transcribed

• Judges review the interview transcripts using criteria/themes

• Scores tend to be consistent overtime

Weaknesses to personal narrtives

• How accurately do people report their life stories?

• In response to this concern, most investigators acknowledge that personal narratives are selective representations and fall short of perfect accuracy

  • But what people remember choose to remember and the way they construct their past is revealing

Strengths to Neo-Freudian Theories

• their elaboration of important concepts that forward had ignored or deemphasized

  • The role of social factors

• Presented much more optimistic and flattering pictures of humankind

• Described the positive functions by the ego

• Introduced many new concepts into the psychological literature

• The optimism characterized by neo-Freudians helped pave the way for humanistic personality theorists

Criticisms to Neo-Freudian theories

• Theories are supported with questionable evidence

  • Specifically Jung

• Often oversimplify or ignore important concepts