Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory to aid in understanding the foundational elements of his theory.

Determinism

The belief that behavior is largely determined by innate drives, such as sex and aggression, and how one is raised.

Life Instincts

Instinctive urges to preserve life, which includes basic needs primarily linked to sexual drives.

Death Instincts

Instincts that represent a desire to return to a state of balance, often linked to aggression and self-destructive behavior.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that contains hidden wishes, needs, conflicts, and unresolved issues, often influencing behavior without awareness.

Id

The primitive and instinctual part of personality that operates based on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification.

Ego

The rational part of personality that mediates between the desires of the id and the constraints of reality.

Superego

The moral component of personality that internalizes societal values, leading to feelings of guilt or pride.

Oedipus Complex

A child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Electra Complex

A girl's sense of competition with her mother for the father's attention, which Freud rejected as strictly applicable to boys.

Penis Envy

The concept where a girl feels envy towards boys for having a penis, which Freud believed affected female development.

Psychosexual Development

Freud's theory that personality develops through a series of childhood stages, each characterized by pleasure from different body areas.

Fixation

A defensive attachment to an earlier psychosexual stage stemming from trauma or poor resolution of conflicts during that stage.

Repression

The unconscious mechanism that banishes painful memories from consciousness.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism where unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable actions or behaviors.

Transference

A phenomenon in therapy where patients project feelings about significant others onto the therapist.

Resistance

A patient's unwillingness to disclose painful memories or topics during therapy.

Dream Analysis

A technique in psychoanalysis used to interpret dreams to uncover unconscious thoughts and wishes.