Psychoanalysis after Freud

Freudian theory

Personality is developed across 5 psychosexual stages: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital. Each with a developmental challenge and mode of sexual gratification, and a later implication in life. 

Fixation

Developmental conflict does not get resolved, affects personality style later on in life.

Regression

When under stress, people retreat to that earlier stage. (eg. sucking thumb)

The Oral stage - age, developmental task, how can it go wrong, future manifestations. 

First stage: birth - 18 months, only id.

DT: moving from infantile dependency toward autonomy.

wrong: frustation of needs or over-gratification of needs.

manifestations: overly independent (frustration of needs) vs. helpless, passive, needy (over-gratification of needs).

The Oral stage - physical focus, source of pleasure, psychological theme.

p focus: mouth, lips, and tongue

pleasure: sucking, drinking

p theme: dependency and passivity

The Anal Stage - age, developmental task, how can it go wrong, future manifestations. 

Seconf phase: 18 months - 3 years, Development of the ego.

DT: learning to exercise control over one’s body and impulses, toilet training. 

wrong outcomes: toilet training too harsh or too lanient. 

manifestations: anal retentice personality & anal expulsive personality. 

Anal retenice personality

stingy, compulsively tidy and orderly.

Caused by toilet training too harsh.

anal expulsive personality 

lack of self-control, messy, chaotic, careless. 

Caused by toilet training too lenient, too relaxed. 

The Anal Stage - physical focus, source of pleasure, psychological theme.

p focus: anus 

Source of pleasure: bowel movement 

P theme: self-control and obedience. 

The phallic stage - age, developmental task, how can it go wrong, future manifestations. 

Third stage: 3.5 - 7 years. Development of morality, conscience, the superego. 

DT: mastering competitive urges and acquiring gender role-related behaviours.

manifestations: Rigid moral code vs. lack fo moral code. Asexual vs. promiscuous.

The Phallic Stage - physical focus, source of pleasure, psychological theme.

Physical focus: sex organs (penis,clitoris)

Source of pleasure: genitals as primary erogenous zones

Psychological theme: gender identity and sexuality, love, fear, and jealousy. 

Oedipus complex 

Psychoanalytic theory that described a child’s feelings of desire for the opposite-sex parent and jelousy and anger toward the same same-sex parent

Elektra complex 

Oedipus complex but genders switched around. 

The Latency Period (not a stage) - age, developmental task, how can it go wrong, future manifestations. 

age: 7yrs - pubery

no dt. Sexual feelings are repressed, boys and girls have little or no intrest in members of the opposite sex. 

Focus is on productive, rewarding activities as oppossed to sexual feelings. 

The genital stage - age, psychological theme, physical focus, future manifestations. 

puberty onwards, id, ego and superego are well balanced.

theme: maturity

Focus: genitals, sexuality in the context of a mature relationship. 

manifestations: psychologically well adjusted and balanced, high mental health. 

Psychodynamic Theory After Freud

• less emphasis on sex drive 

• less emphasis on unconscious mental processes and more on conscious thought 

• less emphasis on instinctual drives and mental life as the course of psychological difficulties, and more on interpersonal relationships. 

Psychosocial Development: Erik Erikson

• psychosocial development (instead of psychosexual)

• Many conflicts are conscious 

• basic conflicts arise at various stages of life 

Object realtions theory 

“object” refers to a person; so object relations theory is more like an “interpersonal relations theory”. 

“reflected“ images of how you were treated as a child demonstrate the type of relationships you expect as you get older.