Ch 3

The 2 models in Freudian personality theory

1. topographic

2. structural

Topographic Model

Divides personality into three parts: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

Conscious

containing thoughts that one is currently aware of.

• This material changes constantly as new thoughts enter your mind and others pass out of awareness

• Can only deal with a tiny percentage of all the information stored in your mind

Preconscious

The part of the mind that holds retrievable information and is similar to long-term memory.

Unconscious

The part of the mind containing material that is not accessible to consciousness except in extreme situations.

• This material is responsible for much of your everyday behaviour

Structural Model

Freud's model that divides personality into the id, ego, and superego.

Id

The part of the personality that is selfish and seeks immediate gratification based on the pleasure principle.

• regardless of physical or social limitations

• Buried entirely in the unconscious, outside our awareness

Ego

The part of the personality that mediates between the id's desires and the realities of the world, based on the reality principle.

• Id impulses are typically socially unacceptable, therefore threatening

• The ego tries to satisfy the wants of the id to lessen tension, but in a way that considers the consequences of the action

Superego

The part of the personality representing societal values and standards, often inducing feelings of guilt.

• Also referred to as a conscience

• The superego instills guilt for moral violations (and thinking about moral violations) and regulates behavior according to societal standards; some individuals may struggle with its development.

Moral anxiety

overbearing superegos, burdening the ego with impossible standards of perfection

•  an ever-present feeling of shame or guilt for failing to reach standards no human can meet

What is human behaviour motivated by?

strong internal forces called triebe

• Roughly translated as drives or instincts (thus, is innate)

Libido

The life or sexual instinct that motivates human behavior.

• Not simply behaviour with erotic content, but also any action aimed at receiving pleasure

Thanatos

The death or aggressive instinct characterized by a desire to return to a state of rest.

• Typically expressed outward (rather than inward as a self-destructive action) as aggression toward others

• The wish to die remains unconscious

Psychic energy

powers psychological functions

• finite

• Energy spent on one part of psychological functioning is not available for other uses

• Thus, if the ego expends large amounts of energy to control the id, it has little energy left to carry out the rest of its functions efficiently

Purpose of defense mechanisms

• The ego reduces or avoids anxiety by keeping this material out of consciousness

Neurotic anxiety

vague feelings of anxiety sparked by the sensation that unacceptable unconscious thoughts are about to burst through the awareness barrier and express themselves in consciousness

Repression

an active effort by the ego to push threatening material out of consciousness or to keep that material from ever reaching consciousness

• Because it is a constant, active process, it requires the ego to constantly expend energy

Sublimation

A defense mechanism that channels threatening impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.

• The more we use sublimation, the more productive we become

• The only successful defense mechanism

Displacement

A defense mechanism where impulses are redirected to non-threatening objects.

• Unlike sublimation, displacement does not lead to social rewards

  • e.g., man gets into shit at work --> beats child

Denial

one refuses to accept the existence of a certain fact.

• We insist that something is not true despite evidence provided

• An extreme form of defense

• The more we use it, the less in touch with reality we are and the more difficulty we have functioning

Reaction Formation

we hide threatening unconscious ideas or urges by acting in a manner opposite to our unconscious desires

• the ego must prove how incorrect the notion is

Intellectualization

considering something in a strictly intellectual, unemotional manner, to bring difficult thoughts into consciousness without anxiety

Projection

we attribute an unconscious impulse to other people instead of to ourselves

• By projecting the impulse onto another person, we free ourselves from the perception that we are the one who actually holds this thought

Psychosexual Stages of Development

• Children face specific challenges as they pass through each of the psychosexual stages and that small amounts of psychic energy is used when resolving these challenges

• If things move accordingly, we should have an adequate amount left to operate a healthy personality by the time we become adults

Fixation

 the tying up of psychic energy

• Results from difficulty or failure to successfully complete a stage

• Leaves less energy available for normal functioning

• Adults express behaviours characteristic of the stage which the energy is fixated

Oral Stage

The mouth, lips, and tongue are primary erogenous zones; traumatic weaning can lead to fixation and an oral personality characterized by dependency and potential aggression, with an ongoing need for oral satisfaction.

Anal Stage

The anal stage focuses on anal region as the primary erogenous zone. Traumatic toilet training can lead to fixation, resulting in an anal personality characterized by orderliness, rigidity, and possible stubbornness or generosity.

Phallic Stage

In this stage, the penis or clitoris is the central erogenous zone.

• Children develop a sexual attraction for their opposite sex parent (Oedipus complex),

  • boys to experience castration anxiety and girls to experience penis envy.

• They resolve these feelings by identifying with the same-sex parent, acquiring gender characteristics, and adopting parental values, which contribute to the development of the superego.

• Oedipal desires are repressed but never fully eliminated.

Latency Stage

A period where sexual desires diminish; boys and girls show little interest in each other, which shifts during puberty when erogenous urges return, focusing on adult genital regions.

Ways to study the unconscious

1. dreams

2. projective tests

3. free association

4. Freudian slips

5. hypnosis

6. accidents

7. symbolic behaviour

Dreams

• "Royal road to the unconscious"

• Dreams provide id impulses with a stage of expression

• They are a type of wish fulfillment

  • Representing things we desire

Manifest content: what the dreamers sees and remembers

Latent content: what is really being expressed

Projective Tests

Psychological tests assessing responses to ambiguous stimuli, providing insight into the unconscious mind.

• present test takers with ambiguous stimuli and asks them to respond by identifying objects, telling a story, or perhaps drawing a picture

Free Association

• Clear your mind and thoughts, then allowing whatever comes into your mind to enter

• Say the thoughts aloud

• These are typically uncensored ideas that bypass the censoring mechanism of the ego

Freudian Slips

Slip of the tongue revealing unconscious associations.

Hypnosis

• The ego is put into a suspended state during a deep hypnotic trance, giving direct access to unconscious material

• But, not everyone is responsive to hypnotic suggestion

Accidents

• Many apparent accidents are actually intentional

  • Stemming from unconscious impulses

Symbolic behaviour

• Many of our daily behaviours can be interpreted as symbolic representations of unconscious desires

• Symbolic actions pose no threat to the ego because they are not perceived for what they are

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach aimed at bringing unconscious material into consciousness.

• once the material surfaces, it must be dealt with in a way that it does not manifest into some new disorder

• actively interprets the significance of statements, behaviours, and dreams

• The therapist and client work to help the ego exercise appropriate control over id impulses and/or an oppressive superego

Projective tests

• Provide ambiguous stimuli

• There are no correct or incorrect answers

• Responses are interpreted as projections from the unconscious

  • Gives test takers an opportunity to express pent up impulses

• The significance of the response is not apparent to the test taker

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test using inkblots to gain insight into personality based on how individuals interpret them.

• Test takers are tasked with describing what they see in the images

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where subjects create stories about ambiguous images.

Human Figure Drawing Test

A measure originally for intelligence used to assess psychological problems among children.

• A blank paper and instructed to draw a picture

Evaluation of projective tests

Interpretation varies among psychologists; these tests often show low reliability and validity. Newer coding systems for Rorschach responses improve reliability. They should be considered one of many sources of client information.

Strengths of Freud's Theory

1. The first comprehensive theory of human behaviour

2. Developed the first system of psychotherapy

3. Credited with popularizing and promoting many important psychological concepts

Criticisms of Freud's Theory

1. many Freudian ideas appear in literature that predates Freud’s work

2. many of the hypotheses generated from the theory are not testable