Psychoanalytic perspective of personality

Psychoanalytic methods of assessing personality

Rorschach, thematic apperception, clinical interview and million clinical multiaxial inventory.

Psychoanalytic assumptions of personality

It is dynamic result of ever-changing set of forces which operate either in harmony or opposition.

Psychoanalytic assumptions of behaviour

Motivated by forces beyond conscious awareness.

Psychoanalytic assumptions of energy

Used for performing work of mind obtained from biologically-based instinctual drives

Psychoanalytic assumptions of personality development

Assumes it is powerfully influenced by early experience.

Psychoanalytic assumptions of mental health

Dependant upon balance of forces in ones life.

topographical model of the mind

Mind is organised into levels of functioning - conscious level, preconscious level and unconscious level.

Conscious level

Contains elements about which a person is currently aware• Contents can be articulated verbally• Contents can bethought about in arational/logical manner

Preconscious level

Represents elements in ordinary memory—those outside of current attention• Contents are easily brought to current awareness

Unconscious level

Elements of the mind that are actively kept from consciousness. Contents cannot be brought to consciousness directly, but can only enter awareness in distorted form

Structural model

Id, Egom Superego

Id - Pleasure principle

The id is the original, instinctive part of personality present at birth. It is entirely unconscious, driven by biological needs and the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification. It represents inherited, primitive impulses and is the source of all psychic energy in Freud's model.

Ego - Reality principle

The ego grows from the id to help us deal with the real world. It works mostly in our conscious mind. It tries to meet our needs in realistic and acceptable ways. It doesn't care about right or wrong—just what works in real life.

Superego

The superego is your inner moral guide. It develops from parents and society, rewarding good behaviour with pride and causing guilt when you break rules. It works both consciously and unconsciously.

Drives of personality

Basic assumptions:• People are complex energy systems• Energy used in psychological work is released through biological processes• These processes, which operate through the Id = "drives" Two elements to drives:• Biological need state• Psychological representation

Two classes of drives

Eros and Thanatos

Eros - Life or sexual dries

Concerned with survival, reproduction, and pleasure• Examples: Hunger, pain avoidance, sex• Energy resulting from Eros = "Libido"

Thanatos - Death drives

The goal of all life is death• Usually held back by Eros• No label for energy resulting from Thanatos• Physiological analog: Apoptosis (programmed cellular suicide)• Redirected harm toward self onto others may represent the foundation of aggression

Catharsis

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Implication for aggressive energy

over controlled aggression—exaggerated ego and superego processes in which there is a strong inhibition against aggression (straw that broke the camel's back syndrome)• mixed effects on the reduction of arousal following aggressive acts• mixed findings on the effects of future aggression

Anxiety under psychoanalytic theory

The ego balances the needs of the id, superego, and reality. When overwhelmed, it creates anxiety as a warning. If it functions well, anxiety stays low.

Reality anxiety (freud)

fear of tangible dangers

Neurotic anxiety (freud)

fear of punishmentresulting from Id impulses getting out ofcontrol

Moral anxiety

ear of violating moral/ethicalcodes arising from Superego

Two main strategies ego uses for anxiety

Increase rational problem-oriented coping• Conscious activity to deal with threat• Works best with reality anxiety Activate defense mechanisms• Tactics developed by 'ego' to deal with anxiety• All defense mechanisms operate unconsciously• All distort, transform, or falsify our world view

Defense mechanisms

Describes how behaviours, feelings & ideas are used to:• avoid or manage some powerful or threatening feeling, signalled by anxiety• maintain self-esteem - strong consistent positively valued sense of self• protect against dis-integration & anxiety• modify unwanted impulses

Repression

Unconscious forcing something out of consciousness.

Supression

Conscious repression

Denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

Projection

disguising one's own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

Introjection

Accepting another person's attitudes, beliefs, and values as one's own

Rationalisation

finding a reason/excuse for behaviour done or unacceptable reasons.

Intellectualisation

Ignoring emotions and feelings by talking about an emotionally painful event in a 'cold', unemotional way

Reaction formation

switching unacceptable impulses into their opposites

Regression

Giving up mature coping styles in favour of those from earlier stages of psychosexual development in which fixated

Dissociation

disruption in normally occurring connectionbetween feelings & thoughts, behaviour & memories

Displacement

Redirection of emotion, impulse or preoccupationfrom initial object to another

Sublimation

a mature defense mechanism where unacceptable impulses from the id are transformed into socially acceptable actions (like art or music). It allows emotional energy to be expressed in a constructive way, reducing anxiety and benefiting both the individual and society.

Dissociative amnesia

loss of memory for personal information, either partial or complete of a traumatic nature

Dissociative identity disorder

A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Also called multiple personality disorder.

Limitations of Freuds theory

difficult concepts to test• defense mechanisms provide endless flexibility, making prediction difficult & any result explainable

Strengths of freuds theory

Freud's was first comprehensive theory of personality• it's centrality to the key issues of personality• intuitive appeal of it's major themes

Behavioural problems

Problems arise from overuse of defenses:• unresolved conflict resulting in fixation• broad libidinal repression of basic needs (psychosexual development)• repressed trauma

Goals of therapy

o free-up energy by releasing need to repress through awareness and insight:• Consequences of therapy resistance—actively fighting against awareness of repressed conflicts and impulses transference—displacements onto therapist

Dreams

Freud described dreams as the "royal road to the unconscious," consisting of manifest content—the actual images and events experienced—and latent content, which is the hidden meaning behind them. Dreams are influenced by sensory stimuli during sleep, current life concerns, and unconscious Id impulses that reflect deeper desires and thoughts.