Characteristics of Drives, Anxiety, and Defense Mechanisms

Flashcards on the characteristics of drives, sources of anxiety, and psychoanalytic defense mechanisms based on Freud's theory.

Impetus

The force that a drive exerts.

Source (of a Drive)

The region of the body in excitation.

Aim (of a Drive)

Seeking pleasure by removing excitation or tension.

Object (of a Drive)

The person or thing that satisfies the aim of a drive.

Anxiety

A felt, unpleasant state warning of impending danger that only the ego can feel, serving as an ego-preserving mechanism prompting defense.

Neurotic Anxiety

Apprehension about an unknown danger, originating from id impulses but felt by the ego.

Moral Anxiety

Anxiety stemming from the conflict between the ego and the superego.

Realistic Anxiety

An unpleasant feeling involving a possible danger in the external world, similar to fear but less specific.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety arising from unacceptable id impulses or superego dictates.

Repression

The most basic defense mechanism, involving forcing threatening thoughts or feelings into the unconscious.

Reaction Formation

A defense mechanism involving adopting a disguise opposite to the original impulse, identified by exaggeration and compulsion.

Displacement

A defense mechanism involving redirecting unacceptable urges onto a safer, less threatening target.

Fixation

The permanent attachment of libido to an earlier, more primitive stage of development due to anxiety about moving forward.

Regression

Reverting to earlier, more secure patterns of behavior during times of stress, which is usually temporary.

Projection

Attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or tendencies to others, with paranoia being an extreme form.

Introjection

Incorporating positive qualities of another person into one's own ego, with the resolution of the Oedipus complex as a prototype.

Sublimation

Channeling unacceptable sexual or aggressive drives into socially acceptable or creative activities, benefiting both the individual and society.