Lecture Four: Neo-Freudians

object relations theory

the psychodynamic theory that views the desire for relationships as the key motivating force in human behavior

how neofreudians differ

sex as less important, less emphasis on unconscious, less emphasis on instinctual drives and mental life as the source for difficulties

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Inferiority Complex: fixation on feelings of personal inferiority that can lead to emotional and social paralysis. Compensation: our efforts to overcome real or perceived weaknesses. Birth Order.

organ inferiority

In Adler's version of psychoanalysis, the idea that people are motivated to succeed in adulthood in order to compensate for whatever they felt, in childhood, was their weakest aspect.

Masculine Protest (Adler)

the desire of an adult to act and become powerful, because of feeling inadequate or inferior as a child (particularly acute in men); compensation response to feelings of inferiority

individual's style of life

an individual's compensations for perceived childhood inferiorities

Carl Jung (1875-1961)

neo-freudian who believed that humans share a collective unconscious

collective unconscious (Jung)

Carl Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

Archetypes (Jung)

Emotional symbols that are common to all people and have been formed since the beginning of time

archetypes jung examples

the earth mother, the hero, the devil, the supreme being, the snake

persona (Jung)

The psychological mask all humans wear. It allows you to become a chameleon, so you can change your behavior based on social situation. This allows people to function in society

anima

the ideal feamle

animus

the idealized male

turn inward and outward (Jung)

introverts and extraverts

Jung's four basic ways of thinking

rational thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting

sensation

establishes what is actually present

rational thinking

enables us to recognize its meaning

feeling

tells us its value

intuition

points to possibilities as to whence it came and whither it is going in a given situation

Karen Horney (1885-1952)

Neo-Freudian who found psychoanalysis negatively biased toward women and believed cultural variables are the foundation of personality development

Erik Erikson

neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting "Who am I?"; he said every conflict is not unconscious

Adler's Individual Psychology

optimistic; person as a whole rather than sum of parts; behaviour is motivated for goal attainment which starts in childhood and develops into a lifestyle; we create our own experiences (choice and subjective reality)

Adler driving for success

healthy strive for success and unhealthy strive for personal superiority; driving force is compensation

subjective perceptions (Adler)

people's subjective perceptions shape their behavior and personality; includes organ inferiorities

Unity and Self-Consistency of Personality

all behaviors are directed toward a single purpose. When seen in the light of that sole purpose, seemingly contradictory behaviors can be seen as operating in a self consistent manner, conscious and unconscious are cooperating parts of the same unified system

social interest (Adler)

Translation of the German Gemeinschaftsgefühl, meaning a community feeling or a sense of feeling at one with all human beings.

Style of Life (Adler)

represents the manifestation of the creative self and describes a person's unique way of achieving superiority; contains self-concept, self-ideal, world image, and ethical convictions

creative power (Adler)

Adler's term for what he believed to be an inner freedom that empowers each of us to create our own style of life

self-realization

learning about and developing the self to the fullest possible extent

Personal Unconscious (Jung)

material which one has repressed or forgotten from personal experiences

the shadow

inner self derived from pre-human animal past, opposition to persona

the self (Jung)

point of intersection between the collective unconscious, the personal unconscious, and the conscious mind; unites them all in self-realization

introverts

persona influences ego, queit

extraverts

ego influence persona, sociable outgoing interested in people and things

anarchic stage of infancy

chaotic and sporadic consciousness

monarchic stage of the small child

characterized by the development of the ego and by the beginning of logical and verbal thinking

dualistic stage

1.ego as perceiver arises; ego is divided into objective/subjective; children refer to themselves in first person and are aware of their existence as separate individuals.

Youth/Young adulthood – Adolescence to age 40ish

From puberty until 35 - 40, there is maturing sexuality, growing consciousness, and then a realization that the carefree days of childhood are gone forever.

Young people strive to gain psychic and physical independence from their parents, find a mate, raise a family, and make a place in the world. This is a period of increased activity, maturing sexuality, growing consciousness, etc.

Middle Life – 40 to 65

The realization that you will not live forever creates tension. If you desperately try to cling to your youth, you will fail in the process of self-realization.

At this stage, you experience what Jung calls a 'metanoia' (change of mind) and there is a tendency to more introverted and philosophical thinking. People often become religious during this period or acquire a personal philosophy of life.

Increasing anxieties, but also full of tremendous potential. By this point, we need to be capable of giving up the extraverted goals of youth and moving in the introverted direction of expanded consciousness.

The move forward to the future often (according to Jung) involves a mature religious orientation, especially a belief in some sort of afterlife.

Old Age

Consciousness is reduced in the last years; at the same time there is an acquisition of wisdom. Jung thought that death is the ultimate goal of life, and that life can be fulfilling only when death is seen in this light.

By realizing this, people will not face death with fear but with the feeling of a "job well done" and perhaps the hope for rebirth.

We (hopefully) aren't clinging to goals and lifestyles of the past. We can only find meaning in life by finding meaning in death.

penis envy

According to Freud, the female desire to have a penis - a condition that usually results in their attraction to males.

womb envy (Horney)

men's envy of women's ability to bear and nurse children

Horney's theroy of combating basic anxiety

moving toward people, moving against people, and moving away from people

basic hostility

In Horney's theory, deep feelings of resentment that children may harbor toward their parents

Despised Self

Karen Horney's concept of the part of personality consisting of perceptions of our inferiority and shortcomings, often based on others' negative evaluations of us and our resulting helplessness

ideal self

one's perception of whom one should be or would like to be

real self

person who we actually are

real self vs ideal self

-Carl Rogers

-ideal: what you want to be

-real: flaws, what you really are

tyrrany of the shoulds

a psychological concept, coined by Karen Horney, describing the self-imposed, often irrational, demands we place on ourselves and others to behave according to an idealized version of ourselves or external expectations

The neurotic need for affection and approval.

. The neurotic has a desperate need for acceptance and affection. Anxiety will occur without these. Neurotics see life as if everything is reasonable and suitable to fit their needs but in reality, it is impossible. The neurotic need for affection and approval, the indiscriminate need to please others and be liked by them.

The neurotic need for a partner, for someone who will take over one's life.

This includes the idea that love will solve all of one's problems. Again, we all would like a partner to share life with, but the neurotic goes a step or two too far.

The neurotic need to restrict one's life to narrow borders,

to be undemanding, satisfied with little, to be inconspicuous. Even this has its normal counterpart. Who hasn't felt the need to simplify life when it gets too stressful, to join a monastic order, disappear into routine, or to return to the womb? The neurotic need to make things more simple by having no routine or rules. Also, when at the point of stress, they want to be unnoticeable and avoid confrontation that may add to their frustration.

The neurotic need for power, for control over others,

for a facade of omnipotence. We all seek strength, but the neurotic may be desperate for it. This is dominance for its own sake, often accompanied by a contempt for the weak and a strong belief in one's own rational powers.

. The neurotic need to exploit others and get the better of them.

In the ordinary person, this might be the need to have an effect, to have impact, to be heard. In the neurotic, it can become manipulation and the belief that people are there to be used. It may also involve a fear of being used, of looking stupid. You may have noticed that the people who love practical jokes more often than not cannot take being the butt of such a joke themselves!

The neurotic need for social recognition or prestige

We are social creatures, and sexual ones, and like to be appreciated. But these people are overwhelmingly concerned with appearances and popularity. They fear being ignored, be thought plain, "uncool," or "out of it." So, they strive to be outgoing.

The neurotic need for personal admiration.

We need to be admired for inner qualities as well as outer ones. We need to feel important and valued. But some people are more desperate and need to remind everyone of their importance -- "Nobody recognizes genius," "I'm the real power behind the scenes, you know," and so on. Their fear is of being thought nobodies, unimportant and meaningless.

8. The neurotic need for personal achievement. Again, there is nothing

The neurotic need for personal achievement

Again, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with achievement -- far from it! But some people are obsessed with it. They have to be number one at everything they do. Since this is, of course, quite a difficult task, you will find these people devaluing anything they cannot be number one in! If they are good runners, then the discus and the hammer are "side shows." If academic abilities are their strength, physical abilities are of no importance, and so on.

The neurotic need for self-sufficiency and independence

We should all cultivate some autonomy, but some people feel that they shouldn't ever need anybody. They tend to refuse help from others, thinking they can accomplish things by themselves, and are often reluctant to commit to a relationship.

10. The neurotic need for perfection and unassailability.

To become better and better at life and our special interests is hardly neurotic, but some people are driven to be perfect and scared of being flawed. They can't be caught making a mistake and need to be in control at all times. Neurotics need perfection, hoping that everything in life is just going to get better and better. They fear failure and people finding out that they make mistakes. They feel it is important to be in charge of the all situations.

body ego

experiences with our body; a way of seeing our physical self as different from other people

ego ideal

part of the superego that contains the standards for moral behavior

ego identity

Erikson's term for a firm sense of who one is and what one stands for

Basic Trust vs Basic Mistrust

birth to 18 months-are the nourishment and care needs met?

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Erikson)

1 - 3 years. Using new mental and motor skills, children want to choose and decide for themselves. Autonomy is fostered when parents permit reasonable free choice and do not force or shame the child. Aligns with Freud's anal stage

Initiative vs. Guilt (Erikson)

3-6 yrs, good: sense of purpose, ability to initiate activities, ability to enjoy accomplishment, bad: fear of punishment, restrict himself, show off

Industry vs. Inferiority (Erikson)

6-11 years - Children busily learn to be competent and productive or feel inferior and unable to do anything well.

Identity vs. Role Confusion (Erikson)

13-19 yr, *most crucial* teens struggle with identity crisis, if healthy experimentation is fostered they attain identity achievement; if not, they face insecurity and low self-worth

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson's stage in which individuals form deeply personal relationships, marry, begin families

Generativity vs. stagnation

Erikson's stage of social development in which middle-aged people begin to devote themselves more to fulfilling one's potential and doing public service

Ego Integrity vs. despair

People in late adulthood either achieve a sense of integrity of the self by accepting the lives they have lived or yield to despair that their lives cannot be relived

Adler Key Differences

Focuses on social context and community, rather than purely sexual drives. Adler believed in the importance of overcoming inferiority.

Jung Key Differences

Introduced concepts like the collective unconscious and archetypes, focusing on spiritual and philosophical growth rather than just sexual or aggressive drives.

Horney Key Differences

Critiqued Freud's emphasis on sexuality and introduced the idea of basic anxiety rooted in interpersonal relationships and societal expectations.

Erikson Key Differences

Focused on social and cultural aspects of development throughout the entire lifespan, unlike Freud's emphasis on childhood and sexuality. Erikson's model includes identity formation as central to development.

Freud View on Development

Development occurs through psychosexual stages: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.

Adler View on Development

Development is influenced by social relationships and the striving for personal goals, particularly in childhood.

Jung View on Development

Development involves the process of individuation, where one integrates various aspects of the self throughout life.

Horney View on Development

Development is shaped by social and cultural influences, particularly in childhood, leading to coping strategies (neuroses).

Erikson View on Development

Development occurs in eight stages, each characterized by a psychosocial crisis that must be resolved.

Freud Key Concepts

Psychoanalysis, Id, Ego, Superego

Adler Key Concepts

Individual Psychology, Inferiority Complex, Striving for Superiority

Jung Key Concepts

Collective Unconscious, Archetypes, Individuation

Horney Key Concepts

Neurosis, Basic Anxiety, Moving Toward/Against/Away

Erikson Key Concepts

Psychosocial Development, Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis (Erikson)

state of emotional turmoil that arises when and adolescent's sense of self becomes 'unglued' to achieve a new, more mature sense of self; the stage also involves more identification with peers

Freud Focus of Theory

Emphasis on unconscious drives, particularly sexual and aggressive instincts.

Adler Focuse of Theory

Emphasis on social factors and the importance of feelings of inferiority.

Jung Focus of Theory

Emphasis on the integration of the unconscious, including personal and collective elements.

Horney Focus of Theory

Emphasis on interpersonal relationships and cultural factors influencing personality

Erikson Focus of Theory

Emphasis on social influences across the lifespan and the development of identity.

neo-Freudian psychology

A general term for the psychoanalytically oriented work of many theorists and researchers who are influenced by Freud's theory.