Psychodynamic theories of personality

describe Freuds Topographic model of mental processes and the levels

Freud’s Topographic Model (1900/1965) divides the mind into three levels — conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

• Conscious: Rational, goal-directed thoughts within awareness.

• Preconscious: Information not currently conscious but easily accessible

• Unconscious: Irrational thoughts organized by association, not logic, and repressed to protect from emotional distress

What does Freud’s theory say about conflict and ambivalence, and what does research suggest about its effects?

Ambivalence is the presence of conflicting feelings or intentions, and conflict is a battle between opposing motives

what are compromise formations, how does it help poeple resolve conflicts?

defined as a single behaviour or complex pattern of though and action, which typically reflects compromises among multiple and often conflicting forces. People resolve conflicts through compromise formations, which try to maximise fulfilment of conflicting motives simultaneously.

what is freuds drive model

drive or instinct model, people have two instincts, sex and aggression.

define libido drive from the drive model and how it appears

Freud (1933/1965) proposed two fundamental drives: sex (libido) and aggression. He defined libido broadly to include pleasure seeking, love, and sensuality—not just sexual intercourse. It can appear in daydreams, friendships, or even career choices tied to attraction or status

define aggression drive from the drive model and how it appears

Aggression can be expressed in both acceptable and unacceptable ways, such as through sports, business competition, or media. Freud noted that sex and aggression are central human forces that society—and individuals—must constantly regulate and censor.

What are Freud’s psychosexual stages of the developmental model, and what do they represent?

the theory of psychosexual stages explain personality, sexuality, and motivation development. Each stage reflects a child’s evolving quest for pleasure and their growing awareness of social limits on that pleasure. At each stage, the libido focuses on a specific erogenous zone—a body area that generates sexual pleasure—making the development of the libidinal drive central to personality formation.

what are the stages of psychosexual development?

oral, anal, phalic, and genital

What happens during Freud’s oral stage, and what can result from fixation at this stage?

The oral stage (birth–18 months) is when infants explore the world through the mouth, gaining nourishment and comfort. Fixation can cause dependency, clinginess, and oral habits like thumb sucking or nail biting.

What characterizes Freud’s anal stage, and what can fixation lead to?

The anal stage (ages 2–3) centers on toilet training and conflicts over control and obedience. It shapes attitudes toward order, cleanliness, and authority. Fixation can cause extremes—being overly neat and controlling or messy and defiant—and stress may lead to regression to earlier behaviors.

What happens during Freud’s phallic stage, and what are its key features and outcomes?

The phallic stage (ages 4–6) centers on genital awareness and identification with the same-sex parent, forming the basis of personality and the superego. Freud linked this stage to the Oedipus complex in boys and Electra complex in girls, where children desire the opposite-sex parent but repress these wishes, leading to identification and moral development. Fixation may cause preoccupation with sex or gender roles. In the following latency stage (7–11), sexual impulses are repressed and redirected into learning, play, and social development.

What happens during Freud’s genital stage?

The genital stage (around age 12 and beyond) marks the return of conscious sexuality, focused on mature relationships and adult responsibilities like love, work, and parenting. Earlier oral and anal impulses remain but are integrated into adult sexual expression. Freud believed that by this stage, personality is largely established in childhood.

what is Freuds structural model

is a model of conflicts between desires and the dictates of conscience or the constraints of reality, which posits three sets of internal forces or structures the id, ego, and super

What is the id and how does it operate?

The id is the source of sexual and aggressive energy, driven by impulses and primary process thinking—wishful, illogical, and associative. It follows the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification without regard for consequences.

define the ego

The ego balances desire, reality, and morality, using secondary process thinking—rational, logical, and goal-directed. It follows the reality principle, aligning pleasure-seeking with consequences, manages cognition, problem-solving, and emotions, and finds compromises among competing demands.

What is the superego and what is its role?

The superego acts as a conscience and source of ideals, counterbalancing the id’s impulses. It represents the parental voice within the person, established through identification with caregivers.

What are defence mechanisms according to psychodynamic theory?

Defence mechanisms are unconscious mental processes that help people regulate emotions and manage conflicts, protecting them from unpleasant emotions (especially anxiety) or supporting pleasurable emotions. They are often habitual strategies rather than novel solutions.

What are repression and denial, and how do they function?

• Repression: Keeps threatening thoughts or memories out of awareness.

• Denial: Refuses to acknowledge external realities or emotions (e.g., ignoring a possible health threat).
  Both protect against anxiety, but repeated threats can lead to avoidance behaviors when these defences fail.

What is projection as a defence mechanism?

Projection occurs when a person attributes their own unacknowledged feelings or impulses to others. For example, a person who is greedy may accuse others of being greedy, avoiding conflict with their own conscience.

What is reaction formation?

Reaction formation occurs when a person fails to acknowledge unacceptable impulses and overemphasises their opposites.
Example: Overpraising a sibling despite feeling resentment.

What is sublimation?

Sublimation converts sexual or aggressive impulses into socially acceptable activities.
Example: Turning sibling rivalry into excelling in sports or career competition.

What is rationalisation?

Rationalisation explains actions in a seemingly logical way to avoid guilt or shame.
Example: Justifying plagiarism as necessary to achieve a noble goal.

What is displacement?

Displacement directs emotions, often anger, away from the real target to a safer substitute.
Example: Hitting a punching bag after a fight with a partner.

What are regression and passive aggression?

• Regression: Reverting to an earlier developmental stage under stress.
  Example: Name-calling under pressure.

• Passive aggression: Indirect expression of anger to frustrate others without direct confrontation.
  Example: Delaying important documents to irritate colleagues.

Are defence mechanisms always unhealthy?

No; some defensive distortions can be adaptive, helping people persist or cope with stress. Cultural and trauma-related experiences can shape maladaptive or adaptive defence styles, as seen in North Korean refugees.

What is Jungian (Analytical) Psychology and its main concepts?

Jungian psychology integrates outer experiences and the inner world of fantasies, symbols, and dreams. Key concepts include extroverted and introverted personality types, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. Jungian psychotherapy focuses on the relationship between the unconscious and conscious, while considering everyday life.

What do object relations and relational theories focus on?

Object relations theories examine interpersonal disturbances and the mental processes underlying the ability to relate to others. Relational theories argue that human adaptation is primarily adaptation to other people.

How does psychodynamic theory assess personality?

Personality assessment taps into unconscious motives and conflicts. Methods include life history approaches, which study a person in the context of their life and environment, and projective tests (e.g., Rorschach, TAT), which present ambiguous stimuli to elicit projections of inner thoughts and feelings

How is personality assessed in psychodynamic theory?

Psychodynamic assessment explores unconscious motives and conflicts using life history methods, which consider the whole person in context, and projective tests (e.g., Rorschach, TAT), where participants project meanings onto ambiguous stimuli.