Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering the biographical details of Sigmund Freud, his theories on psychoanalysis, instincts, anxiety types, mental structures, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual developmental stages as presented in the lecture notes.

Psychoanalysis Primary Focus

Unconscious forces, biologically based drives of sex and aggression, and unavoidable conflicts in early childhood

Instincts

The basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive behavior and determine its direction

Trieb

A German term which means a driving force or impulse

The Aim of an Instinct

To satisfy the need and thereby reduce the tension

Anxiety (in relation to aim)

Develops if we cannot satisfy the aim of an instinct

Reason for Partial Tension Reduction

We cannot remove tension completely because it would make life boring and aimless

Two Categories of Instincts

Life Instincts and Death Instincts

Life Instincts

Eros/pleasure/sex

Eros Aim

Pleasure, though it is not limited to genital satisfaction

Narcissism

A form of sex in personality dynamics; includes primary and secondary types

Primary Narcissism

A state in infants who are primarily self-centered, with their libido invested almost exclusively on their own ego

Transition from Primary Narcissism

As the ego develops, children give up much of this and develop a greater interest in other people

Object Libido

The state when narcissistic libido is transformed after interest in other people develops

Secondary Narcissism

Occurs during puberty when adolescents often redirect their libido back to the ego and become preoccupied with personal appearance

Prevalence of Self-Love

A moderate degree is common to nearly everyone

Love (Freudian definition)

Develops when people invest their libido on an object or person other than themselves

A Child's First Sexual Interest

The mother

Aim-Inhibited Love

The kind of love felt towards siblings and parents where the original aim of reducing sexual tension is repressed

Sadism

The need for sexual pleasure by inflicting pain or humiliation on another person

Sadism as Perversion

When the need is carried to an extreme

Sadism dependency

Sadists are more dependent than masochists as they must seek and find another person on whom to inflict pain

Masochism

Experiencing sexual pleasure from suffering pain and humiliation inflicted either by themselves or by others

Masochism as Perversion

When Eros becomes subservient to the destructive desire

Death Instincts

Aggression, distraction, thanatos

Aim of Death Instincts

To return an organic object into its inorganic state; the final aim is self-destruction

Impetus

The amount of force an instinct exerts

Source (Instinct Characteristic)

The region of the body in a state of excitation or tension

Aim (Instinct Characteristic)

The seek of pleasure by reducing tension

Object (Instinct Characteristic)

Serves as the means through which the aim is satisfied

Anxiety Definition

A threat to the ego; an objectless fear

Difference between Fear and Anxiety

Anxiety does not involve a specific fearful object while fear has a pinpointable source

Realistic Anxiety

Tangible danger; an unpleasant, nonspecific feeling involving a possible danger

Neurotic Anxiety

Apprehension about an unknown danger, leading to anxiety disorders

Moral Anxiety

Stems from the conflict between the ego and the superego

Levels of Mental Life

Conscious, Preconscious, and Unconscious

Conscious

Sensation and elements in awareness at any given point in time

Conscious Origins

From the perceptual conscious system and mental structure

Preconscious

Memories and elements that are not conscious but can become conscious either readily or with some difficulty

Unconscious

The darkest mental state containing repressed memories, secrets, and drives beyond awareness that motivate us

Provinces of the Mind (Structures)

Id, Ego, and Superego

Id

Governed by the pleasure principle; concerned only with instant gratification

Id Moral Status

Amoral but not immoral

Ego

Governed by the reality principle; the only region in contact with the external world

Superego

Governed by the morality principle/conscience; unrealistic in its demand for perfection

Superego External Contact

Has no contact with the outside world

Impulsive Personality Structure

Strong id vs. weak ego vs. feeble superego

Deprived Personality Structure

Strong but opposing demands of the id and superego

Normal/Psychologically Healthy Structure

Strong ego in control of both id and superego

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious denials or distortions of reality used as a defense against anxiety

Two Characteristics of Defense Mechanisms

$1$.) They are denials or distortions of reality; $2$.) They operate unconsciously

Repression

The mother of all defense mechanisms; involves unconscious denial of something that causes anxiety

Denial

Involves denying the existence of an external threat or traumatic event

Reaction Formation

Expressing an id impulse that is the opposite of the one truly driving the person

Projection

Attributing a disturbing impulse to someone else

Regression

Retreating to an earlier, less frustrating period of life and displaying childish behaviors

Rationalization

Interpreting behavior to make it more acceptable and less threatening

Sour Graping

A form of rationalization involving devaluing a thing that is unattainable

Sweet Lemon

A form of rationalization where one focuses on the positive aspects of a bad situation

Displacement

Shifting id impulses from a threatening or unavailable object to a substitute object

Sublimation

Diverting instinctual energy into socially acceptable behaviors

Psychosexual Stages of Development Timeline

The first $5$ years of life are most crucial

Erogenous Zones

Parts of the body with strong pleasure-giving qualities, such as mouth, anus, breast, neck, legs, and genitals

Fixation

Occurs when an individual remains locked in an earlier developmental stage due to under-gratified or over-gratified needs

Oral Stage Age Range

Birth to $1 \frac{1}{2}$ years old

Oral Stage Primary Activity

Breastfeeding and sucking from the mother

Oral Stage Bond

The bond formed between the mother and the child

Oral Passive Fixation

Results in trusting and dependency

Oral Aggressive Fixation

Results in hostile and dominating traits

Anal Stage Age Range

$1 \frac{1}{2}$ to $3$ years old

Anal Stage Focus

Anus and toilet training

Anal Retentive Fixation

Control in defecation/urination; results in tidiness, obsessiveness, and perfectionism

Anal Expulsive Fixation

No fixed time/place for defecation; results in untidiness, generosity, and impulsiveness

Phallic Stage Age Range

$3$ to $6$ years old

Phallic Stage Primary Relationship

Relationship formed between the child and the same-sex parent

Phallic Stage Activity

Exploration of the genital

Phallic Stage Education

Sex education should be taught here when the child is most curious

Phallic Fixation Traits

Vanity, self-obsession, sexual anxiety, inadequacy, inferiority, and envy

Oedipus Complex

Boys desire their mother, see father as rival, fear castration, and eventually identify with the father

Castration Anxiety

The fear in boys that their father knows their plan to get rid of him

Elektra Complex

Girls desire their father, develop penis envy, blame the mother, and eventually identify with the mother

Penis Envy

Occurs when a girl realizes she does not have a penis and blames her mother

Free Association

A technique in which the client says whatever comes to mind

Catharsis

The expression of emotions expected to lead to the reduction of disturbing symptoms

Transference

When a client redirects feelings from a significant person in their life to the therapist

Countertransference

When the therapist redirects their feelings onto their client

Dream Analysis

Interpreting dreams to uncover unconscious conflicts, desires, and fears

Manifest Content

The actual events occurring in the dream

Latent Content

The hidden symbolic meaning of a dream's events

Freudian Slips

An unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings

Primary Narcissism Invested Libido

Libido is invested almost exclusively on the infant's own ego

Narcissistic Libido Transformation

Converted into object libido as children develop interest in other people

Thanatos

A synonym for death instincts

Eros

A synonym for life instincts

Primary Object of Child's Love

Mother

Unconscious secrets

Drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness

Reality Principle

The governing principle of the Ego

Pleasure Principle

The governing principle of the Id

Morality Principle

The governing principle of the Superego

Objectless Fear

Freud's definition of Anxiety

Tangible Danger Anxiety

Realistic Anxiety