Freud and Erikson: Psychoanalytic and Psychosocial Development Theories

Public and Private Selves

The contrast between how an individual presents themselves outwardly to society, often filtered and shaped by norms and expectations, versus the inner subjective experience of self, which may include hidden desires and private thoughts.

Nomothetic and Idiographic

The scientific pursuit of universal general laws that apply broadly to groups and populations; the study of unique individuals in depth, focusing on the singularity of personal experience and traits.

Psychic Determinism

That all human behavior, without exception, is caused and meaningful, often originating in unconscious processes, with no such thing as chance psychological events.

Free Association

Encouraging patients to speak whatever comes to mind without censorship, in order to bypass defenses and uncover unconscious material that may be shaping symptoms.

Slip of the Tongue

Parapraxis, which is an error in speech or behavior that unintentionally reveals an unconscious thought or wish.

Freud's Topographical Theory

The three psychic agencies of id, ego, and superego that operate with conflicting demands.

Developmental sequence

The developmental sequence of oral, anal, and phallic stages, later expanded into latency and genital stages.

Division of mental life

The division of mental life into the conscious (aware thoughts), the pre-conscious (retrievable information), and the unconscious (repressed, inaccessible drives).

Duality of instincts

The duality of life and death instincts, represented by Eros and Thanatos, that govern motivational energy.

Superego operation

According to Freud's structural theory, the superego operates primarily on the morality principle, embodying internalized parental standards, values, and prohibitions that guide behavior toward ideals.

Repression vs. Denial

Denial is the refusal to accept external reality as it is, effectively blocking perception of threatening information, whereas repression involves unconsciously pushing unacceptable internal thoughts, wishes, or memories into the unconscious mind.

Freud's seduction theory

Freud initially proposed that neuroses stemmed from real childhood sexual abuse, but later refuted this and emphasized the role of unconscious sexual fantasies and symbolic wishes instead.

Manifest content of a dream

The actual remembered storyline or imagery of the dream, as recalled by the dreamer upon waking.

Dreamwork

The set of mechanisms (displacement, condensation, symbolism) that transform hidden wishes into disguised imagery.

Freud's instinct theory

Freud's instinct theory distinguished between the libido, which drives all sexual expression, and repression, which prevents expression.

Life drive (Eros)

Promotes survival, creativity, and reproduction.

Death drive (Thanatos)

Reflects aggression, destruction, and a return to inorganic states.

Conscious mind

Directs voluntary activity.

Unconscious mind

Controls involuntary behavior.

Oedipal conflict

Experienced by boys.

Electra conflict

Experienced by girls.

Castration anxiety

Experienced by boys, who fear the literal or symbolic removal of their genitals as punishment for Oedipal desires.

Penis envy

Experienced by girls, who perceive themselves as lacking and desire possession of the penis, both physically and symbolically.

Fixation

Occurs when a child becomes psychologically stuck at a developmental stage due to unresolved conflicts, potentially shaping adult personality traits.

Repetition compulsion

The unconscious tendency to reenact unresolved trauma or conflicts in new situations, often in an attempt to gain mastery over them.

Transference

Occurs when the patient unconsciously projects unresolved feelings and desires originally directed toward significant figures (such as parents) onto the therapist.

Freud's theory criticism

Lacks scientific testability, being overly reliant on subjective interpretations, and overemphasizing sexuality as the central driver of all behavior.

Erikson's psychosocial stages

Differ from Freud's psychosexual stages by continuing into adulthood.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

The stage that typically occurs during adolescence, when individuals experiment with roles, values, and social identities, attempting to consolidate them into a coherent sense of self, with the risk of confusion if integration fails.

Moratorium

A socially sanctioned period during adolescence where individuals explore alternative roles and identities without making permanent commitments, allowing space for identity experimentation.

Ego Psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes the ego's adaptive, reality-oriented functions and its ability to mediate constructively with the environment, contrasting with conflict theory which highlights the ego as a battleground between the id's impulses and the superego's prohibitions.

Three Types of Children (Masterson & Offer)

The normal or balanced child, who shows healthy adaptation; the vulnerable or troubled child, who shows signs of emotional difficulty; and the dysfunctional or character-disordered child, who demonstrates more severe maladaptive personality features.

Erikson's Lifespan Development

Extending development across the entire lifespan, from infancy through late adulthood, focusing on social and identity crises.

Ego's Adaptive Strengths

Ignoring the ego's adaptive strengths and focusing exclusively on unconscious fantasy.

Early Childhood Development

Occurs when the child begins to separate from parental figures and develops autonomy in basic motor and social skills, but has not yet formed a cohesive sense of self.

Middle Adulthood Challenges

When individuals are challenged by the need to balance career, family, and generativity versus stagnation, rather than identity formation.

Late Adulthood Reflection

When individuals reflect on life achievements and failures, weighing integrity against despair rather than establishing identity.

Conflict Theory

Focuses on conscious reasoning as the primary determinant of behavior, contrasting with ego psychology which focuses solely on unconscious fantasy and symbolic wishes.

Id-Driven Child

A child whose behavior is dominated by instinctual impulses.

Ego-Driven Child

A child who balances internal and external demands.

Superego-Driven Child

A child whose behavior is shaped primarily by internalized moral standards.

Oral, Anal, and Phallic Types

Represent fixation at a particular stage of psychosexual development.

Trusting Child

A child who resolves Erikson's first stage successfully.

Mistrusting Child

A child who fails to develop basic trust.

Autonomous Child

A child who successfully negotiates independence in the second stage.

Psychosocial Growth Halt

A temporary suspension of ego development caused by repression, leading to a halt in psychosocial growth until conflicts are resolved.

Regression in Development

A regression to earlier developmental stages, particularly childhood, where unresolved crises are re-experienced before moving forward.

Defense Mechanisms

Central to personality development in ego psychology, contrasting with conflict theory which emphasizes dreamwork and wish fulfillment.

Identity Experimentation

The process during adolescence where individuals explore various identities before making commitments.

Consolidation of Self

The process of integrating various roles and values into a coherent identity.

Life Achievements Reflection

The process in late adulthood where individuals assess their life accomplishments and failures.