psychoanalytical traditions

state movement of psychology from psychoanlytical traditions

psychanalytical traditions - ethology and attachent theory- cog development- sociocultural approaches- behaviourism

what has psychoanalytical psychology mostly spearheaded

developmental psychology

break down freuds dynamic approach

• drives - psychic energy

• basic drives - eros and destructive instinct

• psychic energy can be used to achieve goals

• can also be transformed into anxiety - seen in physical ailments, dreams + free association

• pleasure principle - allieviates tension

what were freuds psychological structures

• the c - awareness

• pre c - capable of becoming c through mental images/language

• the unc - not ordinarily accessible, divided into the unc proper and repressed unc- hold what was once c but is now only accessible through dreams, neurotic symptoms and free association

• structure of mind = id ego superego

what is id

•  exists at birth, main source of psychic energy primitive and unchangeable ground of the mind. Incorporates instinct - hunger, aggression, sexual - the task is to satisfy these instinctual needs, characterised by the pleasure principle 

what is the superego

• developes as the resolution of the Oedipus complex when children develop identification with parents - provides negative control in the form of self - discipline 

what is the ego

• developed with the infant’s realisation of self and the external world - operates according to the reality principle. mediates the demands of the id, the constraints of reality and the pressures of the superego with compromise, postponement or denial. 

what is the aim of psychoanalysis for the structure of the mind

 strengthen the ego and modify the super-ego if it is excessively harsh or particularly weak.

whats are freuds psycho sexual stages

• Oral stage 

• Anal stage 

• Phallic stage 

• Latency 

• Genital stage 

summarise the oral stage

• (birth - 1 year)

• Salient social and non-social experiences centre around oral concerns 

• Oral pleasure 

• Pain from absence of preferred object 

• Too little gratification - frequent anxiety, pessimism, seeking of oral gratification in later years 

• Too much gratification - fixation, regression 

• Optimal gratification -willingness to move into next stage 

summarise the anal stage

• 1-3

• Anal stage crystallises personality 

• Psychological need to defecate created tension - relieved by defection 

• Social conventions mean that the desire for immediate gratification is frustrated 

• Harsh or premature toilet training can lead anxiety 

• Messy and irresponsible / compulsively neat 

summarise the phallic stage

• 3-5

• Oral and anal stages set up a pattern for solving problems in later life 

• Possession and absence of the phallus 

• Oedipus complex - desire for parent

• Identification 

• Sex appropriate behaviour is seen as a by - product of identification 

• Internalisation the prohibiting voice of the parent 

• Super - ego, or conscious derives through the resolution of the oedipus complex

summarise the period of latency

• 5-start of puberty

• At the end of the phallic stage children’s personality is set and conflicts are relatively resolved in characteristic ways 

• Relative calm 

• Acquire cognitive skills 

• Assimilate cultural values 

• Defences against sexuality 

summarise the genital stage

• adolescence

• Physiological changes bring sexual impulses to the forefront 

• Love becomes more altruistic 

• Partner  choice may reflect attitudes developed in previous stages 

• some internal conflict but relatively stable state

define defence mechanisms

Unconscious procedures by which the ego tries to prevent unacceptable id material reaching consciousness

what are the dif defence mechanisms

• Sublimation 

• Repression 

• Denial 

• Projection

define sublimation

• allows expression of the repressed material by changing aim or content of object desire into something more culturally acceptable 

define repression

• threatening material is forced into the unconscious 

• unconscious process - the individual is entirely unaware 

• NOT suppression 

define denial

• typically an overt and emotive denial of the unconscious impulse 

• Reaction formation has a similar defensive process which involves feeling and acting quite opposite to the denial impulse 

• E.g. being exaggeratedly nice to someone you despise 

define projection

• always involves a denial of reality 

• Involves projecting unwanted traits into others 

• Polarised splitting 

• Idealisation and denigration 

whats are limitations of freuds theory

• Adult recollections of childhood and their recent dreams 

• Relies on introspection and overinterpretation 

• Over emphasis on childhood sexuality 

• Feminist critiques suggest that specific claims about sexuality may reflect the biases of male oriented society 

• Experimenter error - selective remembering of what fits 

• Experimenter must be trained in psychoanalysis

strengths of freuds theory

He Influenced the development of and interest in  

• Developmental stages 

• Psychological structures 

• Attachment 

• Identification 

• Self-regulation

what did erikson believe about identity

• Main theme of life is the quest for a conscious sense of individual identity 

• Maintenance of an inner solidarity with a group’s ideals and identity 

• Identity is the understanding and acceptance of both the self and society 

• Identity is transformed from one stage to the next - series of identity - crisis 

• Earlier forms of identity influence later forms 

how did eriksons stage theory differ from freuds

• interested in the differences between cultures and the extent to which a stage model could be universal

• extended the idea of development to apply throughout life 

• Methods included psychobiography 

• influenced by Anna Freud also the direct observation of children and play therapy with children 

how many stages does eriksons stage theory have

8

what are the 8 stages of eriksons stage theory

1. basic trust vs basic mistrust

2. autonomy verses shame

3. initiative versus guilt

4. indisutry versus inferiority

5. identity and repudiation verses identity diffusion

6. intimacy and solidarity versus isolation

7. generativity versus stagnation and self-absorption

8. integrity versus despiar

explain basic trust vs basic mistrust

• brith to year one

• links to freud, cenrttralise oral stage (attach. to PCG mum very sig.)

• link to bowlby attach. theory

• trust mum will feed and comfort, even when out of site confident shell return

• child who develops trust can better negotiate other stages

explain autonomy vs shame

• 2-3

• learn to master skills e.g. walk, talk, toilet

• sig. relationship w CG

• shaming can result in low self esteem

explain initiative vs guilt

• 4-5

• oedipus complex resolved thrpugh social role identification

• more social than sexual

• social influence of ideal prototypes e.g, astronaut, police

explain industry vs inferiority

• 6-12

• frueds latency period

• accomplish new skills w

• sig. relationship with fam, school, locality

explain idenity repudiation vs idenity diffusion

• adolecence

• quest for identity

• trust, autonomy initiative and industry all contribute to identity (reaches climax here)

• physiological rev

• integration of childhood identification w a more complex identity

• try out new roles

• social order conveys which roles are valued by society

explain intimacy and solidaity vs isolation

• young adulthood

• seek companions and love

• sig. relationship woth friends and partners

explain generativity vs stagnation and self absorption

• middle adulthood

• care of others and want to contribute to society

• sig. relationship with fam, work and community

explain integrity vs despair

• late adulthood

• refllection

• sig. relationship with mankind

how did erikson understand identity development

• acknowledged social and cultural influences that work together with psychological processes 

• System of interlocking forces 

• viewed life and a quest for identity 

• Successful negotiation of crisis resulting in the indivs sense of identity being reconfirmed at a new level 

• Principle of conflict as something that propels identity transition can be applied to identity over time for everyone 

erikson strengths

• Expansion to the life span stage model 

• Child and adult observations 

• Appreciation of cultural differences 

erikson limitations

• Despite the acknowledgment of cultural differences, the behaviour of children was studied in isolation 

• Overinterpretation and speculation 

• Mechanisms that enable the move through stages not clear 

who developed ideas in intrapsychic to intersubjective

melanie klein (psychoanalytical tradition) - applied empirical research in developmental theory

what is kleins depature from frued called

fundamentally rational

what did klein investigate

object relations

what are the two conflicting imulses klein said infants have (object relations)

love and hate

are these conflicting impulses innate

yes

what is love according to klein

the manifestation of the life drive

what is hate according to klein

envy and destructiveness emanante from the death drive

how do we maintain an acceptable and liverable sense of self with conflicting drives

by splitting- the infant, later the adult, epels the death drives into the outside world, not by repression

what are kleins theories

• object relations

• splitting and defence

• paranoid schizoid postion

• depressive position

describes klein theory of splitting and defence

• splitting originated in Freud's view of the mind as conflicted 

• Parts of the self that are feared bad are split off through projection and identified as belonging to an outside object 

explain kleins theory of the paranoid schizoid position

• Some indivs stay at this point and don't move onto the depressive position 

• Klein (unlike Freud) did not view development as sequential - oscillating mental states 

• Part objects are a function of splitting 

• Schizoid - split between good and bad 

• Paranoid - projection by means of which good or bad qualities are disowned and attributed to others, who are then idealised or feared and hated 

• Paranoid - schizoid position is ruled by the principles of self-preservation, with no concern or mercy for others 

explain kleins theory of the depressive position

• Depressive position - experience others as a whole, good and bad can be tolerated simultaneously in the same person 

• Depressive position is never achieved once and for all, in childhood or beyond 

what is the klein revolution

• Initiated a revolution in psychoanalytical theory away from drive theory towards an emphasis on intersubjective dynamics 

• Boundaries between inner and outer porous 

• Processing like splitting and identification act on social and cultural material through meaning making 

• Klein also pioneered ways of involving children in research through observing their play, drawings and explanations 

• An approach developed by others in therapeutic psychoanalytically informed traditions and in research 

who was margaret lowenfeld

• 1890 - 1973 

• Aligning with Klein, Lowenfield was concerned with Frued’s overreliance on the psychoanalysis of adults 

• Psychoanalytical practice far too restrictive - holistic approach which recognised the strengths of the individual child 

what technique did lowenfelf create

the world technique

how was the world technique influential

appreciated by therapists, practitioners and academics in the fields of psychology, medicine, and education, who had observed its benefits for children

what is sandtray therapy

• A space that feels like a traditional therapy room, purpose-built for therapeutic play, exploration and storytelling 

• used by therapists, counsellors, educators, youth workers, social workers and mental health professional 

what was ellie finch’s take on sandtray therapy

• minecraft for neurodivergent kids, helpful in covid, can build rapport this way

how has psychoanalysis been adapted to social research

• Adaption to the World Technique as a tool for qualitative research 

• Sandboxing (Mannay and Timperley 2025) The use of Freudian and Kleinian concepts in psychoanalytically informed qualitative interviewing 

• Free association narrative interview 

what are examples of psychoanalytical practices and research

• Contemporary applications 

• Therapeutic and clinical 

• Psychoanalysis as a research practice 

• Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography