Psychodynamics(3)- Freud

The Later Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Timeline

Key Publications and Events

  • 1873:

    • Wilhelm Wundt publishes "Principles of Physiological Psychology".

  • 1874:

    • Franz Brentano publishes the first volume of "Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint".

    • David Ferrier publishes "The Functions of the Brain".

  • 1879:

    • Wundt establishes the first psychological laboratory at the University of Leipzig.

  • 1880:

    • Joseph Breuer begins treatment of Anna O.

    • G. Stanley Hall establishes first psychological laboratory in America at Johns Hopkins University.

    • Hermann Ebbinghaus publishes "Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology".

    • Sigmund Freud travels to Paris to study with Jean-Martin Charcot.

  • 1895:

    • Freud and Breuer publish "Studies in Hysteria".

    • Edward Titchener coins the term “structuralism,” describing a psychology focused on the sensory elements of consciousness.

  • 1900:

    • Freud publishes "The Interpretation of Dreams".

  • 1901:

    • Wurzburg psychologists publish the first of several papers claiming “imageless thought.”

  • 1905:

    • Freud publishes "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality".

  • 1910:

    • Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka begin the Gestalt research program.

    • Knight Dunlap, a predecessor and colleague of John B. Watson at Johns Hopkins, publishes "The Case Against Introspection".

  • 1923:

    • Freud publishes "The Ego and the Id".

    • Freud also publishes "Civilization and Its Discontents".

  • 1939:

    • Sigmund Freud dies in London.

Cultural Context

Queen Victoria of England

  • Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901, significantly influencing the cultural and social dynamics of the period during which these psychological developments occurred.

Important Figures in Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud

  • Birth: 1856, Pribor, present-day Czech Republic.

  • Death: 1939.

  • A notable figure in psychology, known for his development of theories surrounding the unconscious mind, the structure of personality, and psychosexual development.

Josef Breuer

  • Lifespan: 1842 - 1925.

  • Breuer was a physician known for the treatment of Anna O. and is recognized as the discoverer of the “talking cure” or catharsis. He collaborated with Freud in his early work.

Important Concepts and Theories

Hysteria

  • Defined as a “junk diagnosis” that encompassed various genuine phenomena, including:

    1. Sexual repression/denial and dissatisfaction.

    2. Conversion and dissociative disorders.

    3. Other psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy and syphilis.

    4. Social roles and secondary gains in patient behavior.

  • Freud stated, “Nothing protects her virtue so surely as illness.”

Freud's Key Works

Publications and Their Importance

  • "Studies in Hysteria" (1895): Collaborated with Breuer, exploring hysterical symptoms and their psychological origins.

  • "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1900): Freud presents his theories on the analysis of dreams, introducing concepts such as wish fulfillment.

  • "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" (1905): Discusses the development of human sexuality and its complexities.

  • "The Ego and the Id" (1923): Outlines Freud's model of the human psyche comprising the id, ego, and superego.

  • "Civilization and Its Discontents" (1923): Explores individual discontent produced by living in society, addressing cultural repression of instinctual drives.

Freud's Structure of the Mind

  • Illustrates the dynamics of the psyche as divided into:

    • Id: Primitive and instinctual part that contains sexual and aggressive drives.

    • Ego: Responsible for dealing with reality, acting as a mediator between the id and the external world.

    • Superego: Incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from parents and others.

Defense Mechanisms

  • Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies to protect the mind from anxiety provoking thoughts and feelings. Key mechanisms include:

    • Sublimation: Redirecting urges into socially acceptable actions.

    • Repression: Pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the subconscious.

    • Denial: Refusal to accept reality or fact, thereby avoiding unpleasant emotions.

    • Displacement: Redirecting emotions to a substitute target.

    • Intellectualization: Avoiding emotions by focusing on logic and reasoning.

    • Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts and feelings to others.

    • Rationalization: Providing excuses/justifications for actions or feelings to avoid guilt/shame.

    • Reaction Formation: Overacting in the opposite way to an emotion to mask it.

    • Regression: Reverting to earlier developmental stages in times of stress.

Competing Schools of Thought

Object-Relations Theory

  • Melanie Klein (1882 – 1960): Teamed up with Anna Freud, co-founder of the object-relations school of psychoanalysis.

  • Klein's work emphasized the importance of internalized interpersonal relationships in development.

Existential Psychology

  • Ernest Becker (1925 – 1974): Authored "The Denial of Death," which intertwines psychoanalytic insights with existential themes.

Historical and Cultural Reflections

Changes in Hysteria Cases

  • In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cases of hysteria were prevalent among the psychologically naive.

  • Increasing awareness of psychological and medical knowledge is contributing to its declining incidence in many areas globally.

Eros vs. Thanatos

  • Freud's concepts of Eros (life instincts, creativity, sexual drives) and Thanatos (death instincts, aggression) highlight fundamental drives that influence human behavior.

Legacy of Sigmund Freud

  • Freud's perception as a transformative figure in psychology continues as he is viewed as both pioneer and controversial figure in the realms of sexual psychology and the unconscious.

  • Quote by W.H. Auden: “If often he was wrong and, at times, absurd, to us he is no more a person now but a whole climate of opinion.”