Psychoanalysis After Freud: Neo-Freudians, Object Relations, and Current Research

Interpreting Freud

  • Freud's extensive writings evolved over six decades with changing perspectives.
  • Adapting Freud's theory for contemporary understanding involves:
    • Re-evaluating the Oedipal crisis in light of socialization research.
    • Redefining libido as a life drive.
    • Acknowledging the impact of the social world on development.

Latter-Day Issues and Theorists

  • Neo-Freudian psychology encompasses psychoanalytically informed work by theorists and researchers influenced by Freud.
  • Neo-Freudians largely employed case studies and introspection as research methods, rather than experimentation.

Common Themes of Neo-Freudian Thought

  • Neo-Freudians diverge from Freud in these key aspects:
    • Reduced emphasis on and reinterpretation of the libido.
    • Increased focus on conscious thought over unconscious processes.
    • Ego psychology: Focuses on perception, memory, learning, and rational thinking.
    • Greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships rather than instinctual drives as sources of psychological challenges.

Inferiority and Compensation

  • Alfred Adler:
    • Critiqued Freud's overemphasis on sex as a primary motivator.
    • Organ inferiority: Individuals strive for equality or superiority.
    • Masculine protest: Compensation for childhood weakness leads to the pursuit of power in adulthood.

The Collective Unconscious, Persona, and Personality

  • Carl Jung:
    • Collective unconscious: Shared human memories and ideas residing in the unconscious as basic images.
    • Archetypes: Core concepts shaping conscious and unconscious worldviews.
    • Examples:
      • Manifest in dreams, fantasies, mythology, and modern literature (e.g., symbolic snakes).
    • Persona: A public social mask, concealing aspects of the true self.
      • Danger: Over-identification with the persona can lead to superficiality.
    • Anima: The male's internal representation of the female.
    • Animus: The female's internal representation of the male.
    • Introverts vs. extraverts: inward versus outward psychological orientation.
    • Ways of thinking: rational, feeling, sensing, and intuiting.
      • Rational (recognize meaning).
      • Feeling (determine the value of things).
      • Sensing (establishing what is present in the world).
      • Intuiting (figuring out where something comes from and where it is going).
      • Balance among these types is considered ideal.

Feminine Psychology and Basic Anxiety

  • Karen Horney:
    • Challenged "penis envy," asserting women's desire for freedom stems from societal structures, not biology.
    • Basic anxiety: Fear of isolation and helplessness in a hostile world.
    • Neurotic needs: Unrealistic and undesirable needs, such as:
      • Finding a life partner to solve all problems.
      • Being universally loved.
      • Dominating or being independent of everyone.

Psychosocial Development

  • Erik Erikson:

    • Basic conflicts are conscious and arise throughout life.
    • Individuals face choices among activities, careers, or relationships.
    • Psychosocial approach: Erikson's theory focuses on psychosocial development across the lifespan.

  • Erikson's Stages of Development:

    • Stage 1: Basic trust vs. mistrust (0–2 years); oral stage.
      • Infants learn if needs will be met consistently.
      • Hope: Positive outlook and confidence in basic needs fulfillment.
    • Stage 2: Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (3–4 years); anal stage.
      • Child grapples with control and independence.
      • Overly controlling parents may lead to an anal character.
    • Stage 3: Initiative vs. guilt (4–7 years); phallic stage.
      • Children fantasize about adulthood and develop a sense of right and wrong.
    • Stage 4: Industry vs. inferiority (8–12 years); latency period.
      • Children develop skills and abilities for societal contribution.
      • Imagination and unfocused energy must be controlled.
    • Stage 5: Identity vs. identity confusion (adolescence); genital stage.
      • Adolescents establish identity, values, and goals.
    • Stage 6: Intimacy vs. isolation (young adulthood).
      • Young adults seek intimate partnerships
    • Stage 7: Generativity vs. stagnation (middle age).
      • Adults focus on the next generation or become passive.
    • Stage 8: Integrity vs. despair (old age).
      • Reflecting on one’s life, leading to integrity or despair.

  • Erikson’s Contributions:

    • Highlights developmental tasks across life phases.
    • Aligns with the idea that personality development is ongoing.

Object Relations Theory

  • Object Relations Theory: Focuses on interpersonal relationships and the mental images we hold of others.

    • These images, which don't always reflect reality, can cause problems.
    • Four Themes:
    1. Every relationship has elements of satisfaction and frustration, or pleasure and pain
      • The breast is the is the first important object
    2. The mix of love and hate
      • Important people are sources of pleasure and frustration
    3. Distinction between parts of the love object and the whole person
      • Breast versus mother; wealth versus whole person
    4. The psyche is aware of and disturbed by these contradictory feelings
      • Baby feels anger over the breast (there is never enough)
      • Baby feels envy (the baby desires the breast’s power for herself)
      • Baby feels fear (the baby dreads losing the breast)
      • Baby feels guilt (if the baby harms the breast, it could be lost)

  • Melanie Klein:

    • Developed theories based on child work.
    • Play therapy: Diagnosing children through play.
    • Splitting: Neurotic defense to manage contradictory feelings about love objects; idealization.

  • Donald Winnicott:

    • Transitional objects: Bridge private fantasy and reality.
    • The false self: A protective facade to please others, safeguarding the true self.

  • Goals of Object Relations Therapy:

    • Minimize discrepancies between true and false selves.
    • Facilitate rational processing of irrational defenses.
    • Promote seeing others as whole individuals with mixed traits.
    • Rationality can prevail over neurotic defenses.

Where Have All the Neo-Freudian Theorists Gone?

  • Psychoanalytic theory development has waned.
  • Past approaches relied on informal observation, clinical experience, and personal insight.
  • The future emphasizes experimental and correlational research.

Being a “Little Bit” Psychoanalytic

  • Academic research often neglects psychoanalysis.

  • Trends contributing to psychoanalysis' decline:

    • Behaviorism.
    • Separation of academic psychology from clinical practice.
    • Preference for laboratory studies over complex theories.

  • Researchers are:

    • An examination of independent mental processes that occur simultaneously in the same mind and can conflict with one another.
    • Unconscious mental processes.
    • Compromises among mental processes negotiated outside of consciousness.
    • Self-defensive thought and self-deception.
    • The influence of the past on current functioning, especially childhood.
    • Patterns that endure into adulthood.
    • Sexual or aggressive wishes as they influence thought, feeling, and behavior.

Being a “Little Bit” Psychoanalytic: Perceptual Defense

  • Perceptual defense: The ego prevents threatening stimuli from reaching awareness.

Being a “Little Bit” Psychoanalytic: Unconscious Thought

  • Many cognitive psychologists believe that most mental activity is unconscious.

Being a “Little Bit” Psychoanalytic: Defense and Catharsis

  • Catharsis: Expressing troubling issues can benefit psychological and physical health.

Being a “Little Bit” Psychoanalytic: Wrecked by Success

  • Success neurosis is not true.

Psychoanalysis in Perspective

  • Focusing on general themes over specific theoretical positions is beneficial.
  • Evaluating psychoanalysis requires considering evidence beyond published research.