Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalytic Theory: A Critical Overview

Introduction to Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalytic Theory

• These notes offer an outsider's perspective on psychoanalytic theory, focusing on Freud's basic ideas and critically evaluating them against modern scientific understanding.

• They also serve as a lesson in scientific theory development.

Freud's Background and Historical Context

• Sigmund Freud died nearly 100 years ago, born in Vienna and later moving to London.

• He was a medical doctor; psychology as a field didn't exist in his youth. He is considered a leading figure in establishing the concept of a psychologist.

• His patients were primarily wealthy Victorian women in Vienna, which may have influenced his broader theories.

Freud's Major Contributions and Ideas

• Founder of Psychoanalytic Theory: He invented talk therapy, which is a popular method for treating psychological distress.

• Talk Therapy: Scientifically supported as an effective way to address problems, as talking helps the conscious, rational mind process issues.

• Limitation: While influential, the direct impact of Freud's original ideas on modern personality and social psychology research is limited, as they have been updated.

Levels of Consciousness (The Iceberg Metaphor)

• Freud likened the mind to an iceberg:

  • Conscious Level: What you are presently aware of (thoughts, perceptions). Addressed in talk therapy.

  • Preconscious Level: Easily recallable information (e.g., childhood dog's name). Problems here are relatively easy to resolve.

  • Unconscious Level: Most of the mind, hidden from direct awareness, and the source of intractable psychological problems.

    • Contents: Unconscious fears, unacceptable sexual desires, violent motives, irrational wishes, immoral urges, selfish needs, shameful experiences.

    • Challenge: Difficult to access, causing problematic behaviors without conscious awareness.

Accessing the Unconscious

• Freud believed the ego actively suppresses uncomfortable thoughts.

• To bypass the ego's censorship:

  • Dreams: Reveal unconscious content and problem sources.

  • Drugs: Freud believed psychoactive drugs (like cocaine) could suppress the ego.

  • Freudian Slips (Parapraxes): Slips of the tongue believed to reveal unconscious ideas. Modern psychology explains these via semantic and phonological relationships between words.

• Motivated Forgetting: Suppressing thoughts or memories indicates their importance and need for address.

Psychic Determinism

• Freud believed that all psychological events (thoughts, feelings, behaviors) are not random but are determined by unconscious motives and forces.