1 What is Personality? An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting. Each dwarf has a distinct personality.

Sigmund Freud

Backdrop of Freud’s Intellectual World Darwin – Man is not special and can be studied like any other part of the natural order Helmholtz – Law of the Conservation of Energy Brucke – all living organisms are ‘energy systems’

Freud combines all of this: The human PERSONALITY is an energy system It is the job of psychology to investigate the change, transmission and conversion of this ‘psychic energy’ within the personality which shape and determine it.

These Drives are the ‘Energy’ Eros (Life Instinct) –Covers all the self-preserving and erotic instincts –Libido –Libido is the most important of all – seen as sexual energy Thanatos (Death Instinct) –Covers all the instincts toward aggression, self-destruction, and cruelty

6 Freud’s Psychodynamic Perspective Freud’s clinical experience led him to develop the first comprehensive theory of personality, which included the unconscious mind, psychosexual stages, and defense mechanisms. Sigmund Freud ( ) Culver Pictures

7 Exploring the Unconscious A reservoir (unconscious mind) of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. Freud asked patients to say whatever came to their minds (free association) in order to tap the unconscious.

8 Psychoanalysis The process of free association (chain of thoughts) leads to painful, embarrassing unconscious memories. Once these memories are retrieved and released (treatment: psychoanalysis) the patient feels better.

9 Model of Mind The mind is like an iceberg. It is mostly hidden, and below the surface lies the unconscious mind. The preconscious stores temporary memories.

10 Personality Structure Personality develops as a result of our efforts to resolve conflicts between our biological impulses (id) and social restraints (superego).

Structure of the Mind (Psyche) –Id –Super-ego –Ego

Unconscious – Id

Id Our baby-like self  “pleasure principle” - Oriented toward immediate unconditional gratification of desires and avoidance of pain  Libido  Irrational

Id has no contact with outside world Pleasure through Reflex action Wish fulfillment - (fantasy) a mental image that satisfies the instinct

Wish fulfillment

Preconscious – Superego

Superego Moral center - “should”, “should not”  We internalize the moral code of our society  Guilt  Irrational striving for moral perfection  Ego Ideal – perfect standards of what one would like to be

Learned, not present at birth

Conscious – Ego

Ego  Deals with reality - “reality principle”  Has to negotiate demands of the id with the reality of living in society and with the demands of the super ego.  rational

Id has no contact with outside world

What happens when the Id and Super-ego can’t reconcile The psychic energy has to go somewhere! Id won’t let it go Super-ego won’t let it happen To protect itself the organism employs defense mechanisms.

Defense Mechanisms The ego has a pretty important job…and that is to protect you from threatening thoughts in our unconscious. One way it protects us is through defense mechanisms. You are usually unaware that they are even occurring.

Scenario Quarterback of the high school football team, Brandon, is dating Jasmine. Jasmine dumps Brandon and starts dating Drew, president of the chess club. Drew Brandon Jasmine

1. Repression Pushing thoughts into our unconscious. When asked about Jasmine, Brandon may say “Who?, I have not thought about her for awhile.”

2. Denial Not accepting the ego- threatening truth. Brandon may act like he is still together with Jasmine. He may hang out by her locker and plan dates with her.

3. Displacement Redirecting one’s feelings toward another person or object. Often displaced on less threatening things. Brandon may take his anger on another kid by bullying.

4. Projection Believing that the feelings one has toward someone else are actually held by the other person and directed at oneself. Brandon insists that Jasmine still cares for him.

5. Reaction Formation Expressing the opposite of how one truly feels. Cootie stage Brandon claims he hates Jasmine.

6. Regression Returning to an earlier, comforting form of behavior. Brandon begins to sleep with his favorite childhood stiffed animal, Sajalicious.

7. Rationalization Coming up with a beneficial result of an undesirable outcome. Brandon thinks he will find a better girlfriend. “Jasmine was not all that anyway!” I really did want to go to ……..anyway, it was too ……

7. Intellectualization Undertaking an academic, unemotional study of a topic. Brandon starts doing a research paper on failed teenage romances.

8. Sublimation Channeling one’s frustration toward a different goal. Sometimes a healthy defense mechanism. Brandon starts to learn how to play the guitar and writing songs (or maybe starts to body build).

Psychoanalytic Perspective Defense mechanisms Denial: refusal to acknowledge a painful or threatening reality. Repression: exclude painful thoughts or feelings w/o realizing Projection: attributing own feelings on others. Identification: taking on someone else’s characteristics Regression: revert to childlike behavior Intellectualization: detaching from feelings by thinking about them intellectually. Reaction Formation: exaggeratedly opposite ideas and emotions. Displacement: redirection of repressed motives or feelings onto substitute objects. Sublimation: transforming repressed motives or feelings into more socially accepted forms.

Thin line Between the conscious and unconscious Sometimes our unconscious thoughts, etc slip into the conscious. How? –“Freudian slips” –Dreams –Humor