Chapter 3 The Psychoanalytic Approach: Freudian Theory

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Was his mother’s favorite Was not close to his father Was enormously ambitious Was trained as a medical doctor Studied hysteria and hypnosis with J-M. Charcot and Josef Breuer Applied his genius and inven-tiveness to the creation of the psychoanalytic approach Was a prolific writer and a charis-matic mentor Achieved his outsized ambition, but at a cost

Freud’s models of the mind: The topographical model The conscious mind (thoughts, feelings, perceptions) The preconscious mind (memories and stored knowledge) The unconscious mind (fears, unacceptable violent and sexual urges, irrational wishes, selfish needs, shameful and traumatic experiences)

“The mind is an iceberg—it floats with only one-seventh of its bulk above water.” — Sigmund Freud

Freud’s models of the mind: The dynamic model of id, ego, and superego The id (id = “it”) The first aspect of consciousness The pleasure principle The ego (ego = “self”) The second aspect of consciousness The reality principle The superego (superego = “above self”) The third aspect of consciousness The morality principal

“In popular language, we may say that the ego stands for reason and sanity, in contrast to the id, which contains untamed passions.” — Sigmund Freud

Three types of anxiety experienced by the ego in Freud’s structural/dynamic model of the mind Neurotic anxiety: occurs when the id threatens to overwhelm ego constraints, leading to unacceptable or impulsive behavior Reality anxiety: occurs when the ego feels overwhelmed by threats from the external environment Moral anxiety: occurs when the ego is threatened by the superego’s punitive response to some forbidden thought, feeling, or action

Freudian defense mechanisms Repression: “the cornerstone on which the whole structure of psychoanalysis rests” Sublimation: “the only truly successful defense mechanism” Displacement: “channeling out impulses to a non-threatening object” Denial: “refusing to accept the reality of certain facts” Reaction formation: “acting in a manner opposite to our unconscious desires” Intellectualization: “removing the emotional content from the threatening idea” Projection: “attributing our unacceptable unconscious impulses to others instead of to ourselves”

Freud’s psychosexual stages of development The oral stage: first 18 months of life; fixation at this stage can result in oral dependency or oral aggressiveness The anal stage: around 18 to 36 months; fixation at this stage can result in anal-compulsiveness or anal-expulsion The phallic stage: around 3 to 6 years; the period in which the Oedipal or Electra complex must be dealt with and resolved The latency stage: around 6 to 11 years; the period in which same-sex friendships are predominant The genital stage: puberty years; fixation at this stage can result in the inability to establish a mutually satisfying sexual relationship with another person

Psychoanalysis Talk therapy: the goal is to bring crucial unconscious material into consciousness, where it can be examined in a rational manner from an adult perspective An array of techniques: dream interpretation, free association, hypnosis, Freudian slips, “accidents,” symbolic behavior Common outcomes in psychotherapy Resistance Transference Countertransference Insight

Getting at unconscious material Dream interpretation Projective tests Free association Freudian slips Hypnosis Accidents Symbolic behavior

Dream interpretation Manifest content versus latent content Symbols representing unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires Penis: tower, fountain, pencil, snake Vagina: cave, box, pouch, doorway Sexual intercourse: dancing, riding, climbing Male erection: flying, sailing a kite

Getting at unconscious material Dream interpretation Projective tests Free association Freudian slips Hypnosis Accidents Symbolic behavior

Examples of projective tests The Rorschach Inkblot test The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) The Human Figure Drawing Test

The Rorschach Inkblot Test Developed by Herman Rorschach born in 1884, died in 1922 at age 37 published his book Psychodiagnostik in 1921

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Developed by Henry Murray born 1883, died 1988 at age 95 developed the TAT in the 1930s

The Human Figure Drawing Test

Getting at unconscious material Dream interpretation Projective tests Free association Freudian slips Hypnosis Accidents Symbolic behavior

Strengths and criticisms of Freud’s theory Freud proposed the first comprehensive theory of human behavior and personality Freud proposed the first system of psychotherapy, along with an array of useful techniques Freud popularized and promoted important psychological principles and concepts Criticisms Some of Freud’s ideas weren’t original or groundbreaking Some of Freud’s hypotheses aren’t testable Freud’s case study data were biased in the direction of psychopathology The tone and emphases of Freud’s theory reveal his personal biases