Sigmund Freud The First Armchair Psychiatrist
Why does he matter? Freud is the first major theorist of Psychology - he began the movement that viewed the unconscious mind as the source of all behavior Theories are most significantly applied to PERSONALITY.
What is the Unconscious mind? The part of our mind that is repressed We can not knowingly connect to it It only comes out when we are not conscious (e.g. dreams), or by accident - like a reaction (e.g. freudian slip) The unconscious mind is responsible for our behavior without us realizing it.
So? If you are to cure anyone you need to go through the unconscious mind
How do you get at the unconscious mind? Free association - patient responds to a prompt Dream analysis - dreams are unconscious urges so try to understand them
How do things fit together? Mind is theoretically composed of several parts: id, ego, superego Id Ego Superego
ID - pleasure principle contains instinctual/biological urges - our unconscious desires Problems can happen when ID desires begins to take over.
EGO - reality principle Rational process of our mind that counteracts the Id. Gratifies the Id’s impulses in realistic ways.
SUPEREGO - moral principle Moral part of our mind, our conscience, holds us to moral principles. Goes beyond reality into an ideal sense of behavior.
Development of Personality The Psychosexual Stages
Psychosexual Stages The Id in children focuses its pleasure seeking energies on different areas of the body - each part of the body is a stage of development.
Oral Stage 0-18 months Pleasure is focused on the mouth.
Anal Stage months Pleasure is focused on bowel and bladder elimination.
Phallic Stage 3-6 years Pleasure zone is genitals - this is when kids start to cope with incestuous feelings.
Oedipus/Electra Complex Boys develop unconscious sexual desire for mother, and hate their father. Kids cope with that feeling and eventually identify with father.
Final Stages Latency - 6-puberty; dormant sexual feelings Genital - puberty +; maturation of sexual interests Unresolved conflicts result in bad behavior such as FIXATION - a focus on pleasure seeking activities of a specific stage.
Conclusion Problems with this theory?