1. Freud’s Personality Structure and Ego Defense Mechanisms

2. Personality is not a readily defined concept.
Different psychologists have different personality theories.

3. For this chapter, we will learn about the personality theories of:
Sigmund Freud
Carl Jung
And, take the Enneagram Personality test

4. This week we will learn about Sigmund Freud’s personality theory, ego defense mechanisms, and explore the ego in more depth.

5. Freud’s personality theory is called Psychoanalysis
The basic premise of psychoanalysis is to bring what is unconscious to consciousness.

6. Freud described the mind as if it were divided into three parts:
Conscious
Preconscious
Unconscious

7. The Conscious
The conscious is what we are aware of in any given moment.
It only makes up a small portion of the mind.
Because it is self-evident, Freud was more interested in the areas of consciousness that were less explored by science (namely the preconscious and unconscious).

8. The Preconscious
The preconscious is part of the unconscious, but a part that can readily be made conscious. Like the memory storage for your conscious mind (ie. your name, days of the week, special events, your home address, your favorite foods, or the dream you had last night).
Things you don’t normally think of, but can quite readily be achieved.

9. The Unconsious
The unconscious contains instinctual drives, and censored/repressed material.
The repressed material is neither forgotten nor lost, but neither is it remembered; however, it still affects consciousness, albeit indirectly.
It is timeless.
Once a person becomes aware of what is unconscious, the effects diminish.

10. Here is a pictorial summary of the three levels of consciousness:

11. The goal of psychodynamic therapy would then be:
To help the client take what is unconscious and perhaps holding her/him back (for example failed adult relationships that have their root in the childhood, albeit likely forgotten).
Once the client talks about adult relationship problems, the therapist can make connections with possible dynamics that existed in her/his childhood between primary caretakers or between child and primary caretaker.
This helps bring the unconscious, repressed material into conscious awareness so the client can potentially make new choices and break old patterns of being.

12. Structure of Personality
Within the concepts of conscious, preconscious, and unconscious is Freud’s personality structure, which consists of: Id
Superego
Ego

13. Id
The id is the original core out of which the rest of the personality emerges.
It contains the reservoir of energy for the whole personality.
It is primitive, unorganized, irrational, and immoral.

14. Id Examples: You can imagine the id as the “devil” on one shoulder.
Or, eating a lot of chocolate cake and other delectable sweets when you know you should watch your sugar intake.
Or, possibly demanding that your friend text you back right away because of the desire for instant gratification.

15. Pleasure Principle
The Goals of the id are to increase pleasure, as well as minimize discomfort and tension.
Freud referred to this as the “pleasure principle.”
The id is primarily unconscious and unacceptable to the conscious mind.

16. Superego
The superego on the other hand, is the repository of moral codes, standards of conduct, and those constructs that form the inhibitions of the personality.
“The super ego acts to restrict, prohibit, or judge conscious activity, but it also acts unconsciously. The unconscious restrictions are indirect, appearing as compulsions or prohibitions” (Fadiman & Frager, p. 24).
Our superego is strengthened by parents, teachers, and society at large telling us what is right and wrong.
It is important to note that a child’s superego is not of its parents and teachers, but of the parents’ and teachers’ superegos.
This is how moral views are past down generations.

17. Superego Examples
You can imagine the superego as the “angel” on the other shoulder.
Or, your inner critique telling you what you should or should not due, or didn’t do well enough, often tied to societal norms.

18. Ego
The ego develops out of the id in childhood by drawing energy from and serving to protect the id.
“The ego is originally created by the id in an attempt to cope with stress. However, to do this, the ego must in turn control or modulate the id’s impulses so that the individual can pursue realistic approaches to life” (Fadiman, p. 24).
Its task is to ensure the health, safety and sanity of the personality by mediating between the id and superego.

19. Reality Principle
The ego attempts to keep control over internal events, and tries to decide when impulses should be given into or denied.
Freud called the ego’s process of delaying gratification for a more appropriate time “the reality principle.”

20. Ego Examples:
The ability to work a month and delay the gratification of getting paid at the end of the month.
Or, waiting to eat the chocolate cake during the day when the body has a chance to process the sugar instead of right before bed.

21. Here are various examples of how the three parts of Freud’s personality structure work together:

22. Here is a picture of Freud’s personality theory showing the id’s home is in the unconscious, the superego lies primarily in the preconscious, and the ego lies in all three.

23. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
Next we will be talking about Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms.

24. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
“According to Freud, experiences that have been denied or repressed still have the power to affect a person’s behavior with undiminished intensity without being subject to conscious control” (Fadiman & Frager, p. 24).

25. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
As a result, the ego tries to defend against the repressed material in an effort to protect the person from feeling vulnerable or anxious.

26. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
It is important to note that although defense mechanisms are normal and universally used, when carried to an extreme, they lead to compulsive, repetitive, and neurotic behavior, where one reenacts the past unconsciously.

27. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
The more defensive we are, the less psychic energy we have left to be present and create the life we want; instead we are often reenacting the past, albeit perhaps with different “characters” or people.
The beauty of defense mechanisms is that they show where we are wounded and the goal is to become aware of our defense mechanisms so that we can heal ourselves, live more in the present, connect more fully with ourselves and others, and ultimately create the life we want instead of what others’ potentially want(ed) for us.

28. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
All Defense Mechanisms share two common properties :
1) They often appear unconsciously;
2) They tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality.
In distorting reality, there is a change in perception which allows for a lessening of anxiety, with a corresponding reduction in felt tension.

29. Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms
Ego defenses are not necessarily unhealthy.
In fact, they serve a purpose especially for children with out other resources or tools.

30. For Example:
A child who lives with an abusive parent might repress feelings of anger, in order to continue to live harmoniously with his/her parent.
However, later in life, this same defense mechanism of repressing anger can interfere with the person’s ability to express anger in a healthy way by perhaps bottling feelings in, only to explode at times where both this person and others might not be aware of where this anger came from.

31. Conclusion
We see that defense mechanisms might have served a survival purpose in childhood, and now in adulthood, loose their utility and keep us potentially from creating healthier expressions of being and relationships that are anchored in what we really want in life instead of reliving our past, unresolved issues with our primary caregivers.

32. What areas of your life might remain unconscious still?
The exploration of the unconscious is a life-long process;
We are always learning and discovering aspects of ourselves as to why we behave, think, create and attract certain experiences and kinds of people;
The question is not whether or not we have material in our unconscious, but rather are you open to exploring it, without judgment, but rather compassion and a framework of growth?