1. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

2. Sigmund Freud Born in 1856 Often criticized
First to develop comprehensive theory of
the mind
mental illness
treatment

3. Freud’s Own Life Strict Father
Young, attractive, protective, loving Mother
Very attached to Mom
Apple of Mom’s eye
Jealous of siblings
Very intelligent
House revolved around Siggy’s studies

4. Love and Work After Gymnasium Freud went to Med School in Vienna
Loved science and research
Madly loved Martha Bernays ( )
Both from poor background
Entered private practice

5. Freud’s Work with Patients
Neuropathologist: neurologist/psychiatrist
Patients were mostly:
Women
Hysteria (somatoform disorders)
Wealthy
Reported history of sexual abuse/seduction

6. What’s wrong with this picture?
Freud used these case studies to form his theory.
Problems:
Not objective observations
Freud took poor notes (selective recollection)
Didn’t test theory against reality
Others didn’t test theory

7. Components of Freud’s Theory
Instincts: basic element of personality
Mind Structure: unconscious, preconscious, conscious
Personality Structure: id, ego, superego
Anxiety & Defense mechanisms
Psychosexual stages of development
Assessment

8. Instincts: basic element of personality
Energy source: Driving forces behind behavior
Instinct’s job is to satisfy needs and rid us of tension
To return to a state of equilibrium!!
Needs – example: to eat
Instinct – to hunt or gather food
Life Instincts: drive to survive (food, water, air)
Death Instincts: drive for destruction/death (to kill, conquer, or destroy)

9. Personality Structure
Id: Ruled by the pleasure principle
“I want what I want, when I want it!”
Ego: Ruled by the reality principle
Mediator or negotiator
Superego: Ruled by the moral principle

10. Anxiety & Defense Mechanisms
Anxiety = a threat to the ego that results in discomfort and a sense of imbalance
Defense mechanisms work to:
protect the ego from threatening material
restore balance
achieve homeostasis
True credit for defense mechanisms goes to Anna Freud (Freud’s youngest daughter)

11. Defense Mechanisms
Repression – pushing it out of consciousness. “I forgot.”
Denial – denying the existence of the threat or of the resulting anxiety
Reaction Formation – turning an unacceptable desire or behavior into an acceptable desire or behavior. Express the impulse opposite of the true impulse

12. Projection – transferring of unacceptable traits in oneself onto others.
Regression – retreating to a less complicated/less frustrating period of life. “I just want life to be simple.”
Rationalization – giving a perfectly reasonable excuse for performing an unacceptable act; or reinterpreting some behavior to make it more acceptable

13. Displacement – shifting the id impulse from the threatening/unacceptable object or target onto a less threatening target.
Sublimation – (is a form of displacement) alter the unacceptable impulses by changing them into socially acceptable behaviors.

14. Development of Personality
Background information:
Personality is formed by age 5.
Child is seeking pleasure and homeostasis.
Society (parents) is seeking conformity; trying to mold the child to the demands of reality and morality.
Impulses are universal, but can be molded by experience.
Fixations occur at any stage of development when part of the libido gets stuck.

15. Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Oral Stage: birth to end of weaning (approx. age 18 mths)
Anal Stage: age 1 (approx. 18 mths) to age 3
Phallic Stage: age 4 to 5
Latency Period: age 5 to puberty
Genital Stage: puberty and throughout adulthood

16. The Oral Stage
Begins at birth; ends with weaning (approx. age 18 months)
Erogenous zone – mouth is the source of “sexual” pleasure
Actions that reduce tension – biting, sucking, swallowing
Fixations:
Oral incorporative personality
Oral aggressive/sadistic personality

17. The Anal Stage Begins at about age 18 months; ends at about age 3
Erogenous zone becomes the anus; source of “sexual” pleasure
Demands are now being placed on the child to conform!
Especially with toilet training.
Must delay gratification
Opportunity for manipulation and power struggles (You can’t control what goes in or what comes out.)

18. The Anal Stage (con’t) Fixations: vs
Anal retentive or compulsive character (holding on) vs
Anal expulsive or aggressive character (letting go)

19. The Phallic Stage Begins around age 4; ends around age 5
Erogenous zone is the genitals – source of “sexual” pleasure
Curiosity about the other gender
Conflict involves an unconscious desire to possess the opposite sex parent (Oedipus and Electra Complex)

20. Oedipus and Electra Complex
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Complex:
1st love object is mom-source of food, love, security
Dad is the obstacle to the desired object
Jealous of Dad/hostility toward Dad
Fear of retaliation from Dad
Resolve through “Defensive Identification”
“If you can’t beat him, join him.”

21. Electra Complex
1st love object is mom - source of food, love, security
Attraction shifts to Dad during Phallic Stage
Now Mom is the obstacle to the desired object
Jealous of Mom/hostility toward Mom
Anger at and blame toward Mom for “inferior condition”
Penis Envy
Resolve through “Defensive Identification”
Fixation – phallic personality. Characterized by a need for attention from other sex; need to be unique, special; narcissistic!

22. Latency Period Begins at about age 5; ends with the onset of puberty.
Marks the end of the first five years of life which were the most formative for personality.
Not a psychosexual stage.
No erogenous zone: sexual instinct is dormant.
Time for:
Learning
developing same sex relationships
engaging in sports or other activities

23. Genital Stage
Begins with the onset of puberty; lasts throughout adulthood unless/until senility sets in.
Erogenous zone is again the genitals, but now the energy is directed at others.
Challenge is to find a socially acceptable means of reducing tension or of reaching equilibrium: a heterosexual relationship.
Sublimation is common if outlet is not found.

24. Assessment Assessment = making the unconscious conscious
Free Association and
Dream Analysis

25. Free Association
Free Association – daydreaming; say whatever comes to mind.
Encountering resistance = you are on the right track.
Must experience emotion along with free association for it to be therapeutic (to get symptom relief).

26. Dream Analysis or Interpretation
Repressed material can only gain expression in disguised form.
Two types of dream content:
Manifest content – actual events in the dream
Latent content – symbolic meaning of the events
Universal symbols – often sexual in nature
Therapist interprets the dream.

27. Scientific Validation of Freudian Concepts
Evidence from research seems to support:
Anal and oral character types

28. Scientific Validation of Freudian Concepts
Concepts not supported by research:
Dreams as disguised expressions of repressed wishes
Women have inadequately developed superegos
Freud’s psychosexual stages

29. Cheers and Jeers Cheers:
Incredible impact on theory and practice of psychology and psychiatry
Gave us important concepts: unconscious, importance of childhood, and defense mechanisms
Stimulated the development of opposing views

30. Cheers and Jeers Jeers: Too much emphasis on instincts/biological
Sex and aggression as motivators
Based theory on the emotionally disturbed
View on women: poorly developed superegos
Ambiguous definitions of concepts