Module 31Psychodynamic Approaches to Personality

Chapter 10, Pages 390-400Essentials of Understanding Psychology- Sixth Edition

PSY110 Psychology

© Richard Goldman

November 8, 2006

Personality

The pattern of enduring characteristics that differentiate people.

Behaviors that make each individual unique.

Psychodynamic Approach to Personality

Pioneered by Sigmund Freud Personality and behavior is motivated by inner forces

and conflicts. People have little awareness or control of these

forces. The unconscious portion of the mind is composed of a

vast store of memories, knowledge, beliefs, and feelings that influence our personality and behavior.

Understanding (Psychodynamic) Personality Must expose the unconscious to understand it.

The unconscious disguises the meaning of its contents and cannot be viewed directly.

The unconscious is disguised to protect us from the pain and conflict within it.

To learn about the unconscious we must interpret: Dreams Fantasies Slips of the tongue (Freudian slips)

Preconscious – A portion of the unconscious composed of unthreatening knowledge (2+2=4)

The Structure of (Psychodynamic) Personality

Id, ego, and superego are abstract concepts that describe the forces of the mind. Id – Primitive drive

Pleasure Principle Hunger Sex Aggression

Ego – Conforms behavior to environment Reality Principle

Makes decisions and Controls actions Balances primitive drive of id Balances over-idealistic superego

Superego – Right & Wrong Conscious

Make us feel guilty Prevents immoral behavior Helps control id

Ego-Ideal Strive for perfection Drives us to be behave morally

Freud’s Model of Personality Structure

Psychodynamic Development of Personality Focused on major biological functions:

Each function is related to a sexual concern Fixation occurs when there is over indulgence or

frustration at a particular stage

Oral Stage of Development

(0-15mo) Pleasure from sucking,

eating, mouthing, biting Fixations:

Eating Talking Smoking Sarcastic or Gullible

Anal Stage of Development

(15mo-3yr) Pleasure from retention and expulsion of feces Fixations:

Overly rigid Orderly Punctual Disorderly & sloppy

Phallic

(3yr-5yr) Pleasure from fondling genitals Fixations:

“Improper” sexual identity No conscious

Psychopath Sociopath

Latency – (5yr-Puberty)

No sexual concerns during this period Fixations: none

Genital – (Puberty-Death)

Pleasure from sexual intercourse Fixations: none

Oedipal & Electra Conflicts Boys - Oedipal:

Has sexual interest in mother Sees father as rival & wishes

to kill him Views father as too powerful Fears father will retaliate by

cutting off his penis (castration anxiety)

Castration anxiety caused son to repress desire for mother

Son then identifies with father.

Girl - Electra: Has sexual interest in father Develops penis envy Blame mother for lack of

penis (mother is responsible for her castration)

Resolves these unacceptable feeling by identifying with mother

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety Anxiety – intense, negative emotional experience

from a real threat Neurotic anxiety – irrational anxiety from fear of

uncontrollable id Neurosis – occurs with the exaggerated use of

defense mechanisms.

Types of Defense Mechanisms Repression – Primary defense mechanism – blocking

unpleasant or unacceptable thoughts Regression – Behave as if in earlier stage of development Displacement – Redirect unwanted feelings to weaker

individual Rationalization – Create self-justifications Denial – Refuse to accept or acknowledge the truth Projection – Attribute your feeling to someone else Sublimation – Diverting unwanted feeling in socially

acceptable behaviors Reaction Formation – Unconscious thoughts are

expressed as their opposite

Problems with Freudian Theories Lack of supporting scientific evidence

(unobservable abstract concepts) Freud’s theories of development do not fit all

individuals (personalities sometimes change) Can not use Freud’s theories to predict behavior

(Can not tell if anal fixation will produce messy or orderly individual)

Freud viewed women as inferior to men Freud’s theories were derived from a limited

population (early 1900’s Austrian women)

Neo-Freudian Psychoanalyst

Less emphasis on sex More emphasis on society and culture

Carl Jung

Collective Unconscious – Inherited from parents Ideas Feelings Images Symbols

Archetypes – Universal representations of particular people Mother Good Evil

Alfred Alder

Emphasis on the quest for self-improvement and perfection.

Inferiority Complex – Phrase coined by Alder to describe the feeling children feel when they compare themselves to adults.

Karen Horney

Focused on social and cultural factors Supported woman’s rights

Other Neo-Freudians

Anna Freud (Sigmund Freud’s daughter)

Erik Erikson