PS 4021Psychology Theory and method 1

Lecture 4-Week 4The Psychoanalytic paradigm

Critical thinking inside Psychology

Psychodynamic

• Conscious or Unconscious Process– Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis

Levels of consciousness

• Conscious: current awareness-easily accessed• Preconscious: information that is not currently

“on our mind” but which we could bring into consciousness if we want-available for access

• Unconscious: storehouse of impulses, wishes and inaccessible memories that affect our thoughts and behavior– Repression

The role of dreams

• The function of dreams is to preserve sleep by representing wishes as fulfilled

• The “royal route to consciousness”

• Manifest content and latent content

Styles of thinking

• Primary process thinking-irrational mental activity– Pleasure principle: instinct to avoid displeasure

and to have our drives met

• Secondary process thinking-rational thought– Reality principle: operate according to the actual

situation

Nature of human beings

• What is the source of human motivation?• The child is born with fixed amount of mental

energy-the libido

• Two types of instincts– Life instinct - Sexual drives – libido – life preserving

drives– Death instinct – Thanatos – self-destructive

instinct

Structure of personality

• ID• Primitive part present at newborns• Basic biological impulses or drives– Sexual and aggressive drives

• Pleasure principle-Immediate gratification

• EGO• Reality principle• Mediator between the demands of the id, the

realities of the world and the demands of the superego

• Planning, thinking, organizing-secondary process thinking

• SUPEREGO– Internalized representation of the values and

morals of society– Conscience (guilt if morally improper) and ego

ideal (perfect person we wish to be motivates us to do morally right)

– Parental rewards and punishments

Development of personality

• Five stages of psychosexual development

• At each stage the libido is invested in a single part of the body-the erogenous zone

• Biological factors are the main influence in development

Development of personality

Fixation

• At any stage of personality development, there may be over or under stimulation of the erogenous zone

• Then we are fixated-refuse to transfer the libidinal energy to a new set of objects and activities

• Fail to pass to the next stage• Results are obvious in our personality and

behavior

Oral stage (birth to 1 year)

• Pleasure focused on feeding• Mouth, lips and tongue are the erogenous zone• Libidinal energy invested on person providing

gratification (mother)-Cathexis• Basic trust established if needs met• Results of under or over stimulation– Oral receptive character– Oral aggressive character

Anal stage (18 m to 3 y)

• Bowel control• Anal area• Toilet training-an area of conflict?

• Results of under or over stimulation– Anal retentive personality– Anal expulsive personality

Phallic stage (3-5 y)

• Genital area

• Penis envy-girls realize deficiency of penis

• Castration anxiety-boys fear they will lose their penis

• Relationship with parents• BOYS-OEDIPAL COMPLEX• Unconscious sexual desire towards mother• Father is competition• Boy envious of father• Father is also a powerful figure –castration

anxiety• To resolve: identify with father

• GIRLS-ELECTRA COMPLEX• Unconscious sexual desire towards father• Mother is competition• Penis envy• To resolve: identify with mother• But not fully resolved-women have weaker

ego

Latency (5-12 y)

• Resting period• Same sex interaction and identification

Genital stage (12-18+)

• Reawakening of libido• Attraction to opposite sex

Defense mechanisms

• In order to deal with the conflicting demands between the id, ego and superego

• Purpose is to feel better, to protect our self-esteem

• They basically help us to push disturbing aspects into the unconscious

• It is psychologically healthy but they can become unhelpful if used inappropriately

• Conversion reaction: unacceptable thoughts or emotions converted into physical symptoms

• Phobic avoidance: situations or events that arouse anxiety are avoided at all costs

• Isolation: anxiety associated with an event is dealt with by recalling the event without the emotion associated with it

• Undoing: ritualistic behaviors are adopted that symbolically negate the thoughts or actions that the person had earlier

Freudian therapy

• Catharsis: physical expression of emotions as the analyst helps the patient locate fixation and understand unresolved emotional conflicts

• Methods:– Dream analysis– Free association

– Transference– Countertransference

Evaluation of Freudian theory

• Contribution and criticisms