The Psychoanalytic Approach

Psychology: Chapter 14, Section 2

The Psychoanalytic Approach• The psychoanalytic approach says that all people,

even well-adjusted people, undergo inner struggles• This approach teaches that people are born with

certain biological drives, such as aggression, sex, and the need for superiority

• These drives may come into conflict with laws, social norms, and moral codes

• A person’s behavior, thoughts and emotions represent the outcome of this inner conflict between drives and social norms

Sigmund Freud• The chief originator of the psychoanalytic approach was

an Austrian physician named Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

• As a medical doctor, he noticed that some of his patients had lost feeling in a hand or had become paralyzed even though nothing was medically wrong with them

• He found that many of these patients had some deep feelings of anger or anxiety, although they appeared outwardly calm

• He noted that they refused to acknowledge these deep feelings, and insisted that things were fine, even when they weren’t

Sigmund Freud

• Freud believed that our conscious thoughts only occupied the tip of the iceberg, and people pushed their deepest thoughts, fears and urges into a massive unconscious part of their mind

“Freudian Slips” and other outlets may reveal what lies at the bottom of that iceberg of the mind

Freud’s Three Ways of Entering the Unconscious• An early technique he used was hypnosis, which entered

the unconscious areas of the mind, but he left this practice as he was concerned that the hypnotist may be suggesting ideas that weren’t really there

• Later, he came up with free association, where people lie comfortably on a couch and talk about anything that comes to their minds, with no filtering. This is seen as a window into the unconscious, as people relax their barriers.

• Even later, Freud explored the unconscious through dream analysis. He believed that unconscious wishes would show up in dreams, often in a disguised form

• All of this exploring of the unconscious became known as psychoanalysis

Freud used several techniques to get underneath what we normally share with

others

Id, Ego, and Superego• Freud believed the mind consisted of three basic

structures: the id, ego, and superego• The id is similar to the two-year-old inside of us– “I

want what I want, and I want it now.”• The id represents basic drives such as hunger• It demands instant gratification without reverence for

laws or social customs• It’s the person in you who wants to cut to the front of

the line when someone is handing out brownies, and grab as many as you can

• It follows Freud’s concept of the pleasure principle– the urge for immediate gratification or pleasure

If it were just left up to our pleasure principle, we would probably just eat cake all the time

Id, Ego, and Superego• The superego develops throughout childhood• It functions according to the moral principle• The superego incorporates the standards and values

of parents, teachers, and influential television programs, and gives us our moral sense and conscience

• The superego floods the ego with shame when we think of doing something that society defines as wrong

The superego uses the moral principle to remind us to mind our manners

Id, Ego, and Superego• While the id is present at birth, the ego develops

over time, as a child finds that his needs are not being instantly met

• The ego “stands for reason and good sense” (Freud)• It is guided by the reality principle, the

understanding that in the real world, we cannot always get what we want

• The ego tries to satisfy the appetites of the id while remaining consistent with reality and social customs.

• It tells you to go ahead and take the time to cook dinner, rather than just stand in the store and eat all the food there.

The ego uses the reality principle to balance the demands of both the id and superego

agreement

Id, Ego, and Superego• The ego has the tough job of negotiating all the

time between the id and the superego. • The id says, “Eat the donut!” while the superego

says, “Finish your vegetables.” The ego would probably say in this case, “First I will finish these vegetables, then I will have that donut.”

The ego has to constantly negotiate between the id and superego

Defense Mechanisms• If it is too hard for the ego to negotiate between the

id and the superego, the mind may revert to defense mechanisms to reduce anxiety

• Defense mechanisms operate unconsciously– we are usually not aware that we are even using them

• Freud found many different kinds of defense mechanisms, including repression, rationalization, displacement, regression, projection, reaction formation, denial, and sublimation. We will detail each one.

Repression• Repression pushes anxiety-causing ideas from the

conscious awareness and presses it down to the unconscious, where a person doesn’t have to think about it anymore, but it is still there

• Freud saw repression as a tea kettle. Repressing urges is like keeping a lid on a boiling kettle. But when enough steam builds up inside, the kettle pops its lid.

• When people “pop their lids,” the result is an outburst of anger or other psychological problems

Rationalization• Rationalization uses self deception to justify

unacceptable behaviors or ideas• For example, a student who cheats on a test may

explain to himself or herself, “I only cheated on a couple of questions– I knew most of the material. Besides, that teacher is mean to me, so I deserve a better score.”

• In this way, the unacceptable idea is not completely repressed, but rather twisted and distorted so it seems more acceptable.

Displacement• Displacement is the transfer of an impulse from a

threatening object to a non-threatening object• For example, a person who has a bad day at work

may not want to yell back at his or her boss, for fear of getting fired, so rather, he or she goes home and yells at the kids and kicks the television

Regression• Regression is when someone is under a great deal

of stress, and they revert back to childish behavior• For example, when Vontae Davis was cut from the

Miami Dolphins football team, he blurted out to the coach, “I wanna go talk to my grandma.” He probably got comfort from his grandmother when he was younger, and that was his first reaction to try to feel better.

Projection• Projection is when people see their own faults in

other people• In the same way our projector puts an image of this

PowerPoint onto the screen, people project their own unacceptable impulses on other people, and accuse them of these faults

Reaction Formation• People who use the defense of reaction formation

act contrary to their genuine feelings in order to keep their true feelings hidden

• A person angry with a classmate may behave in a very sweet manner toward that classmate

• Someone who is attracted to another person may keep those impulses out of mind by acting mean to that person

In reaction formation, you take the opposite feeling because the true feeling

causes you anxiety

An example might be that a boy may really like a girl but acts like he does not and is obnoxious when around her

Denial• Denial is where a person refuses to accept the

reality of anything that is bad or upsetting• A person who smokes may deny the risks of cancer

and heart disease with the thought that “it can’t happen to me”

• A person who loses a loved one may refuse to accept that that person is indeed gone

Sublimation• Sublimation is where a person channels undesirable

impulses into acceptable behavior• A very aggressive person may join a football team,

and use up that aggression in an acceptable way

Effects of Defense Mechanisms• Freud felt that when used in moderation, defense

mechanisms were a healthy way to deal with painful feelings

• However, if defense mechanisms impaired someone’s ability to understand reality, then they could be a real problem

• Freud also felt that if a person had a healthy ego that was able to negotiate the id and super ego successfully, then they wouldn’t need defense mechanisms at all

Stages of Development• Freud believed that our personality develops in five

stages• These stages begin at birth and continue through

adolescence• The five stages are called oral, anal, phallic, latent,

and genital

Stages of Development

• Children encounter some conflicts at each stage. If these conflicts are not resolved, then the person becomes fixated, or stuck, at that stage

• So an adult’s psychological problems may stem from these unresolved childhood conflicts

The Oral Stage (infancy)• Freud noticed that infants often explore the world

by picking up objects and putting them in their mouths

• Infants also get their main pleasure through their mouths, which is food

• Freud called this first stage of development the oral stage

The Oral Stage (infancy)

• Since infants are so dependent on adults at this stage, if the adults don’t take proper care of them, they may become fixated at this stage

• Some symptoms of fixation at the oral stage include nail biting, smoking, overeating, and excessive talking– all behaviors that have something to do with the mouth

There is evidence that infants explore their world through their mouths, even if everything is not food

The Anal Stage (ages 1½ - 2½ )• At the age of 1 ½ to 2 ½, children realize that they

can control their own bodily functions, and the general issue of self control becomes a vital issue for children

• Freud called this second stage of development the anal stage

The Anal Stage (ages 1½ - 2½ )

• Unresolved conflict during this time can lead to two paths of personality traits

• Someone may become obsessed with self control, including perfectionism and a need for order and cleanliness. These are anal-retentive traits.

• Or people could become anal-expulsive, which is an unrestrained personality, along with being careless and messy

The Phallic Stage (age 3)• The third year of life is the beginning of the phallic

stage• Girls and boys discover the physical differences

between the two sexes and become more focused on their own bodies.

• Children may form strong attachments to the parent of the opposite sex at this stage

• They may view their same-sex parent as a rival for the other parent’s affections

• Unresolved conflicts during this time may lead to depression, anxiety, or guilt

The Latency Stage (age 5-6 until puberty)• Freud believed that by the time a child was 5 or 6

years old, they have been in conflict with their parents for several years

• At this point, they retreat from the conflict and repress aggressive and sexual urges

• Freud called this fourth stage the latency stage (latency means hidden)

• During the latency period, impulses and emotions remain hidden or unconscious

During the latency stage, boys hang out together and girls hang out with each other

The Genital Stage (adolescence)• Freud believed that the final stage of development

occurred during puberty, which he termed the genital stage

• While there are no new conflicts during this time, adolescents do become more aware of their own gender identity

• Unresolved conflicts from earlier stages may resurface here

Carl Jung• Several people followed Freud’s ideas and began to

develop their own. One of these people was Carl Jung (1875-1961, Swiss)

• Jung developed his own psychoanalytic theory, which he called analytic psychology

• He believed that people not only had their own personal unconscious, but an inherited collective unconscious as well

• This collective unconscious stores all human ideas passed down through history, which we all share

Is this true?

Carl Jung• In developing this collective unconscious that all

humanity shares, Jung noted that many themes and characters keep repeating themselves through various cultures, religions, and times

• These include some supreme being or god, young heroes, fertile or nurturing mothers, wise old men, hostile brothers, fairy godmothers, wicked witches, and themes of rebirth or resurrection

• Jung defined archetypes as the images and ideas that come from the accumulated ideas and experiences of many people

Carl Jung• Jung believed that these figures remained

unconscious, but may appear to us in our dreams• He taught that these images influence our

thoughts and help form our personality• One contrast between Freud and Jung was that

Jung gave more importance to conscious thoughts• Many psychologists feel that Jung’s ideas about

inheriting a universal unconscious to be a bit unscientific, but many are drawn to Jung’s ideas

Alfred Adler• Another follower of Freud was Alfred Adler (1870-

1937, Austria)• Adler believed that since people are small when

they are young, they develop feelings of inferiority• He called this the inferiority complex, and believed

that we spend the rest of our lives trying to prove our superiority to others

• Adler also introduced the term sibling rivalry, which described the jealousies between brothers and sisters

Karen Horney• Karen Horney (pronounced HAWR-ney, 1885-1952,

German) agreed with Freud that childhood played a major role in shaping adult personalities

• Horney found that if children had neglectful or harsh parents, they could develop what she termed “basic anxiety.”

• She disagreed with many of Freud’s ideas, considering them to be sexist, and male-centered

• Unlike Freud, she believed this anxiety could be cured by finding genuine love from others later in life

Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

• One of the tenets of his theory, that a person’s social view of self is more important than instinctual drives in determining the behavior, allows for more optimistic view of the possibilities for human growth.

• Eight stages cover the entire life span.• At each stage, there is conflict between two

opposing forces.

Erik Erikson (1902-1994, German) expanded on Freud’s five developmental stages to eight

stages, which includes adulthood, while Freud stopped at adolescence

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 1: Birth to eighteen months old (infancy)• (Similar to Freud’s Oral Sensory stage)• Trust vs. Mistrust• Can I trust the world?• Support and Provision of basic needs leads to basic

trust • Lack of support and deprivation leads to basic

distrust• Coming to trust the mother and the environment;

to associate surroundings with feelings of inner goodness

Stage One: Trust vs MistrustTrust: A parent who protects and provides for his or her child will develop trust in that child that will lead to trusting that the world is a good place

Mistrust: A parent who is unreliable or rejects or harms a child may provide that child a sense of mistrust with the whole world

Important Event: Feeding

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 2: 18 months to 3 years old (early childhood)• (Similar to Freud’s Anal Stage)• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt• Can I control my own behavior?• Permissiveness and support leads to autonomy• Overprotection and lack of support leads to shame

and doubt • Developing the wish to make choices and the self-

control to exercise choice

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

• Occurs in the toddler age. (18 months-3 years)

• Child needs to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence.

• Or they could start feeling ashamed and doubt their abilities, when caregivers are impatient and do everything for them.

• Important event: toilet training

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 3: 3-5 years old (preschool years)• (Similar to Freud’s Phallic Stage)• Initiative vs. Guilt• Can I become independent of my parents by

exploring my limits?• Encouragement to explore leads to initiative• Lack of opportunity to explore leads to doubt• Adding planning and “attacking” to choice;

becoming active and on the move

Initiative vs. Guilt• Preschool age (3-5 years

old).• Using initiative in

planning or carrying out plans.

• Initiative has discovered that learning new things is fun.

• Or develop a sense of guilt over misbehavior regarding parents limits or being criticized of activities done.

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 4: 6-12 years old (grammar school years)• (Similar to Freud’s Latency Stage)• Industry vs. Inferiority• Can I master the necessary skills to adapt?• Adequate training and encouragement leads to

industry• Poor training and lack of support leads to inferiority• Becoming eagerly absorbed in skills, tasks, and

productivity; mastering the fundamentals of technology

Industry vs. Inferiority• School age (6-12 years of

age).• Learn to follow the rules

imposed by schools or home.

• Children can start believing they are inferior to others.

• They question their own competency

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 5: 13-18 years old (adolescence)• (Similar to Freud’s Genital Stage)• Identity vs. Role Confusion (also called Role Diffusion)• Who am I? What are my beliefs, feelings and

attitudes?• Internal stability and positive feedback lead to

personal identity• Confusion of purpose and unclear feedback lead to

role confusion• Connecting skills and social roles to formation of

career objectives

Identity vs. Role Confusion

• Adolescence (12-18 years of age).

• Acquire a sense of identity. Who am I?

• Must need to explore their independence and developing sense of self to fit in the society to emerge with a strong sense of self.

• Or can become confused about one’s role in life and remain unsure of their beliefs and desires.

• Important events: Social Relationship

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 6: 19-35 years old (young adulthood)• Intimacy vs. Isolation• Can I give fully of myself to another?• Warmth and sharing leads to intimacy• Loneliness leads to isolation• Committing the self to another; engaging in

sexual love

Intimacy vs. Isolation• Young adulthood (19 to around

35 or 40 years of age)• Develop a relationship and joint

identity with a partner.• Or can become isolated and stay

away from meaningful relationships.

• Questions if the person is ready for new relationships, or if there is a fear of rejection.

• Important events: Romantic Relationship

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 7: Middle Adulthood• Generativity vs. Stagnation• What can I offer succeeding generations?• Purposefulness and productivity lead to generativity• Lack of growth and regression lead to stagnation• Guiding and encouraging the younger generation;

needing to be needed; being creative

Generativity vs. Stagnation• Middle adulthood (40-65

years of age).• Making use of time and

having a concern with helping others and guiding the next generation. “Making your Mark” on the world.

• Stagnation refers to a failure to find ways to contribute.

• Important events: Parenthood and Work

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development• Stage 8: Late Adulthood• Integrity vs. Despair• Have I found contentment and satisfaction through

my life’s work and play?• Unity and fulfillment lead to integrity• Disgust and dissatisfaction leads to despair• Accepting the timing and placing of one’s own life

cycle; achieving wisdom and dignity

Integrity vs. Despair• Late adulthood (60-and up).• Moment of reflecting back on life.• Understand and accept the

meaning of temporary life. Those feeling proud of their achievement will feel sense of integrity.

• Complains about regrets, not having enough time, and not finding a meaning throughout life or life is wasted will give despair.

Evaluation of the Psychoanalytic Approach (Positives)

• While some ideas of Freud’s (such as the libido and the id) have fallen out of favor, Freud was important in helping people realize that human personality and behavior could be studied scientifically

• Before Freud, people saw mental health issues as signs of weakness or craziness, rather than illness

• Freud and Erikson also taught us the importance of childhood events, and how childhood traumas could affect us the rest of our lives

• Freud also helped us realize that aggressive and sexual urges are common, and that anxiety and guilt can distort our thinking

Evaluation of the Psychoanalytic Approach (Negatives)

• Freud probably placed too much emphasis on unconscious motives, while ignoring social relationships

• People don’t necessarily strive to do great things just because they are trying to gratify the dark demands of the id

• Freud’s method of gathering evidence from clinical sessions, most of whom were white and middle class, may have led to a skewed sample, with some subtle influence from the therapists to lead them to preconceived notions

Assessment

• Complete #1-4 on page 332