Ch. 3 The Psychoanalytic Approach
• Freud’s Background
• Personality Theory
– Levels of Awareness
– Personality Characters
– Defense Mechanisms
– Stages of Psychosexual Development
• Psychoanalysis
– Techniques used: Hypnosis, Dream analysis; Projective tests: Free association
– Other Processes
• Strengths & Weaknesses
Freud’s Background
• Born in 1856 – Moravia
• Apple of his mother’s eye
• Studied with Charcot
• Hysterics & Hypnotism
• Anno O
• Shift from physical model of psychiatric disorders to “dynamic” (psychological)
psychiatry
– Psychic determinism
• Died in 1939
Personality Theory: Levels of Awareness
• Conscious
– Thoughts you are currently aware of
– Flow/stream of consciousness
• Preconscious
– Information not currently thinking about
– Can bring to mind easily
• Unconscious
– Largest/most significant aspect
– No Immediate access to his material
– Denied wishes
Personality Characters: Id
• Only character present at birth
• Selfish part of you
• Operates on the Pleasure Principle
• Seeks satisfaction/pleasure in all things
• Engages in Primary Process Thinking
• Irrational, illogical, unrealistic thinking
• Source of psychic energy (libido)
– Eros (life instinct) & Thanatos (death instinct)
• Held in check by other two characters
Personality Characters: Ego
• Gradually develops during the 2nd year of life
• Decision maker
• Operates on the Reality Principle
• Finds appropriate times/places for urge satisfaction
• Engages in Secondary Process Thinking
• Logical, rational, reality-oriented thinking
Personality Characters: Superego
• Formed at about age 5
• Conscious/Ego ideal
• How we ought to behave – society’s values & standards
• Primary weapon is guilt
• Examples
Conflict between Id, Ego & Superego
• Id, ego & superego in constant struggle
• Goal – satisfy demand of id & superego
• Requires energy to hold unconscious impulses in check
• Finite amount of psychic energy (libido)
• Goal – release unconscious impulses – free up energy
