Changing Social Identidy w/3 Flashcards
(32 cards)
Explain Freud’s theory of psychosexual maturation.
→ Freud proposed that psychosexual maturation (i.e. personality) develops through a series of 5 stages during childhood, each centered around erogenous zones (i.e. Libido). To mature into a well-functioning adult, one must progress sequentially through each of the psychosexual stages. When libidinal drives are repressed or unable to be appropriately discharged, the child is left wanting and unsatisfied. Freud identified this dissatisfaction as fixation. Fixation at any stage would produce anxiety, persisting into adulthood as neurosis.
Define Adolescence.
→ Adolescence, is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occur during the period of puberty to legal adulthood.
Define Psychosexual maturation.
→ Psychosexual maturation, is the process of personality and sexual behavior developing through a series of stages.
Define Erogenous zones.
→ Erogenous zones, are a part of the body that, when touched, can cause sexual arousal or lustful feelings.
Define Libido.
→ Libido, is sex drive or the desire for sex.
Define Neurosis.
→ Neurosis, is a mental illness resulting in high levels of anxiety, unreasonable fears and behaviour, and often, a need to repeat actions for no reason.
What are the Five Stages of development?
- Oral (0-1yr)
- Anal (1-3yrs)
- Phallic (3-5yrs)
- Latency (5-13yrs)
- Genital (13+)
Explain Each of the 5 stages of development.
- Oral desire is the center of pleasure for the newborn baby. (usually gratified by the mother)
- Anal, is the toilet training period. The libidinal energy shifts from the oral to the anal area.
- The phallic stage in which the child begins to experience pleasure associated with their genitalia.
- Latency is when the libido is relatively repressed or sublimated. The child begins to act on their impulses indirectly by focusing on school, sports, and building relationships.
- Genital, is where the child’s ego becomes fully developed, and they are subsequently seeking independence.
What are the two primary tasks in adolescence?
- Replacement of pre-genital - immature/childhood - drives with genital primacy (sexuality becomes the major force influencing behaviour and development)
- Resolution of Oedipal conflicts (a detachment from parents and the establishment of mature sexual relations with others)
Explain the role of Ego.
- Ego development = development of an ‘ideal’ self’
- The job of ‘ego’ is to ‘control’ sexual tension in such a way as is socially and personally acceptable.
- The ‘ego’ must find a balance between often competing drives:
1. The ‘id’ → demands sexual gratification
2. The ‘superego’ → demands attention to morality
Define Id.
→ The Id, is the impulsive part of our psyche that responds directly and immediately to basic urges, needs and desires.
Define Ego.
→ The ego, to Freud is the rational part of the psyche, that mediates between the instinctual desires of the id and the moral constraints of the superego, operating primarily at the conscious level.
Define superego.
→ Superego, is the moral component of the psyche, representing internalized societal values and standards.
Explain Erikson’s psychosocial development theory.
→ Erik Erikson’s theory focuses on psychosocial development. Emphasizing the influence of social and cultural factors on personality development rather than focusing on sexual drives. Erikson maintained that personality develops in a predetermined order through eight stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis that could positively or negatively affect personality development.
Define Psychosocial development.
→ Psychosocial development, describes how a person’s personality develops, and how social skills are learned from infancy through adulthood.
What are the 8 stages of development?
- Infancy period - “Trust vs. Mistrust” (0-18mths)
- Early childhood period - “Autonomy vs. Shame, doubt” (18mths - 3yrs)
- Play age period - “Initiative vs. Guilt” (3yrs - 5yrs)
- School-age period - “Industry vs. Inferiority” (5yrs - 12yrs)
- Adolescence period - “Identity vs. Identity confusion” (12yrs - 18yrs)
- Young Adulthood period - “Intimacy vs. Isolation” (18yrs - 40yrs)
- Adulthood period - “Generativity vs. Stagnation/Self-absorption” (40yrs - 65yrs)
- Old age period - “Integrity vs. Despair” (65yrs - death)
Explain Each of the 5 stages of development.
- “Trust vs. Mistrust”, the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live, and looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care.
- “Autonomy vs. Shame, doubt”, children at this stage are focused on developing a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence.
- “Initiative vs. Guilt”, children assert themselves more frequently through directing play and other social interaction.
- “Industry vs. Inferiority”, children start to compare themselves with their peers to gauge their abilities and worth.
- “Identity vs. Identity confusion”, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals.
- “Intimacy vs. Isolation”, the major conflict centers on forming intimate, loving relationships with other people.
- “Generativity vs. Stagnation/Self-absorption”, individuals focus more on building our lives, primarily through our careers, families, and contributions to society.
- “Integrity vs. Despair”, during this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.
What are the pros of Erikson’s theory?
- Ability to tie together important psychosocial development across the entire lifespan. By outlining a more realistic perspective of personality development.
- Middle and late adulthood are no longer viewed as irrelevant, because of Erikson, they are now considered active and significant times of personal growth.
- Many people find they can relate to his theories about various life cycle stages through their own experiences.
What are the cons of Erikson’s theory?
- Erikson is rather vague about what kinds of experiences must people have to successfully resolve various psychosocial conflicts and move from one stage to another? He does not explicitly explain how the outcome of one psychosocial stage influences personality at a later stage. (his work was a ‘tool to think with rather than a factual analysis.’)
- Erikson’s stages of personality development make it challenging to test stage progression hypotheses empirically.
- Stages may differ across cultures. Erikson based his theory primarily on observations of middle-class White children and families in the United States and Europe. The conflicts in each stage reflect values like independence, autonomy, and productivity (individualistic cultures). The theory may not translate well to more collectivistic cultures that value interdependence.
- Conflicts extend beyond the stages in which they initially occur.
Explain how adolescents navigate the “Identity vs. Identity confusion” stage.
→ Adolescents navigate this stage by understanding the :
- Social Comparison Theory
- Piaget’s Theory of Operational Thought
- Hypothetical-deductive reasoning
- The ‘Barometric’ self
- Peer Groups
Explain the Social Comparison Theory.
→ The Social Comparison Theory, suggests that people evaluate their own opinions, abilities, and worth by comparing themselves to others.
Explain Piaget’s Theory of Operational Thought.
→ Piaget’s Theory of Operational Thought, refers to the ability to think logically about concrete events and, eventually, abstract ideas.
Explain the Hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
→ Hypothetical-deductive reasoning, is a type of logical thinking that emerges during the formal operational stage of cognitive development. It involves the ability to formulate hypotheses, systematically test them, and draw conclusions based on evidence.
Explain The ‘Barometric’ self.
→ Describes how adolescents often experience rapid and intense changes in their self-perception and emotional states, influenced by internal and external factors (Rosenberg, 1979).
