Freud

Question 1

Who were the two important influences for Freud’s theory?

Answer 1

Darwin: humans are the result of evolution and natural selection, very materialistic, mechanistic and deterministic view (like Freud’s theory)

Nietzsche & Schopenhauer: proposed (before Freud) existence of unconscious, primitive, irrational psychic forces exerting powerful pressure on human development and behaviour

Question 2

Freud rephrased the second mind as the ____________

Answer 2

preconscious

Question 3

Why is Freud’s theory so well known despite it being real dumb?

Answer 3

1. Because he offered up the first theory (primacy effect, because of this it’s the most impactful)
2. Because it’s about sex and aggression which people find interesting and creates a shock factor during its time. Also talking about it being unconscious added to the shock factor.
3. Freud was a charismatic, ambitious, workaholic who was very sure of himself which attracted followers. These followers would then disperse and talk about the theory elsewhere.

Question 4

The unconscious

Answer 4

• contains drives, urges, and instincts that are mostly sexual or aggressive in nature
• ^ These can become conscious but only in disguised, distorted forms like dream images, slips of tongue, or neurotic symptoms (neurotic=dysfunctional -> self defeating behaviour)
• Freud argues that we have the unconscious mind in order to repress anxious experiences that we consider to be unpleasant

Question 5

The Id

Answer 5

• completely unconscious
• Serves pleasure principal (meaning I want it now regardless of society’s moral judgements and negative consequences) & operates through primary process
• Seeks constant and immediate satisfaction of instinctual needs (mostly sex and aggression)
• Is like a newborn baby, no contact with reality, illogical, chaotic, unorganized, and “amoral”
• needs ego for contact with reality

Question 6

The Ego

Answer 6

• must take into consideration incompatible but equally unrealistic demands of the Id (immediate pleasure) and super ego (moral judgement) as well as things from the external world
• Freud argues that Anxiety results from ego because of how difficult it is to juggle all of these things

Question 7

The Super Ego

Answer 7

• The moral part of personality
• This is guided by idealistic principle
• 2 parts, first being the bad behaviour of ego (punishment) due to conscience failing which results in guilt, and the second being the good behaviour of ego (reward) due to ego ideal which results in inferiority

Question 8

Why do sexual and aggressive urges create more conflicts and anxieties as per Freud?

Answer 8

• The release of most pleasurable instincts (eg. eating, defecating) does not bother society too much, however uncontrolled expression of sex and anger does. This can hurt other people, so because of this they’re under strict control which causes more conflicts
• Also, society creates a dichotomy between these two needs, creating conflict (ie. sex all of the time vs sex only when necessary)

Question 9

Conflicts cause _______ which then trigger ______ _________

Answer 9

• anxiety
• defense mechanisms

Question 10

What are the 3 different types of anxiety?

Answer 10

1. Neurotic anxiety (Ego is afraid that Id will get loose, resulting in punishment)
2. Moral anxiety (Ego is afraid that Superego will become too powerful, resulting in guilt
3. Realistic anxiety (ego is afraid of the real world and not satisfying Id’s needs)

Question 11

What are the eight types of defense mechanisms?

Answer 11

1. Repression
2. Reaction formation
3. Regression
4. Sublimation
5. Undoing
6. Projection
7. Isolation
8. Displacement

Question 12

Repression

Answer 12

forcing unwanted, anxiety-loaded experiences/thoughts into the unconscious; active process underlying all defense mechanisms

Question 13

Reaction formation

Answer 13

Repression of one real desire and showy expression of it’s exact opposite

Question 14

Regression

Answer 14

reverting to earlier, more infantile modes of behaviour

Question 15

Undoing

Answer 15

compulsive, ceremonial, repetitive actions

Question 16

Isolation

Answer 16

aka rationalization, it’s explaining unacceptable behaviour or feeling in rational or logical manner, avoiding true reasons for behaviour.

Question 17

Projection

Answer 17

Seeing others in those unacceptable feelings or behaviours that actually reside in one’s own unconscious

Question 18

Sublimation

Answer 18

acting out unacceptable impulses by converting these behaviours into more acceptable form; often involves positive/creative output

Question 19

Displacement

Answer 19

transposing, displacing unacceptable pulsion to socially acceptable one (projecting, nothing good comes out of it)

Question 20

What are Freud’s 4 developmental stages

Answer 20

1. Infantile (0-5 y/o)
2. Latency (5 y/o - puberty)
3. Genital (puberty)
4. Maturity (adulthood)

Question 21

What are the three infantile stages?

Answer 21

1. oral
2. anal
3. phallic

Question 22

What are the 3 parts of the phallic stage?

Answer 22

1. castration complex
2. oedipus complex
3. penis envy

Question 23

____ _____ in _____ stage of the ______ period is where most of personality theory takes place in Freud’s theory

Answer 23

• oedipus complex
• phallic
• infantile

Question 24

The oral personality

Answer 24

-revolve around the mouth
- from birth to 1 y/o
- overstimulation leads to pleasure which leads to fixation consequences like passive, social, difficulty receiving, dependent, naive, optimist
- understimulation leads to frustration which leads to fixation consequences like individualistic, exploitative, asocial, difficulty giving, distant, impatient, no trust, pessimistic, active
- consequences of fixation as an adult is overusing the mouth (eating, drinking, smoking, talking)

Question 25

The Anal Personality

Answer 25

-1 to 3 y/o
- toilet training stage that creates frustration and the toddler’s reaction is either passive or reactive
- passive is an anal-retaining personality (refraining to doo-doo) which results in orderliness, obstinacy, stinginess, scrupulously, disciplined, rigid, etc.
- active is anal repulsive personality (unrestrained gunna doodoo) which results in disorderliness, extravagant, aggressive, spoiled, reckless, dirty, etc.