Post-Freudian Theories Flashcards
(42 cards)
What are the three main Freudian notions of personality?
The id, ego and superego
Explain the Freudian Id.
The id is the ‘impersonal’ part of personality. It is biological and operates on fulfilling and satisfying basic urges, needs and desires.
Explain the Freudian Ego.
The ego is our conscious sense of self. Our self-aware decision making processes.
Explain the Freudian Superego.
The superego is the ethical component of one’s personality and is concerned with right and wrong, good and bad. It also focuses on what is ‘ideal’.
What part of Freudian personality does Post-Freudian theory tend to put emphasis on?
Currently, there is a focus on the ego rather than the Id. This focus has brought about the field of Ego Psychology.
Do Post-Freudian theories focus on drives or relationships?
Post-Freudian theories focus on relationships, as highlighted through object-relation theory.
What is a Post-Freudian development in psychology associated with relationships?
Attachment theory, which focuses on mentalisation and theory of mind.
What is Neuropsychoanalyis?
Neuropsychoanalysis uses neuroscientific methods to study people and their personalities.
What plays a central role in the theory of Ego psychology?
In ego psychology, the ego plays a central role, but id theory is still accepted but not emphasised.
What does ego psychology focus on?
It focuses on the ‘here and now’ as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the ego’s function.
What are three major theories that have steamed from this field in psychology?
- Anna Freud theory of the ego and mechanisms for defense
- Erik Erickson’s theory of stage development. It examines ego development throughout the lifespan.
- Heinz Hartmann’s theory regarding the ego’s functions and adaption
Briefly describe Hartmann’s theory of personality.
Hartmann developed a theory of personality in which the ego drives or control’s the id. It has a greater focus on conscious processes and on normal, rather than pathological development.
What is the function of the ego in Hartmann’s theory?
The ego’s function is to adapt a person’s internal needs to their environment.
What are the main differences concerning the ego between Freud’s theory and Hartmann’s?
Unlike Freud, Harmann’s suggests we are born with an ego, which has innate capacities that allow for adaptation to an individuals environment.
Freud never outlined an ideal or healthy ego in his theory. In Ego psychology, a healthy ego is considered to be a conflict-free sphere, where one may act without conflict or judgement.
What is one of the main critiques of ego psychology?
Many people question the ego’s motivation and it’s decision-making processes.
How do therapy and ego psychology interact? What are the goals of therapy?
Therapy would involve strengthening the go by aligning internal and external pressures.
What has the ego been viewed as most recently?
The ego has been viewed as a biopsychological processing system.
Briefly describe object-relational approaches to personality.
These theories focus on relationships and the mind, with the idea of the ‘object’ being anything that a person may use to satisfy a drive, including food, love and objects.
Our early relationships shape the mind and personality.
Describe the cupboard love theory.
A key theory within object-relational approaches claims that a child forms a relationship with their caregivers because they provide them with gratification and protection.
Here their parents become their objects.
What was Fairburn critical of in his object-relational approach?
Fairnburn was critical of biological psychology and rejected the notion of the id, the impersonal drive.
Briefly explain Fairburn’s approach.
He claimed that the ego was the source of motivation rather than the id. He also believed that the libido/sex-drive as object seeking. This means that people want relationships with objects, not simply to just use the object to gratify an impulse.
What did Fairburn believe personalities primary aim was?
He classified the primary aim of personality was to form relationships.
What did Fairburn classify as a central ego? Describe it.
Fairburn thought we were all born with an ego, which he termed the central ego.
The central ego attempts to build relationships with caregivers, however, if it is rejected it may lead to wider issues.
Using Fairburn’s model, explain the process of being rejected as a child.
As a result of being rejected and experiencing repression, a child may deny their own needs, causing their central ego to spilt into a libidinal-ego (which is very needy) as well as an anti-libidinal ego or internal saboteur which rejects their own neediness.
