Unit 2️⃣ Part 1️⃣ Flashcards
(24 cards)
Who si Freud?
- He studied medicine in Vienna where he specializes in neurology as a researcher. But he realized he made more money in private medical practice.
- After studying hypnosis with Jean Martin Charcot, he returned to Vienna and began treating patients with “nervous disorders”.
- Began developing the idea that there are parts of the mind that one is not aware of.
- Freud’s first solo authored book: The interpretation of dreams (1900).
- From here he develops his theory and gains followers with whom he comments on each case.
What is psychic energy?
According to psychoanalytic theory, all human behavior is driven by psychic energy, which is constant throughout life but shifts focus over time.
This energy comes from two basic instincts:
* Eros (Libido) – The drive for pleasure, survival, and reproduction (e.g., seeking love, food, and comfort).
* Thanatos – The drive toward destruction, aggression, and self-harm.
Example: Someone who takes big risks in life may have strong Eros, while a person who enjoys violent movies or self-destructive habits may have a stronger Thanatos instinct.
What are the three levels of consciousness?
Our actions are often driven by thoughts and feelings we are not aware of.
The mind is divided into three levels:
* Conscious – What we are aware of at any moment.
* Preconscious – Thoughts we are not currently thinking about but can easily recall.
* Unconscious – Hidden memories, desires, or fears that influence our behavior without us realizing.
Example: A person might get nervous around dogs without knowing why, only to later remember a childhood incident of being bitten.
What is psychic determinism?
Freud believed that everything we do—every thought, word, and action—comes from our conscious, preconscious, or unconscious mind.
Even “accidents” like forgetting a name or making a verbal slip (Freudian slip) can reveal hidden thoughts.
Example: Calling a teacher “mom” instead of their name could mean you associate them with a parental figure.
What is the goal of psychoanalysis?
- The goal of psychoanalysis is to bring unconscious thoughts into awareness so they no longer control behavior.
- This is done through techniques like dream analysis and free association.
Example: A therapist might help a person realize their fear of failure comes from past criticism by their parents, allowing them to work through it.
What are the three parts of the mind in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, and what role does each play?
According to psychoanalytic personality theory, human behavior is shaped by three parts of the mind:
1. The Id – The Primitive Instincts:
- Seeks immediate pleasure (pleasure principle).
- Doesn’t care about reality or consequences.
- Example: A child wanting candy and crying until they get it.
2. The Ego – The Decision Maker
- Balances the Id’s desires with reality.
- Uses logical thinking and problem-solving (reality principle).
- Example: Instead of taking someone’s food, the ego would think, “I should wait and buy my own.”
3. The superego-the moral guide
- Represents societal rules and morals (taught by parents, school, religion).
- Makes us feel guilty when we do something wrong and proud when we do something good.
- Example: Feeling guilty after lying to a friend.
How do these parts interact?
- The Id wants immediate pleasure.
- The Superego wants to do what is morally right.
- The Ego must balance both, making reasonable decisions.
🔹 Example: A woman sees €20 fall from someone’s pocket. - Id says: “Take the money!”
- Superego says: “That’s wrong! Return it!”
- Ego says: “Give it back, but maybe hope for a reward.”
A strong ego helps maintain balance, reducing anxiety and inner conflict.
Which are the type of anxiety according to Freud?
- Objective anxiety: occurs in response to a real threat to the person (fear of facing a very dangerous-looking person in an alley)
- Neurotic anxiety: occurs in response to a direct conflict between the id and the ego. (The danger is that the ego loses control over the id)
- Moral anxiety: occurs in response to a direct conflict between the superego and the ego (feelings of not living up to proper standards e.g. Anorexia).
What are the Defense mechanisms?
As anxiety is an unpleasant experience, people try to overcome the situations that generate anxiety using Defense mechanisms.
These mechanisms have t functions:
1. Protecting the ego;
2. Minimize anxiety and discomfort.
What is Repression according to Freud?
The process of preventing unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and desires from reaching conscious awareness. Maintain an experience out of memory.
Which are other defense mechanisms according to Freud’s and his followers?
Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies employed to cope with reality and maintain self-image by reducing anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful stimuli. Here’s a summary of the mechanisms you’ve mentioned:
1. Denial: Refusing to accept external reality because it is too threatening, thereby avoiding acknowledgment of facts or experiences.
Example: A person who is informed of a serious medical diagnosis insists that the results are incorrect and seeks multiple opinions to refute the diagnosis.
2. Displacement: Redirecting emotions or impulses from a threatening target to a safer substitute.
Example: An individual frustrated by their supervisor at work may come home and express anger towards family members instead.
3. Rationalization: Creating seemingly logical explanations to justify behaviors or feelings that might otherwise be unacceptable.
Example: A student who fails an exam blames the instructor’s teaching style rather than acknowledging a lack of preparation.
4. Reaction Formation: Adopting attitudes or behaviors that are opposite to one’s true feelings, often to hide unacceptable desires.
Example: A person who harbors resentment towards a colleague may exhibit excessive friendliness towards them.
5. Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to others.
Example: An individual who is untrustworthy accuses others of dishonesty.
6. Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.
Example: Someone experiencing aggressive urges takes up a sport like boxing to safely express their aggression.
Understanding these defense mechanisms can provide insight into human behavior and the ways individuals cope with internal conflicts and external stressors.
When do we use defense mechanisms?
Life can be tough, and we all experience emotional challenges like losing a job, failing an exam, or feeling embarrassed by something posted online. To cope with these feelings, our mind uses defense mechanisms—mental strategies that help us manage stress and protect our self-esteem.
Are Defense Mechanisms Helpful or Harmful?
✅ Helpful: They can make difficult situations easier to handle by reducing anxiety.
❌ Harmful: According to Freud, if defense mechanisms are overused, they can cause problems, such as:
1️⃣ Hurting productivity (e.g., avoiding responsibilities instead of solving problems).
2️⃣ Damaging relationships (e.g., pushing people away instead of dealing with emotions).
Learning to face challenges in a healthy way without overusing defense mechanisms is a sign of emotional maturityand personal growth.
What are psychosexual stages of personality development?
Is a series of stages with a conflict to overcome in each stage.
And how the conflict is resolved will led to different aspects of personality.
If that conflict is not resolved, a person can get stuck at that stage and this is called Fixation.
How many psychosexual stages do we have?
We have 5 stages and they are:
1. Oral Stage (18 m)
2. Anal stage ( 18m-3y)
3. Phallic stage (3-5y)
4. Latency stage (6y- till puberty)
5. Genital stage (Puberty)
- Oral stage (18m)
During this stage, the child’s primary sources of pleasure and gratification is through oral activities such as sucking, biting, and breast-feeding.
- Anal stage (18m-3y)
This stage is marked by the child’s focus on controlling and expelling feces, which can lead to issues with control and orderliness in adulthood.
- Phallic stage (3-5y)
The child becomes aware of their own genitals and may experiences unconscious sexual desire towards the opposite sex parents (edit and elttra coplex)
- Latency stage (6y-till puberty)
Is characterized by a period of sexual latency where sexual desire are repressed and the child focuses on developing social and cognitive skills.
- Genital stage (Puberty)
The individual’s sexual urges reemerge, and they began to engage in mature sexual relation.
What is the goal of psychoanalysis as a therapy?
Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy that helps people understand and process hidden thoughts and desires. The goal is to bring unconscious conflicts into conscious awareness so that a person can deal with them in a healthy and mature way.
Which are the techniques to reveal the unconscious?
Free Association – Speaking Without Filtering
- The person says whatever comes to mind, no matter how random or unrelated it seems.
- The therapist listens carefully and looks for patterns, recurring themes, or slips of the tongue (Freudian slips) that might reveal hidden emotions or unresolved conflicts.
Dream Analysis – Understanding Hidden Meanings in Dreams
Freud believed that dreams act as a “window” into the unconscious mind, allowing hidden desires to be expressed in a disguised form.
- Dreams have two levels of meaning:
* Manifest Content: What actually happens in the dream (e.g., you dream about missing a flight).
* Latent Content: The deeper, hidden meaning (e.g., fear of missing important opportunities in life).
* The therapist helps the person interpret their dreams to understand hidden fears, desires, or unresolved conflicts.
Projective Techniques – Revealing Hidden Thoughts Through Interpretation
- These tests involve giving a person an unclear or ambiguous image or task and asking them to describe what they see or do.
- The idea is that people “project” their unconscious thoughts and feelings onto the task, revealing parts of their personality.
Examples of Projective Techniques:
* Rorschach Inkblot Test – Looking at abstract inkblots and saying what they resemble.
* Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) – Seeing pictures of people in different situations and creating a story about them.
* Drawing Tasks – Being asked to draw a tree, a house, or a person, which can show aspects of emotional and psychological state.
* Play Therapy (for children) – Observing how a child plays with toys to understand their emotions and concerns.
Which are Freud contributions?
Freud had a huge impact on how people understand the mind and human behavior, especially in the 20th century. While his theories may not be as widely used today in psychology, they laid the foundation for many ideas still studied and applied in modern therapy and research.
Key Contributions:
✅ The “Talking Cure” – Freud was one of the first to suggest that talking about thoughts and emotions could help people overcome psychological problems. This idea is still used in many modern therapies.
✅ Influence Beyond Psychoanalysis – Even though most therapists today don’t follow Freud’s methods exactly, they still use some of his concepts, like:
* Resistance – When a person avoids discussing certain topics because they are uncomfortable or painful.
* Transference – When a patient transfers feelings from past relationships onto their therapist (e.g., treating the therapist like a parent).
✅ Freud’s Ideas in Everyday Life – Many of his ideas have become common in how people talk about behavior and personality.
* Example: If someone struggles with authority, people might say, “They have an issue with authority figures,”which is based on Freud’s ideas.
* Example: Saying someone has “daddy issues” or that their problems come from their childhood is also influenced by Freud’s theories.
✅ Foundational Theories in Psychology – Freud introduced concepts that are still explored today, such as:
* Stages of Personality Development – How childhood experiences shape who we become.
* Unconscious Conflicts – The idea that people have hidden struggles that affect their behavior.
* The Structure of Personality (Id, Ego, Superego) – A model that explains how different parts of the mind work together.
Even though Freud’s theories are not as dominant today, they remain historically important and have influenced many areas of psychology.
Why is Freud’s research criticized?
- Not based on modern research: Freud’s ideas do not follow current scientific methods.
- Limited evidence: His studies were based on a small number of people, mostly wealthy and talkative women. This makes it hard to apply his findings to everyone.
- Unscientific approach: Freud did not believe in testing his ideas through experiments, which is important in science.
- Focus on sexual urges in children: Many argue that his views on child development were inappropriate and unrealistic.
- Weak evidence for early personality formation: Freud believed personality was set by age 5, but there is little proof for this.
- Negative view of human nature: His theories suggest that people are driven by primitive, impulsive desires.
- Problematic views on women: Freud’s ideas about women were often criticized and are explored further in psychology.
