WEEk 3 - Wave 1: Psychoanalysis Flashcards
What is Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a therapeutic approach and theory, founded by Sigmund Freud, that seeks to explore the unconscious mind to uncover repressed feelings and interpret deep-rooted emotional patterns, often using techniques like dream analysis and free association.
The primary assumption of psychoanalysis is the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.
What does Psychoanalysis say about people?
- The Freudian outlook on human nature is deterministic. It
maintains that an individual’s personality is fixed largely by the age of six. (means that people are innately who they are) - People do not have free will; rather their behaviour is
determined by innate drives that have to do with sex and
aggression or love and death. - A great deal of Freud’s determinism also deals with how one israised by one’s parents.
- How our caregivers,cared for us in our early, really formative time has a big influence on our personality and how we see the world.
What are the drives that challange free will (according to psychoanalysis perspective)
Eros /Libido –Also called “Life instincts”. The innate human urges or driving forces . Represents the basic drive for pleasure such as creativity, connection, sexual pleasure, intamcy etc.
Eros/ Libido –> creative energies, motivation towards growth development and creativity. Our desires motivations and passions.
Thanatos (Death Instinct) : Drive to destruct and be aggressive and challenge peoples behavior. The thing that is ‘wrong with all of us. Managing the aggressive drive is a major challenge in human behaviour
Freud’s view is that Libido and Death instinct both operate in humans determine what they do and why
What is the conscious
This is the reality
these are things you can call to mind instantly and are conscious thoughts
you can hear words, think about your partner, think about plans for the weekend etc.
Can access these thoughts
What is precocious?
habits, denial, habitual repetitive patterns we are semi-aware of
like riding a bike you don’t think pedal pedal pedal. Or driving when you take the automatic exit instead of staying on.
Can access these thoughts
What is unconscious?
The dumping ground for all the things we don’t want to remember.
According to the theory, the unconscious mind drive us to behave in the way that we do, but we can’t actively access these thoughts.
Dreams of symbolic representations of unconscious needs, inner conflicts, unfulfilled wishes, Id-Superego conflicts, slips of the tongue (Freudian slips), free association material, symbolic content of psychotic symptoms. Repressed material
What is a Freudian slip
when something from our unconscious slips out
Is the unconscious mind rational?
no and thats why we have the ID, ego and superego
What is the ID
- our instics
- known as the devil
- wants basic needs of food, sex, shelter etc.
- tries to avoid pain at all costs
- wants what it wants when it wants
-> can’t always have what we want (punishment) so then we have to have the EGO to take care of this ID
What is the EGO
- the ‘adult’ – ruled by the Reality Principle
- The executive part of the personality – governs and controls and regulates personality
-Controls consciousness and checks and controls impulses from the Id - Distinguishes between inner and outer reality of experience
- compromise (tries to meet some parts of what the id wants)
- The Ego ensures that the pleasures that we do need get addressed but the pleasures we don’t need get pacified
What is the superEgo
the ‘parent’ – ruled by the Moral Principle,
* Judicial part of the personality,
* Superego aims to inhibit the id impulses
* Idealistic and moral intentions “ good or bad “ and
* “ right or wrong “ thinking , striving for perfection
* internalisation of parental and societal values and aims
*This is the things that we’ve internalised from our parents
or from society that tell us we should be a certain way.
superego would say things like “I can’t believe you did that. You’re so stupid.”
How do the ID ego and superego work together
Conflict between the ID and superego that the ego compromises on
What is Psychosexual Development
- This is this idea. that as we grow up through from an early age, we have to pass through developmental milestones.Now, there’s different ages, but each is linked to it in a different erogenous zone.
- Development Is age related
- Deprivation or overindulgence leads to Fixation (stuff that happening in childhood can cause issues as adult)
- Childhood stages and parental figures have a significant impact on the adult personality
- Root of dysfunctionality and pathology, attachment
Psychosexual Development stages
Oral (1st year) : Safety, love, fear, nurturing, can later be related to mistrust/rejection, ability or fear of forming trusting relationships,
- Anal (1-3) : related to power, control, autonomy, learning, independence, express negative feelings, rage, aggression
- Phallic (3-6): related to sexual attitudes, gender identification, (parental attitudes to the child’s emerging sexuality – influences in adult life
- Latent: (6-12) development of social skills, friends, social identity,
- Genital(12-continuous) : core characteristics of mature adulthood, creative investment of sexual energies into relationships, caring for others, education, profession, art music etc
What are ego defense mechanisms?
- Normal behaviours to help cope with anxiety
- Help person moderate anxiety – adapt to feedback, learning, in order to develop
- Prevent the Ego from being overwhelmed by guilt, shame,
anxiety - Protect the Ego (“protect face”)
*what we don’t want is for anyone to become aware of our unconscious stuff, right? That’s where the yucky stuff about us is. according to this theory, We don’t want to acknowledge, that there’s parts of us that we don’t like that are shameful, that are not cool. And so the way that we manage that is, we put into place all of these defence mechanisms to keep everybody else um, unaware.
What is Projection
Attributing unacceptable behaviour to others
*you put your feelings about something and put it onto them. For example, say you are jealous of someone else you would say they are jealous of you.
What is Reaction formation
expressing the opposite
*when you like someone but deny it. Or you really don’t like someone so you’re really nice to them. *
WHat is Sublimation
diverting psychic energies into more acceptable channels
*feelings that you can’t express that wouldn’t be acceptable otherwise. For example, if someone is a boxer as a way of getting out aggression which is okay but wouldn’t be able to fight someone in the street. *
What is Introjection: (pos. or neg):
Internalizing values from parents or teachers, therapist
when we internalise values that have been given to us by our parents, for example. So perhaps our mother had a really high expectation of us. And so then we hold on to these perfectionist ideas
What is Compensation
masking perceived weakness, making up for limitations in
other areas (focusing on accomplishments rather than on
weakness)
idea that we perceive ourselves to be weak in one area So maybe I’m really rubbish at sports, so I make myself really good at academia. And this idea that I have to compensate for it rather than address it.
What is Repression
exclusion from awareness
Repress our feelings and put them down
What is Denial
denial or distortion of reality, fear of ego overwhelm
*people deny things. Eg. Have a drinking problem but deny it. *
What is Regression:
reverting to an earlier life stage
*regression is the idea that we turn back. For example and adult having a tantrum *
What is Rationalisation
finding reasons for explaining“ bruised ego”
Example- failed this exam butits because of the stupid teacher
