2. PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES - Psychoanalytic theories describe development as
primarily unconscious (beyond. awareness) and heavily colored by emotion.
Psychoanalytic theorists emphasize that behavior is merely a surface characteristic and
that a true understanding of development requires analyzing the symbolic meanings of
behavior and the deep inner workings of the mind.
FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
• Freud’s believed that personality developed through a series of childhood stages in
which the pleasure- seeking energies of the id become more focused on certain
erogenous areas.
• An erogenous zone is characterized as an area of the body that is particularly sensitive
to stimulation.
• During the five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latent, and
genital stages, the erogenous zone associated with each stage serves as a source of
pleasure.
3. • The psychosexual energy, or the libido, was describe as the driving force behind
behavior
• Psychoanalytic theory suggested that personality is mostly established by the
age of five. Early experiences play a large role in personality development and
continue to influence behavior later in life.
• Each stage of development is marked by conflicts that can help build growth
or stifle development, depending upon how they are resolved. If these psycho
sexual stages completed successfully, a healthy personality is the result.
• If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixations can occur.
A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict
is resolved, the individual will remain "stuck" in this stage.
4. Psychosexual Stages according to Freud
1. Oral Stage
Age Range : Birth to 1 Year
Erogenous Zone : Mouth
• During the oral stage, the infant's primary source of interaction occurs through
the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important.
• The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral
stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking. Because
the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for
feeding the child).
• The child also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral
stimulation. The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process--the child
must become less dependent upon caretakers.
• The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process--the child must
become less dependent upon caretakers.
• If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues
with dependency or oral aggression. Oral fixation can result in problems with
drinking, eating, smoking, or nail-biting.
5. 2. Anal Stage
Age Range: 1 to 3 years
Erogenous Zone: Anus and Bladder
• During the anal stage. Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was
on controlling anus, bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this
stage is toilet. training—the child has to learn to control their bodily needs.
• Developing control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
According to Freud, success at this stage is dependent upon the way in which
parents approach toilet training.
• Freud believed that positive experiences during the toilet training stage serve as
the basis for people to become competent, productive, and creative adults.
• According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in negative
outcomes. If parents take an approach that is too lenient, Freud suggested that
an anal-expulsive personality could develop in which the individual has a
messy, wasteful, or destructive personality.
• If parents are too strict or begin toilet training too early, Freud believed that an
anal-retentive personality develops in which the individual is stringent,
orderly, rigid, and obsessive.
6. 3.) PHALLIC STAGE
Age Range: 3-6 years old
Erogenous Zone: genitals, specifically the penis
• Freud proposed that for young boys, this meant obsession with their own penis.
Hence the boy develops "castration anxiety" (McLeod, 2008).
• Oedipus Complex
• Castration Anxiety
• Identification
• Electra Complex
• The Electra Complex in 1913
• Feminine Oedipus attitude
7. 4. Latency Stage
Age Range : 6 to Puberty
Erogenous Zone : Sexual Feelings Are Inactive
• During this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id's energies a; e
suppressed. Children develop social skills, values and relationships wit peers
and, adults outside of the family.
• The development of the ego and superego contribute to this period of calm The
stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become none
concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.
• The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy repressed
or dormant. This energy is still present, but it is sublimated into other areas
such as intellectual pursuits and social interactions.
• This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills
and self-confidence.
• As with the other psychosexual stages, Freud believed that it was possible for
children to become fixated or "stuck" in this phase. Fixation at this stage can
result in immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an
adult.
8. 5. Genital Stage
Age Range: Puberty to Death
Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual Interests
• The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During tie
final stage of psychosexual development, the individual develops a strong sexual
interest in the opposite sex.
• This stage begins during puberty but last throughout the rest of a person's life.
Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on individual needs. interest in the
welfare of others grows during this stage.
• The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas. If
the other stages have been completed successfully, the individual should. now be
well-balanced, warm, and caring.
• Freud believed that the ego and superego were fully formed and functioning at
this point.
• Younger children are ruled by the id, which demands immediate satisfaction of
the most basic needs and wants. Teens in the genital stage of development are
able to balance their most basic urges against the need to conform to the
demands of reality and social norms.
9. Evaluating Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory
Freud‘s theory is still controversial today, but imagine how audacious it seemed during
the late 1800s and early 1900s. There have been a number of observations and criticisms of
Freud's psychosexual theory on a number of grounds, including scientific and feminist
critiques.
Criticisms of the Psychosexual Stages
1. The theory is focused almost entirely on male development with title mention it female
psychosexual development.
2. His theories are difficult to test scientifically. Concepts such as the libido are
impossible to measure, and therefore cannot be tested. The research that has been
conducted tends to discredit Freud's theory.
3. Future predictions are too vague. How can we know that a current behavior was
caused specifically by a childhood experience? The length of time between the cause
and the effect is too long to assume that there is a relationship between the two
variables.
4. Freud's theory is based upon case studies and not empirical research. Also, Freud
based his theory on the recollections of his adult patients, not on actual observation
and study of children.
10.
11. 1. Id
- source of all psychic energy
- only component present from birth
- entirely unconscious, includes instinctive and primitive factors
- driven by pleasure principle
- crucial in life
- infantile
- development of other two components
e.g You saw your partner with someone in a decent restaurant having time with
each other that would conclude that they were cheating. You were so angry and
you approached them, hurt them both, and made a scandal.
12. 2. Ego
- ensures Id's impulses to be acceptable, satisfies the Id
- functions in the conscious, pre- and unconscious mind
- responsible for reality dealing
- operates based on reality principle
e.g You saw your partner with someone in a decent restaurant having time
with each other that would conclude that they were cheating. You were so
angry but you tried to calm down and decided to wait them to exit the
restaurant, then confront them after.
13. 3. Superego
- begins to appear at around age 5
- holds our sense of right and wrong
- provides guidelines for making judgments
- controls the two components
e.g You saw your partner with someone in a decent restaurant having time
with each other that would conclude that they were cheating. You were so
angry but you remain calm, finished your food and exit the restaurant. You
decided to confront your partner after the day in your house in a professional
way.
14. The Interaction of the Id, Ego, and Superego
• These aspects are dynamic and always interacting to influence an individual's
overall personality and behavior.
• With many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise between
the id, ego, and superego.
• Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability to function despite
these dueling forces. A person who has good ego strength can effectively
manage these pressures while a person with too much or too little ego strength
can be unyielding or disruptive.
What Happens if There Is an Imbalance?
• If the ego is able to adequately moderate between the demands of reality, the id.
and the superego, a healthy and well-adjusted personality emerges.
• Freud believed that an imbalance between these elements would lead to a
maladaptive personality. For example, an individual with an overly dominant
id might become impulsive, uncontrollable, or even criminal.
• On the other hand, an overly dominant superego might lead to a personality that
is extremely moralistic and judgmental. A person ruled by the superego might
not be able to accept anything or anyone that they perceive to be "bad" or
"immoral."
15. • Freud (1905) developed a topographical model of the mind, whereby he described the
features; of the mind's structure and function. Freud used the analogy of an iceberg to
describe the three levels of the mind.
` Freud's Three Levels of Mind
1. Conscious mind (mental processes of which we are aware).
• Freud (1915) described the conscious mind, which consists of all the mental processes
of which we are aware. For example, you may be feeling thirsty at this moment and
decide to get a drink.
2. Preconscious mind (thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently aware of, but which
can easily brought to consciousness)
• The preconscious is like a mental waiting room. in which thoughts remain until they
succeed in attracting the eye of the conscious' (Freud, 1924). This is what we mean in
our everyday usage of the word available memory. For example, you are presently
rot thinking about your mobile telephone number, but now it is mentioned you can
recall it with ease.
3. Unconscious mind (mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but that influence
judgments, feelings or behavior)
• Our feelings, motives and decisions are actually power-fully influenced by our past
experiences, and stored in the unconscious. Freud applied these three systems to his
structure of the personality, or psyche —the id, ego and superego. Here the id is regarded as
entirely unconscious whilst the ego and superego have conscious, preconscious, and
unconscious aspects.
16. Defense Mechanism
• Freud noted a number of ego defenses which he refers to throughout his written
works. His daughter Anna Freud (1936) developed these ideas and elaborated on
hem, adding ten of her own. Many psychoanalysts have also added further types of
ego defenses or defense mechanisms. Here is the list.
1. Identification with the aggressor
- it involves the victim adopting the behavior of a person who is more
powerful and hostile towards them.
2. Repression
- it is an unconscious defense mechanism employed by the ego to keep
disturbing or threatening thoughts becoming conscious.
3. Projection
- it is a psychological defense mechanism proposed by anna freud in which
an individual attributes unwanted thoughts, feelings and motives onto another
person.
4. Displacement
- it is the redirection of an impulse (usually aggression) onto a powerless
substitute target. The target can be a person or an object that can serve as a symbolic
substitute.
17. 5. Sublimation
- it is similar to displacement but takes place when we manage to displace
our unacceptable emotions into behaviors which are constructive and socially
acceptable rather than constructive activities.
6. Denial
- it involves a refusal to accept reality thus, blocking external events from
awareness.
7. Regression
- it is when the ego reverts to an earlier stage of development usually in
response to stressful situations.
8. Rationalization
- it involves a cognitive distortions of “the facts” to make an event or an
impulse less threatening.
9. Reaction formation
- it is a psychological defense mechanism in which a person goes beyond
denial and behaves in the opposite way to which he or she thinks or feels.
