1. Psychoanalytic Theory and Freud: Main Points
Posted: September 14, 2009 at 9:32 pm by Nathan Driskell
Filed under Psychology
This article is a first in a series of articles relating to
Psychology. The purpose of these articles is to give
you a basic idea of the various theories in Psychology.
Soon I will be taking the licensing exam to become a
Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. I decided
the best way to study was to create a list of main
points for the various therapy styles in Psychology. By
making these series of notes available to you, you can
get a better idea about the field of Psychology
yourself. Disclaimer: these articles are by no means
account for all the information within the particular
theory. These articles mainly come from books on the
subject as well as my personal notes. I encourage you
to explore each topic in more detail.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud was born in Vienna in 1856. He was the first born in his
family which consisted of three boys and five girls. His father was strict,
which was common in this time period, leaving him to often spend time with
his mother, whom he felt was warm and kind. His family lived in a small
apartment, however his family noticed his intelligence and made sure to
foster his learning. He graduated from the university of Vienna at the age of
26 and obtained his medical degree. Four years later he became a lecturer
at the university. Freud spent much of his life working on his theory, which
he named psychonalaysis. Freud often suffered from somatic complaints,
phobias and the intense fear of dying. Freud invented the term self-analysis,
which he would often perform himself to understand his fears and his
unconscious. Freud became popular and is often viewed as the father of
Psychology. He died in 1939 of cancer of the jaw.
Id, Ego, and Superego
To Freud, humans consist of impulses and drives. These impulses are often
buried deep within us, some by which we do not even recognize. This is
especially true of young children under the age of six. Freud coined the
term libido, which consists of all the life energies of a person. This libido
contains the drives that make is who we are, and is a source of motivation.
We often gravitate toward pleasure and avoid pain. Within a person, the

2. personality is working to balance the libido in an efficient manor. To that
end, the personality of a person is divided into three main parts: the id, ego,
and superego.
The Id is the first portion of the personality to develop. The Id is focused on
the wants and needs of a person. The Id does not care about consequences,
and aims at achieving pleasure and avoiding pain. The Id is not rational, and
does not care how it’s wants are obtained. The Id is present from birth,
where babies only care about their needs being met. To make things easier,
think of the Id as a spoiled child, who cries if they do not get their way.
The Ego is the opposite of the Id, which focuses on morality and justice. The
Ego is the judgement portion of the personality, who uses intellect to gain
order within a situation. The Id is a sort of ‘traffic cop’, who controls how to
best operate. The Ego works against the Id and tries to control the Id’s
impulses. While the Id worked around the pleasure principle, the Ego works
as the reality principle, and sees the world as it should be.
The Superego is the bridge by which tempers the Id and Ego. The purpose
of the Superego is to provide a balance so both sides are at an equilibrium.
The Superego makes decisions if things are right or wrong. The Superego
has the ability to reward by feelings of acceptance and self love, and punish
by feelings of guilt and shame.
Consciousness and Unconscious
One of the hallmark features of Freud’s theory is the development of the
unconscious. Freud viewed the mind as a collection of two main parts. The
first part, the conscious, is the part of the mind we are aware of. It includes
the thoughts and feelings of a person. It is the surface level, meaning it is
the level we are aware of in a thinking state. Freud viewed the conscious as
the smallest portion of the mind, as the drives and impulses which drive
humans often exist on a level lower then the conscious. The largest level,
the unconscious, includes all impulses, desires, and is the core of a person.
The unconscious is not directly observed, as it is hidden below the conscious.
One studies the unconscious by looking at slips of the tongue, dreams, free
association techniques, hypnosis, and projective techniques.
For example, let us take a man who has become an alcoholic. He has a low
paying job while his wife is highly successful and brings in a majority of the
money into the house hold. He does not often receive attention from his wife
due to her job. He begins to drink because he feels he hates his job and
feels inferior to his wife. Now he is an alcoholic, and his wife has to take time
off for him to get help. In the conscious, he hates his job and feels inferior;

3. in the unconscious, he craves attention, so he created a drinking problem to
obtain the attention. In this example, the unconscious influenced the
conscious in ways the conscious was not aware of. If his true feelings of
attention are not obtained in the long term, the unconscious will create
another problem to gain the attention it craves.
Anxiety
Anxiety, according to Freud, is a state of tension which motivates us to
action. It develops as a conflict between the id, ego, and superego over
control of available psychic energy. Anxiety warns of impending danger.
There are thee kinds of anxiety: reality, neurotic, and mortal. Reality
anxiety deals with threats from the external world. The level of anxiety
depends on the degree of danger.
Neurotic and mortal anxiety deals with internal threats to the balance of
power within the personality. Unless steps are taken to reduce the anxiety,
the ego may become overthrown. Mortal anxiety is the fear of one’s own
conscience. A person with a well developed ego may feel guilty when doing
something against their moral code, and punish themselves. Neurotic
anxiety occurs when a person fears they will do something by which they
will be punished.
Defense Mechanisms
When the presence of anxiety, the ego can become overwhelmed. To keep
the Ego from collapse, the ego has developed defense mechanisms. The
defense mechanisms below are normal, and are often experienced by a
majority of people.
Repression: Repression is the ego’s way of denying access of painful
memories from consciousness. Some painful memories are extremely
devastating, which can cause massive stress to the ego and the entire
personality. By denying these memoeies, a person can exist without
the negative affects of these memories.
Denial: Similar to repression, denial is the ego’s way of focusing
attention away from a problem. Denial operates at preconscious and
conscious levels, where the ego will avoid a problem or play down a
situation.
Reaction Formation: When engaging threating stimuli, the ego may
respond in the opposite manor. By expressing the opposite impulse,
stress is reduced. Example: John hates his boss, so he bakes a cake
for his boss on his birthday. While John hates his boss, the ego

4. removes the hateful emotion and replaces it with kindness, reducing
the stress John feels.
Projection: Unacceptable impulses and fears are projected at others.
By labeling others with one’s own impulses, the ego can reduce stress.
Example: John’s lustful thoughts are causing him stress, resulting in
John yelling at others who experiencing similar thoughts.
Displacement: At times, we cannot respond to others as we would
like. When the ego has extreme feelings towards a target, tension
builds. To relieve this tension, the ego will target the aggression to
another source. Example: John’s boss yells at him all day at work, so
when he gets home, he yells at his kids to relieve the stress he felt by
being yelled at by his boss.
Rationalization: When a bad event occurs, the ego reduces the
tension by explaining reasons for the event. Example: John looks for a
new job, but is rejected, so he blames the bad economy for the
rejection.
Sublimilation: Unacceptable impulses and drives are channeled in a
manor acceptable to society. Example: John would love to beat up his
boss and others, but he cannot, so he quits and becomes a police
officer so he can beat up bad guys.
Regression: Under severe stress, the ego may wish to revert to an
earlier time of less stress. Example: John’s severe stress from work
and home results in him loosing his job, where he moves back with his
parents and wants to play games all day, as he did when he was a
teenager.
Introjection: Under severe stress, the ego may identify with those
providing the severe stress in a form of stress relief. Example:
prisoners of war often begin to identify with their captors. This helps
them relieve the stress they are under.
Identification: To protect one from feeling like a failure, the ego may
drive a person to join a cause or an organization bigger then the
person, as to feel worthwhile. John feels like a failure in life after
loosing his job, so he joins Greenpeace as a way to belong to
something bigger then he is.
Compensation: The ego may feel inferior in specific instances, so it
highlights the successful aspects of it’s personality. Example: John
feels inferior as a productive member of society, so he highlights his
time with Greenpeace as much more important then his professional
career.
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

5. Freud devised a series of stages by which a person enters at specific points
in development. These stages occur in order, however a person can become
stuck at a specific stage, called fixiation.
Oral Stage: Occurring during the first year of life, the child receives
oral gratification by sucking at it’s mother’s breast. By doing so, the
child receives both the nutrition and love it needs. Children who do not
bond with a parent, or ones who do not receive proper nutrition may
become orally fixated, possibly resulting in mistrust of others, fear,
loss of love and relationship difficulties.
Anal Stage: The anal stage occurs during the second and third years
of live, where the child becomes potty trained. During this period the
child learns independence and personal power. A child who does not
successfully complete this stage may feel inferior, and depend on
others instead of themselves.
Phallic Stage: The child first begins to discover sexual desires. This
often occurs during years three through six, where the child
experiences unconscious desires for the opposite sex parent. This
often resolves itself through wanting love and acceptance from the
opposite sex parent. The child may also possess anxiety or fear from
the same sex parent. For boys, it is known as the Oedipus complex,
and for girls it is known as the Electra complex.
Latency Stage: With the trauma of the phallic stage over, the child
moves from sexual desires to ones of belonging and acceptance from
others. Interests in friends, school, and socialization are the main
drives here. This stage often begins at six, and ends at puberty.
Genital Stage: Beginning, at puberty, the genital stage begins with a
reawaking of sexual energy. This is a period where a child will likely
form their sexual identity. The genital stage is the final stage, lasting
until death. One of the main criticism of Freud is the lack of further
stages.
Transference
When a client begins sessions with a Psychoanalytic therapist, the client is
encouraged to free associate, meaning to tell what they wish to tell about
any topic. The therapist is distant, as to allow the client to give true insights
about themselves without bias towards the therapist. While the therapist
may wish to remain distant, the client may begin to transfer feelings about a
person towards the therapist. This is called transference, and is a common
result in Psychoanalytic theory. Usually the client will have unfinished
businesstowards someone, and in turn may shift these feelings towards the
therapist. A psychoanalytic therapist will look for transference during

6. therapy and use it to get to the unconscious. The concept of transference is
often present in modern psychology.
In Conclusion
Freud’s Psychonalytic theory was one of the most influential theories in all of
Psychology. Many other theories resulted from Psychoanalytic theory, paving
the way for modern psychology. While Freud’s theories are criticized by
many, he opened the door for future discussion and research.
THE PSYCHOANALYTIC THE
ORY
Regarding the notes on this theory of personality and on those to follow, this is true: Many
persons, in a variety of ways, have aspired to explain the complexity of the human personality.
Early and later philosophers, psychologists, psychiatrists and others have tried to explain it; and
the attempts continue at present. Still, too many do not give credence to humankind's complexity.
For, indeed, we are extremely complex, especially unusual and are especially uncommon
creations. We are creations with such unique prominence that there are no others like us in the
Universe. Our Creator in His wisdom created nothing exactly the same as another -- much in the
manner of snowflakes. This being said, perhaps we might say it's an exercise in intellectual
snobbery to try to develop a theory that is universal; however, we continue to try for one. And,
also, regarding the notes on this theory of personality and those to follow, I shall not expound on
any of them. My purpose is to give highlights and to create enough curiosity for the reader to dig
deeper into their interests, finding out what they wish for themselves. Curiosity in this case does
not "kill the cat"; curiosity in this case leads to knowledge -- an ingredient lacking in more people
than should these days. However, remember, knowledge doesn't necessarily lead to wisdom.

7. The Psychoanalytic Theory of personality has held the interest of psychologists and psychiatrists
for a long time. Sigmund Freud, its formulator, was quite an influence. The psychoanalytic
position is that early experiences influence all human behavior. It attends to -- emphasizes -- three
main issues: the id, the ego and the superego. Psychoanalysts say that all human personality is
comprised of these closely integrated functions. The id is considered as mostly biological or
physical in function -- unfettered, compelling and lacking morality, selfish and intolerant of
tension. It functions on the principle of pleasure before anything else. Psychoanalysts consider
the id the basic psychic energy and the seat of instincts. It always functions on the unconscious
level. Its main quirk is "pleasure before everything, and at any cost."
The ego is the rationally functioning element of human personality. It exerts conscious control,
trying always to be the mediator between the id and the superego. Though the id seeks pleasure
blindly, based on the pleasure principle, the ego seeks pleasure using rationality instead of
irrationality. Its main quirk is rationality, and is always conscious. The superego represents our
moral system. It strives to put a right or wrong tag on our behavior, often triggering conflict
among the three divisions. Its main quirk is morality. The ego is that aspect we present to the
"outside" -- it is our persona our celebrity.
Psychoanalysts treat humanity as a dismal breed -- irrational, materialistic and mechanistic.
Human beings, according to Freud and his ardent followers, are mere energy systems -- and the
summation of that energy is the psychic energy. Anxiety occurs when there is conflict among the
three divisions. Humans use defense mechanisms to control the anxiety. Many are listed.
Psychoanalysts also put considerable importance on their defined stages through which each
proceeds toward maturity -- the oral stage, the anal stage and the phallic stage in particular -- and
later the latent stage. They also put much stock in two processes called positive and negative
transference (and the "counter-transference" of each) -- positive: likening it to love for the
therapist as he/she represents or substitutes for one or the other parent (or other significant
person -- surrogate) in their patient's maturing life; negative: likening it to dislike/hate for the
therapist as he/she represents or substitutes for one or the other parent (or other significant
person in their patient's maturing life) whom the patient considers the cause of their problem(s).
Complicating the psychoanalytic theory of personality, Freud introduced concepts such as the
Oedipus complex and, to balance it with a feminine touch, the Electra complex (although, some
who write of Freud's theory say that this wasn't of Freud's thinking.) Despite these noble attempts
to balance the genders, the psychoanalytic theory of personality is very chauvinistic, giving the
male gender much more attention than the female. From my perspective, Freud's greatest
contribution to understanding human personality was his exquisite development of his concepts
of human conscious and unconscious (and conscience.) Although not being the first to make this
division, his concepts make more sense. And his concepts remain the basis for most other
theories of personality. Treating patients, using the psychoanalytic theory, is complex, time
consuming and costly. And, however it is viewed, and by whoever views it, it must be considered
a closed system. Its main energy is that of the id. It lacks concern for any other outside energy --
outside the self, that is. It is a self-centered model, closed and lacking any interest in a spiritual
part that is invested in each person. I take issue with Freud's theory for this reason. Later in
Freud's work, two of his most ardent followers bolted, Alfred Adler and Carl Gustov Jung. Jung
developed a most interesting -- and every bit as complex -- a theory of personality as Freud;
perhaps more complex. More modern theorists, Otto Rank (who emphasized separation anxiety as

8. the main issue with which to deal in understanding human personality), and Karen Horney (who
believed that Freud's theory was too mechanistic, which it is, and who further believed that to
understand human personality, it was necessary to extend its study to include social pressures
and stressors.) She developed a long list of needs that each had to fulfill to feel comfortable with
themselves as well as with society. Yet, no matter what additional theories were developed, using
Freud's ideas as their basis -- with the exception of Jung -- they continued to exclude the spiritual
part of each individual, adding to my belief, that being closed systems, none could possibly bring
the wholeness and completeness that each individual seeks in his living and his life after he dies.
Wow! I wonder if his personality is as bad off?
Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory
Explanations > Learning Theory > Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory
The stages | Fixation | So what
Sigmund Freud developed a theory of how our sexuality starts from a very young
ages and develops through various fixations. If these stages are not
psychologically completed and released, we can be trapped by them and they may
lead to various defense mechanisms to avoid the anxiety produced from the
conflict in and leaving of the stage.
The stages
Age Name Pleasure source Conflict
Mouth: sucking, biting, Weaning away from
0-2 Oral
swallowing mother's breast
Anus: defecating or retaining
2-4 Anal Toilet training
faeces

9. Oedipus (boys),
4-5 Phallic Genitals
Electra (girls)
Sexual urges sublimated into
6- sports and hobbies. Same-sex
Latency
puberty friends also help avoid sexual
feelings.
Physical sexual changes
puberty reawaken repressed needs.
Genital Social rules
onward
Direct sexual feelings
towards others lead to sexual
gratification.
Fixation
Strong conflict can fixate people at early stages.
Oral fixation
Oral fixation has two possible outcomes.
The Oral receptive personality is preoccupied with eating/drinking and reduces
tension through oral activity such as eating, drinking, smoking, biting nails. They are
generally passive, needy and sensitive to rejection. They will easily 'swallow' other
people's ideas.
The Oral aggressive personality is hostile and verbally abusive to others, using
mouth-based aggression.
Anal fixation
Anal fixation, which may be caused by too much punishment during toilet training,
has two possible outcomes.
The Anal retentive personality is stingy, with a compulsive seeking of order and
tidiness. The person is generally stubborn and perfectionist.
The Anal expulsive personality is an opposite of the Anal retentive personality, and
has a lack of self control, being generally messy and careless.
Phallic fixation
At the age of 5 or 6, near the end of the phallic stage, boys experience the Oedipus
Complex whilst girls experience the Electra conflict, which is a process through
which they learn to identify with the same gender parent by acting as much like
that parent as possible.
Boys suffer a castration anxiety, where the son believes his father knows about his
desire for his mother and hence fears his father will castrate him. He thus
represses his desire and defensively identifies with his father.
Girls suffer a penis envy, where the daughter is initially attached to her mother,
but then a shift of attachment occurs when she realizes she lacks a penis. She
desires her father whom she sees as a means to obtain a penis substitute (a child).

10. She then represses her desire for her father and incorporates the values of her
mother and accepts her inherent 'inferiority' in society.
This is Freud, remember. He later also recanted, noting that perhaps he had placed
too much emphasis on sexual connotations.
So what?
Freud's theories are largely criticized now as lacking in substantial corroborative
data. He was, however, using a model to describe observed behavior. His ideas
may thus still be used as metaphors for actual developmental issues.
Section 1: Introduction to Development, Personality, and Stage Theories
Section 2: Motor and Cognitive Development
Section 3: Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development
Section 4: Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development
Section 5: Freud's Structural and Topographical Model
Section 6: Freud's Ego Defense Mechanisms
Section 7: Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development
Freud's Structural and Topographical Models of Personality
Sigmund Freud's Theory is quite complex and although his writings on psychosexual development set the
groundwork for how our personalities developed, it was only one of five parts to his overall theory of
personality. He also believed that different driving forces develop during these stages which play an
important role in how we interact with the world.
Structural Model (id, ego, superego)
According to Freud, we are born with our Id. The id is an important part of our personality because as
newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure
principle. In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the
reality of the situation. When a child is hungry, the id wants food, and therefore the child cries. When the
child needs to be changed, the id cries. When the child is uncomfortable, in pain, too hot, too cold, or just
wants attention, the id speaks up until his or her needs are met.
The id doesn't care about reality, about the needs of anyone else, only its own satisfaction. If you think
about it, babies are not real considerate of their parents' wishes. They have no care for time, whether
their parents are sleeping, relaxing, eating dinner, or bathing. When the id wants something, nothing else
is important.
Within the next three years, as the child interacts more and more with the world, the second part of the
personality begins to develop. Freud called this part theEgo. The ego is based on the reality principle.
The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or

11. selfish can hurt us in the long run. Its the ego's job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into
consideration the reality of the situation.
By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development, the Superego develops. The
Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our
caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong.
In a healthy person, according to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id,
not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation. Not an easy job by
any means, but if the id gets too strong, impulses and self gratification take over the person's life. If the
superego becomes to strong, the person would be driven by rigid morals, would be judgmental and
unbending in his or her interactions with the world. You'll learn how the ego maintains control as you
continue to read.
Topographical Model
Freud believed that the majority of what we experience in our lives, the underlying emotions, beliefs,
feelings, and impulses are not available to us at a conscious level. He believed that most of what drives
us is buried in our unconscious. If you remember the Oedipus and Electra Complex, they were both
pushed down into the unconscious, out of our awareness due to the extreme anxiety they caused. While
buried there, however, they continue to impact us dramatically according to Freud.
The role of the unconscious is only one
part of the model. Freud also believed that
everything we are aware of is stored in
our conscious. Our conscious makes up
a very small part of who we are. In other
words, at any given time, we are only
aware of a very small part of what makes
up our personality; most of what we are is
buried and inaccessible.
The final part is the preconscious or
subconscious. This is the part of us that
we can access if prompted, but is not in
our active conscious. Its right below the
surface, but still buried somewhat unless
we search for it. Information such as our
telephone number, some childhood
memories, or the name of your best
childhood friend is stored in the
preconscious.
Because the unconscious is so large, and
because we are only aware of the very small conscious at any given time, this theory has been likened to
an iceberg, where the vast majority is buried beneath the water's surface. The water, by the way, would
represent everything that we are not aware of, have not experienced, and that has not been integrated
into our personalities, referred to as the nonconscious.
Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development

12. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is probably the most well known theorist when it comes to the development
of personality. Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development are, like other stage theories, completed in
a predetermined sequence and can result in either successful completion or a healthy personality or can
result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality. This theory is probably the most well known as well
as the most controversial, as Freud believed that we develop through stages based upon a particular
erogenous zone. During each stage, an unsuccessful completion means that a child becomes fixated on
that particular erogenous zone and either over– or under-indulges once he or she becomes an adult.
Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months). During the oral stage, the child if focused on oral pleasures (sucking).
Too much or too little gratification can result in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is evidenced by
a preoccupation with oral activities. This type of personality may have a stronger tendency to smoke,
drink alcohol, over eat, or bite his or her nails. Personality wise, these individuals may become overly
dependent upon others, gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they may also fight these
urges and develop pessimism and aggression toward others.
Anal Stage (18 months to three years). The child’s focus of pleasure in this stage is on eliminating and
retaining feces. Through society’s pressure, mainly via parents, the child has to learn to control anal
stimulation. In terms of personality, after effects of an anal fixation during this stage can result in an
obsession with cleanliness, perfection, and control (anal retentive). On the opposite end of the spectrum,
they may become messy and disorganized (anal expulsive).
Phallic Stage (ages three to six). The pleasure zone switches to the genitals. Freud believed that during
this stage boy develop unconscious sexual desires for their mother. Because of this, he becomes rivals
with his father and sees him as competition for the mother’s affection. During this time, boys also develop
a fear that their father will punish them for these feelings, such as by castrating them. This group of
feelings is known as Oedipus Complex ( after the Greek Mythology figure who accidentally killed his
father and married his mother).
Later it was added that girls go through a similar situation, developing unconscious sexual attraction to
their father. Although Freud Strongly disagreed with this, it has been termed the Electra Complex by more
recent psychoanalysts.
According to Freud, out of fear of castration and due to the strong competition of his father, boys
eventually decide to identify with him rather than fight him. By identifying with his father, the boy develops
masculine characteristics and identifies himself as a male, and represses his sexual feelings toward his
mother. A fixation at this stage could result in sexual deviancies (both overindulging and avoidance) and
weak or confused sexual identity according to psychoanalysts.
Latency Stage (age six to puberty). It’s during this stage that sexual urges remain repressed and children
interact and play mostly with same sex peers.

13. Genital Stage (puberty on). The final stage of psychosexual development begins at the start of puberty
when sexual urges are once again awakened. Through the lessons learned during the previous stages,
adolescents direct their sexual urges onto opposite sex peers, with the primary focus of pleasure is the
genitals.