The document discusses the psychodynamic approach to personality, primarily based on Sigmund Freud's theories, highlighting the unconscious influences on behavior and the structure of the mind. It outlines Freud's tripartite model of personality, the psychosexual stages of development, and various defense mechanisms. Additionally, it notes criticisms of Freudian theory while acknowledging its historical significance in psychology.

1. Psychodynamic approach to
Personality: Sigmund Freud
Ms. Aachal Taywade,
PGT Psychology,
BVM,SKN, Nagpur

2. The term “psychodynamic”
refers to the approach of
understanding human
behavior that focuses on
the role of unconscious
thoughts, feelings, and
memories.
This is the oldest
perspective of
understanding personality.
This approach is based on
work of the most
prominent name in the
field of
psychology………………
………YES.!!!!
Its Sigmund Freud.
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3. A Short Biography of Sigmund Freud
• Freud was born in an Austrian town, now a
part of Czechoslovakia.
• He was a Jew, and thus had to face many
problems as Hitler was ruling during that era.
• Basically a physician, he worked a lot on a
disease called “hysteria”, now popularly
known as conversion reactions.
• During the early days of his career, he
worked under prominent physicians like Jean
Charcot (he was famous for treating hysteria
through hypnotic suggestions) and Josef
Breuer ( he had achieved some success with
hysterical patients by encouraging them talk
freely about their symptoms).
• Ernest Jones wrote his biography “The Life
and Work of Sigmund Freud”.
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4. Freud’s concept of mind
Freud compared mind to an
iceberg, its only small segment is
visible which protrudes above the
water surface.
This small, 10% of mind is
consciously available and 90% of
unconscious mind never comes out.
It works without our awareness
and influences most of our
behavior.
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5. Levels of Consciousness : Topographical model
• Psychic life can be represented by
three levels of consciousness.
• Conscious level consist of whatever
sensations & experiences you are
aware of at a given moment in time.
• Preconscious level encompasses all
experiences that are not conscious at
the moment but can be easily
retrieved into awareness either
spontaneously or by minimum of
effort.
• Unconscious level is the deepest
level. It is a storehouse of all instincts,
emotions, and deepest of memories
which we have repressed. It is
responsible for much of our
behavior.
• Dreams are royal road to
unconscious.
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6. The Anatomy of Personality: Structural Model/
Tripartite division of personality
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7. Instincts: Eros/Thanatos
• Id is energized by two instinctual
forces: Eros & Thanatos.
• Eros/ life instinct: includes all forces
that serve to maintain vital life
processes and ensure the propagation
of species. He also called it as sexual
instincts.
• The energy force underlying these
sexual instincts is called as “libido”. It
works on pleasure principle, and seeks
immediate gratification.
• There are many sexual instincts
associated with different bodily source
called erogenous zones:
• Thanatos/ death instinct: underlies all
manifestations of cruelty, aggression,
suicide, and murder. He claimed that
the goal of all life is death.
• These two forces work on “law of
conservation of energy”.
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8. The Psychosexual Stages of Development
Frustration or overindulgence at any stage creates maladaptive
attitudes, traits and values of that particular stage.
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9. Oral Stage
• Age range: 0-18 months.
• Libidinal focus: mouth
(sucking, biting, chewing).
• Developmental tasks:
Weaning. Separation from
mother.
• Personality traits:
dependence-independence,
trust and reliance in regard to
other people.
• Frustration/overindulgence
leads to passivity, immaturity,
dependency, argumentative,
crying for everything around
them.
Anal Stage
• Age range: 18 months -3 yrs.
• Libidinal focus: Anus (
retaining/expelling feces).
• Developmental tasks: toilet
training.
• Personality traits: all forms of
self control.
• Frustration/overindulgence
leads to extreme mean,
orderly, punctual,
destructiveness, disorderliness,
impulsive, obsessive,
sadistically cruel.
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10. Phallic Stage
• Age range: 3-6 yrs.
• Libidinal focus: genitals (masturbating).
• Developmental tasks: identifying with same sex adult role model.
• Oedipus complex: love for mother hatred for father (boys).
• Electra complex: love for father and hatred for mother (girls).
• These complexes are resolved by the age of 5-7 yrs.
• Personality traits: learn gender-related behaviors.
• Unresolved conflicts at this stage leads to brash, reckless behaviors
in men who always try to prove their “masculinity”. Females , when
fixated at this stage become flirtatious, seductive, striving to be
superior to men.
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11. Latency Stage
• Age range: 6-12 yrs.
• Libidinal focus: none.
• Developmental tasks:
expanding social/peer
contacts.
• Personality traits: social
skills.
• This stage is no more
considered as psychosexual
stage.
Genital Stage
• Age range: Puberty
onwards.
• Libidinal focus: becoming
heterosexually intimate.
• Developmental tasks:
developing intimate/caring
relationships, contributing
to society through work.
• Personality traits: mature
social & sexual
relationships, love, care.
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12. Defense Mechanisms
Projection: blaming others. “I failed
because my teacher hates me”.
Denial: refuse to believe. “It can’t
happen to me”.
Repression: excluding unwanted
memories from consciousness.
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Reaction Formation: expressing
exactly opposite behavior by hiding
the real feelings. “You are my best
friend( I’m so jealous of you”
Rationalization: fallacious
reasoning. “the grapes are sour”.

14. Therapeutic Techniques
• Free association
• Dream analysis
• Interpretation of
resistance
• Analysis of
transference.
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15. Concluding Remarks:
The famous Freudian couch..
• This theory is criticized on the
grounds that it has no empirical
validity.
• Excessive focus on sexuality. Phallic
stage was most controversial.
• It was first full-fledged theory of
personality.
• Some concepts are still applicable.
• As the theory was developed in
Victorian era, when sex was
considered as sin, many of sexual
instincts of Freud’s clients were
falsely interpreted by him.
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