Download - 04 - Psychoanalytical
PsychoanalyticalFREUD
Psychoanalytic Approach To Personality
Psychoanalytical Approach based on Freud’s work.
The idea that behaviour can be influenced by an unconscious part of the mind.
Freudian Theory of Personality
Three Parts of the Mind
Aspects of mind which houses our thoughts and cognitive activities
3 parts: the conscious, the preconscious, the unconscious
The Conscious
Contains thoughts of which you are currently aware
Constantly changing as new thoughts enter the mind and others pass out of awareness
The Preconscious
Stores all the thoughts you could easily bring into consciousness if you wanted to.
E.g. what you ate for breakfast, who your kindergarten teacher was, etc.
The Unconscious
According to Freud, vast majority of our thoughts are in the unconscious
No immediate access to
Cannot bring into consciousness except under certain extreme situations.
Responsible for much of our everyday behaviour.
Three parts of the Personality
In Freud’s view, the human personality could be divided into three parts:
Id, ego and superego
According to Freud, these parts are often not at peace with one another
Id
The one and only part to the human personality AT BIRTH.
Actions based on pleasure principle – the id is only concerned with satisfying personal desires, regardless of limitations or consequence.
These reflexive actions are still present as adults, but held in check by other parts of the personality.
Id uses wish fulfillment to satisfy its needs: if a baby is hungry with no food nearby, the id imagines the food and temporarily satisfies the need.
Id impulses are unconscious, therefore we are unaware of all the impulses we might wish to act upon.
Ego
0-2yrs + interaction with environment = ego
Ego’s actions based on the reality principle – that is, the primary job of the ego is to satisfy the id impulse, but in a realistic way.
Keeps unacceptable and dangerous id impulses in the unconscious
Superego
About five years = superego
Represents society’s and parents’ values and standards
Places more restrictions on what one can and cannot do.
Primary weapon – guilt!
According to Freud, some children fail to fully develop the superego due to poor child-rearing practices.
Can also become too powerful (“supermoral”), with impossible standards of perfection.
The Interaction of the Three Parts
Putting it altogether…
Freud’sTopographical
Model
Instincts and Tension Reduction
Freud maintained that human behaviour is motivated by strong internal forces – drives/instincts
Two major categories of instincts: 1) life/sexual instincts - Eros2) death/aggressive instincts - Thanatos
The two types combine to motivate behaviours.
Freud attributed most human behaviour to the life/sexual instinct. Note: sexual includes anything resulting in pleasure.
Death instinct: the desire we all have to die and return to the earth. Mostly unconscious.
Expression: self destruction, aggression against others.
Instinct Activation
Increased psychological tension is created.
Comparable to feelings of excitation, nervousness and arousal.
Tension remains until the particular need is satisfied.
Undesirable state = goal of most human behaviour to reduce the tension and return to a state of no tension.