An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

PERSONALITY: WHAT MAKES US

DIFFERENT?

PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE OF

PERSONALITY: FREUD

Austrian physicianWorked with patients who had nervous

disorders Complaints could not be explained by

physical causes A patient who lost all feeling in their hand,

yet had no nerve damage Could neurological disorders have

psychological causes?Created the first comprehensive view

of personalityMajor components of his theory:

Unconscious mind Psychosexual stages Defense mechanisms Free association and psychoanalysis

SIGMUND FREUD

A person’s thoughts and behaviors emerge from tension generated by unconscious instincts/drives and unresolved childhood conflicts

Sexual instinct = ANY form of pleasureNothing is accidental

Freudian slips: A financially stressed patient (when given pills to take) – “I don’t want any large bills, because I cannot swallow them.”

BELIEVED THAT..

Conscious Mind - the thoughts and feelings one is currently aware of

Preconscious Mind - region of the mind holding information that is not conscious but is retrievable into conscious awareness

Unconscious Mind - region of the mind that includes unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memoriesThese have been repressed (forcibly blocked) because

they would be too unsettling to acknowledge Most of the mind is hidden

Could be tapped through free association

VIEW OF THE MIND

6

MODEL OF MINDThe mind is like an iceberg. It is mostly hidden,

and below the surface lies the unconscious mind. The preconscious stores temporary

memories.

Free Association: saying whatever comes to mind; a chain of thoughts that leads to painful, embarrassing, unconscious memories This is psychoanalysis (Freud’s form of therapy)

Dream Analysis: Interpreting manifest and latent content of dreams Manifest: actual happenings of dream Latent: unconscious wishes present in the dream

EXPLORING THE UNCONSCIOUS

Our personalities arise from a conflict between impulse and restraint Need to express impulses in ways that bring satisfaction without also bringing guilt or punishment

Composed of three interacting systems: id, ego, superego

PERSONALITY STRUCTURE

THE “ID” (“IT” IN LATIN)

Part of personality that consists of unconscious energy that strives to satisfy one’s drives to survive, reproduce, and aggress

Operates on the “pleasure principle” - demands immediate gratification

“Seat” of our impulses Present from birthCompletely unconscious

Not in contact with the real world!

THE “EGO”

Part of personality that mediates the demands of the id without going against the restraints of the superego

Controls all thinking and reasoning activitiesPersonality executive Negotiates with the id, pleases the superego

Follows the reality principle – intelligent reasoningOperates consciously, preconsciously, and

unconsciously Seen by others

THE “SUPEREGO”

Part of personality that consists of internalized ideals and standards

One’s conscience; focuses on what the person “should” doMoral watchdog/compass

Strives for perfection Judges decisions and produces positive

feelings of pride or negative feelings of guilt Not present at birth (children are amoral – do

whatever is pleasurable)

IN A HEALTHY PERSON, THESE ARE BALANCED

Focuses on how we satisfy sexual instinct during the course of life How does one deal with the sexual impulses of the id? (sexual…probably closer to “sensual”) `

Energy (the libido) becomes focused on various sensitive parts of the body (erogenous zones) during development (it is sequential)

Personality is the product of conflict during these stages

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES

Develops during the phallic stageChildren develop an attachment to the

parent of the opposite sex Also become jealous of the same-sex parent

Oedipus for boysElectra for girls (this was named post-Freud)Most children resolve this conflict by

identifying with the parent of the same sex (adopting values and characteristics of them) Thus forming the superego

OEDIPUS COMPLEX

If a child is deprived of pleasure or allowed too much gratification from the part of the body that dominates a certain stage, some energy remains tied to that part of the body Person then doesn’t move on in a normal sequence

(which would give the person a fully integrated personality)

This (fixation) leads to immature forms of sexuality or certain personality characteristics later in life

Could lead to neurosis (anxiety disorder)

FIXATION

Stage Can result in…Oral (birth – 18 months)

Oral fixation: thumb-sucking, smoking, fingernail biting, over eatingToo much: Overly optimistic, dependent, lacking in confidence, gullible Too little: Pessimistic, hostile, sarcastic, argumentative

Anal (18 m – 3.5 yrs)

Too much pressure: excessive need for order or cleanliness, stingy Too little pressure: messy, self-destructive habits, unorganized

Phallic (after 3)

Fixation: vanity and egotism, men treat women with contempt, women become promiscuous and flirtatious, low-self esteem, shyness, and worthlessness

Latency (5/6-12/13)

Boys play with boys, girls play with girls; lose interest in sexual behavior

Genital (at puberty)

Libido comes active again; Interest in opposite sex; If development has been successful up to this point, the individual will continue to develop into a well-balanced person

Threats to the balance of the id, ego, and superego can result in anxiety

Protective behaviors (defense mechanisms) are used to cope with anxiety Repression Sublimination Rationalization (not in your book)

Excuses are made for anxiety-producing behavior Displacement Reaction Formation Projection Denial Regression Identification

These allow us to channel self-destructive/painful energy into constructive/ managable behavior

DEFENSE MECHANISMS