I want 5 pages that talk about Freud theory
Sigmund Freud
Born 1856 What was going on in the united states?
Franklin Pierce was president of the U.S.
The Civil War in the United States was still a few years away (1861).
A lot of people die in Kansas over slavery.
500 Mormons leave Iowa City, headed for Salt Lake City.
Early life
Born in Moravia in Czechoslovakia in 1856 to a Jewish family
Had a very loving and protective mother; stern and authoritarian father (20 years older than his mother).
His father was a widower. From his fathers first marriage he had two elder brothers, one of which had a son Sigmunds age. So Sigmund was born an uncle.
Freud and his family moved to Vienna when he was four years of age. He stayed there close to 80 years, moving only when the Nazi party took power in 1938.
Freud was the oldest of his five siblings and given preferential treatment.
He had dreams of becoming a general or lawyer, but because he was a Jew he couldnt.
He began medical studies at the University of Vienna and graduated 8 yrs. later.
Professional life
He established a practice as a clinical neurologist in 1881.
Freud made notable contributions to research. Developing a method to of staining cells for microscopic study.
As a physician, he explored the anesthetic properties of cocaine.
In his private practice Freud focused on the study of neurosis (emotional disturbances.)
He released Interpretation of Dreams in 1900.
There was a group of doctors who worked in Vienna that would hang out and talk: Jung, Adler, Jones, Brill, Sandor.
Origins of psychoanalysis
On his return from France, Freud became influenced by a Viennese physician and friend, Joseph Breuer.
Psychoanalysis began with the case history of Joseph Breuers patient, Anna O.
Psychoanalysis – A treatment approach based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. These unconscious factors may be the source of considerable distress and unhappiness, and other troubling personality traits.
Anna O. experienced what is now know as conversion disorder (called hysteria at the time)
Breuer used hypnosis and talking method
After talking about her fathers illness and death, Anna experienced catharsis (emotional release), and her symptoms were relieved.
She became very attached to Dr. Breuer causing problems with his wife she offered him a phantom pregnancy as her last symptom.
Freud starts working more on his own
Freud used the talking method to assist his patients in remembering past traumatic events first through hypnosis, but later abandoned this technique when he realized that not all patients could be hypnotized.
Unconscious processes (forces unaware to the person)
Resistance: force that prevents the patient from becoming aware of events and keeps them in the unconscious not allowing painful memories into consciousness no ill effects
Repression: blocking of a wish or desire (strong emotions evoked from an event) from the consciousness repressed wishes or memories create disruption in the form of neurotic symptoms.
The process of psychoanalysis
Three Opposing forces at work:
1)effort to remember forgotten events,
2) resistance to keep memories unconscious
3) unexpressed emotions that continue to seek expression (repression) and will manifest in neurotic symptoms
The psychoanalytic method included two primary procedures:
1. Free Association
2. Dream Interpretation
Psychoanalytic method of assessment and research
The psychoanalytic method of assessment and research included three primary procedures:
1. Free Association
Instructions are deceptively simple verbalize everything that comes to mind.
May be flooded with thoughts or go blank, sometimes the thoughts are painful
After free association, one reflects on what was said
In the process resistance is analyzed, understood, and weakened
2. Dream Interpretation The Royal Road to the Unconscious
Manifest dream, one that is remembered in the morning
Latent Dream, is the hidden meaning or motive behind the manifest dream
Dreams are wish fulfilment
Often interpretation requires the use of symbols
3. Slips
SCIENCE: Current neuroscience indicates that dreams, in fact, help us work things out in our sleep.
Dynamics and development of personality
Freud thought that all the repressed wishes and desires were about sex.
Early on he thought that sexuality was just a bodily process to reduce tension and restore balance.
Further thinking saw him develop the concept of libido, which is a more psychological characteristic of sexuality.
Also he developed the concept of drive, a psychological or mental representation of an inner bodily source of excitement.
Two types of drives (Eros = life, energy force is the libido) and (Thanatos = Death)
Eros: forces that maintain life processes and ensure reproduction of the species. (Development of personality revolves around this drive)
Thanatos: biological reality (death), source of aggressiveness, ultimate resolution of lifes tension
Drives unite both the body and mind as well
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
As children grow, they progress from autoerotic sexual activity to reproductive activity. The libido demonstrates itself in different erogenous zones depending on the age of the person.
Lingering effects of the psychosexual stages are revealed in adult character.
If the libido has been overindulged or unduly frustrated in one of the stages, an individual may become fixated in that that stage.
Oral fixation, dependent and easily influenced by others, optimistic, trusting
Anal fixation, orderly, stingy
Phallic Stage, toddler years develop sadistic/masochistic tendencies, voyeurism develops in preschool years
Oedipus complex
Phallic Stage
From the Greek play by Sophocles.
Resolved due to castration anxiety and identifying with the father
For girls, its called the Electra Complex. And from this we get penis envy and underdeveloped super egos.
Structure of personality
The id, ego, and superego represent different functions of personality
Id: genetic inheritance, reflexes, instincts, and drives that motivate us; operates according to the pleasure principle using primary processes. Follows the pleasure principle
Ego: develops in order to realistically meet the wishes of the id; follows the reality principle using secondary processes. Distinguish between fact & fantasy
Superego: consists of conscience and ego-ideal; represents internalized values, ideals, and moral standards
Structure of personality
Defense mechanisms
Three Types of Anxiety
1. Reality Anxiety fear of a real danger in the real external world
2. Neurotic Anxiety fear that ones inner impulses cant be controlled
3. Moral Anxiety fear of retribution of ones own conscious (guilt)
In order to cope with anxiety there are the defense mechanisms
Defense mechanisms
Psychoanalysis
Transference: patient transfers to the analyst emotional attitudes felt as a child toward significant persons
Positive-friendly affectionate feelings
Negative-hostile, angry feelings
Analytic process: allows patients to rework important relationships to a more satisfactory resolution
(Counter transference)
Analytic process
research
Hard to test this stuff
Depression is aggression turned with in – experiment
Oral and anal personality types stand up to scrutiny
Psychopathology can stem from unconscious mental conflict
Unconscious processes are a thing, conversion disorders, and conflictual nature of the mind
Repression, totally a thing
Neuropsychoanalytic research combines study of the brain (neuro) with study of the mind and inner processes (psychoanalytic)
Many of Freuds theories connect with modern neuroscience
Unconscious vs. conscious thought: limbic system (controls emotions) vs. cortex (memory, learning, attention, language, and consciousness)
Biological underpinnings for drives, instincts, and pleasure principle
Brain scan studies confirm unconscious processes
Philosophically
. Coherent Is it clear, logical and consistent?
2. Relevance Must have some bearing on our view of reality and/or scientific research.
3. Comprehensiveness Does it cover what it needs to cover? If it has big gaps or refuses to answer some questions, its superficial.
4. Compellingness Do you buy it?
scientifically
1. Verifiable Is it based on empirical observation?
2. Compatibility Does it fit well with other information that has shown itself to be solid?
3. Predictive Power Has it generated new ideas and research?
4. Simplicity Does it take complex information and present in the most understandable way?
5. Usefulness Is it helpful in providing us with information that improves our daily living?
* Falsification, something cannot be considered scientific if it does not accept the possibility that it can be proven to be false.
What are your thoughts?
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