Psych 100

PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
Based on three main assumptions:

1. Personality is governed by
unconscious forces that we cannot
control.
2. Childhood experiences play a

significant role in determining adult
personality.
3. Personality is shaped by the

manner in which children cope
with sexual urges.
LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
According to him (Freud), the mind can be:
1. Conscious
what you are aware of at any particular moment, your present
perceptions, memories, thoughts, and feelings.
2. Preconscious
anything that can easily be made conscious, such as memories you’re not
thinking about at the moment, but can readily be brought to mind.
smallest part of the psyche (mind)
3. Unconscious
includes all the things that are not easily available to awareness
things that are put here because we can't bear to look at them, such as
the memories and emotions associated with trauma.
largest part of the psyche
STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
Freud argued that the psyche is divided into three components:

1. ID (Unconscious)
the primitive or instinctive component of personality that contains sexual
and aggressive drives and hidden memories
operates according to the pleasure principle.
seeks pleasure and demands the immediate satisfaction of its desires. It
is the id that serves as the source of our wants and impulses.
 id directs all of the body's actions and processes to achieve the greatest
amount of pleasure possible.
 present at birth
Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very hungry. He only
has an id so when he sees an apple pie cooling in a window, he takes it
for himself
2. EGO (Conscious)
governed by reality principle
considers social realities, norms, etiquette, rules, and customs when it
makes a decision on how to behave. It seeks to delay gratification of the id's
urges until appropriate outlets can be found.
develop within the next 3 years of life
ego’s job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the
reality of the situation.
Example: Using the example, Jack's ego would tell him that he should not
take the pie from the windowsill, but instead he can buy some pie right up
the street at the local grocery store.
3. SUPEREGO (Preconscious)
composed of ego-ideal and conscience
is our morals, principals, and ethics.
considers the social standards for social behavior and guides us on what
is right and wrong.
mostly shaped by what we learn as young children from adults.
partially unconscious and partially conscious (preconscious)
begins to develop between 3 and 5 years of age.
Example: Example: Jack is walking down the street and he is very
hungry. He only has a superego so when he sees an apple pie cooling in
a window, he does nothing. His superego tells him that it is someone's
pie and that it is not acceptable to trespass on someone’s property and
take their pie.
• 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.
• Such conflicts arouse anxiety and we use defense mechanisms –

“largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from painful
emotions such as anxiety and guilt”.
FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL THEORY
 Freud believed that personality developed through a series of childhood
stages in which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id become focused on
certain erogenous areas. This psychosexual energy, or libido, was described
as the driving force behind behavior.
 According to Freud, personality is mostly established by the age of five. Early
experiences play a large role in personality development and continue to
influence behavior later in life. And in each stages, there is a conflict.
Erogenous zone – part of the human body that when stimulated, it produces
pleasure/satisfaction.
Libido – sexual drive or instinct; driving force behind behavior
Fixation – occurs when needs in each stage is not met
1. ORAL STAGE
• Erogenous zone: mouth
• Age Range: from birth to 1 year old
• Infant’s primary source of interaction is through the mouth: sucking,
eating, cooing, burping, etc.
• Conflict: weaning process – the child must become less dependent to
their caretakers which is usually the mother
• Fixation in this stage may result in issues with dependency and
aggression. This fixation can lead to issues with eating, drinking,
smoking, and even obsessive habits like nail-biting
2. ANAL STAGE
• Erogenous zone: Anus
• Age range: 2 – 3 years old
• Here individuals have their first encounter with rules and regulations, as they
have to learn to be toilet trained.
• Conflict: toilet – training - the child has to learn to control his or her bodily
needs
• Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and
independence.
• Success at this stage is dependent upon the way in which parents approach
toilet training.
Anal – expulsive personality (too lenient) – messy, wasteful,
destructive personality
Anal – retentive personality (too strict) – obsessively organized, rigid,
subservient to authority.
3. Phallic Stage
• Erogenous zone: genitals
• Age Range: 4 – 5 years old
• At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and
females.
• Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival for the
mother’s affections
Oedipus Complex - describes these feelings of wanting to possess the
mother and the desire to replace the father. However, the child also fears
that he will be punished by the father for these feelings, a fear Freud termed
castration anxiety.
Electra Complex - used to described a similar set of feelings experienced
by young girls. Freud, however, believed that girls instead experience penis
envy.
4. LATENCY STAGE
Sexual Feelings are Inactive
Age Range: 6 years old – puberty
Libido is inactive since stage begins around the time that children enter into
school and become more concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other
interests.
The child spends all her energy to excel and prove herself.
Child’s energy is diverted towards developing a sense of competence.
5. GENITAL STAGE
Erogenous zone: Genitals
Age Range: Adolescence
 The individual develops a strong sexual interest in the opposite sex; sexual
feelings reappear with new intensity and in more mature form.
Interest in the welfare of others grows during this stage.

Psych 100

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Psych 100

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Psych 100

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Based on three main assumptions:

2. Childhood experiences play a

3. Personality is shaped by the

Freud argued that the psyche is divided into three components:

• Such conflicts arouse anxiety and we use defense mechanisms –

You might also like