Chapter 10 Basics of Psychoanalysis PDF

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Chapter 10 Basics of Psychoanalysis David. Funder, The Personality Puzzle PSY249 2020

Chapter 10 Basics of Psychoanalysis Chapter 10 Basics of Psychoanalysis

Freud Himself  

Initially used hypnosis as a method to treat patients Later used free association — “the talking cure” o Instructing the patient to say whatever came to mind o Bring unconscious thoughts to the conscious so rational mind can deal with them o Greatest contribution to psychotherapy

Four Key assumptions of Psychoanalysis Psychic Determinism, Internal Structure, Compromise Formation, Mental Energy 

Psychic Determinism, the fundamental Psychoanalytical assumption o Many important mental processes are unconscious o Everything has a cause that can be identified and has a specific cause o No free will o Nothing is accidental

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Internal Structure o Mind has internal structure composed of three independent conflicting parts  Id  Irrational/emotional  Ego  Rational o Superego o Moral

o The brain is a physical organ o The mind is the psychological result of the brain and body 

Compromise Formation o The Ego (rational mind) finds comprises between competing desires

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Mental Energy o Libido — “psychic energy”  Finite amount available at any given moment [False-antiquated]  Mind’s capacity for processing is finite not it’s psychic energy [True-modern] o Psychic capacity spent in one area of mind is taken from another  Psychoanalysis aims to free up more psychic capacity and energy within the individual’s mind to help make his/her daily living better Psychoanalytical Theory of Conservation of [Psychic] energy o Based on Newtonian Physics, this theory has not stood the test of time  Freud espoused that repressed emotions without an outlet are dangerous become pent up and result in damaging outbursts of emotion [False-antiquated]  Expressing emotion typically reinforces that particular emotion

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[True-modern]

PSYCHOANALYSIS LIFE (libido) and DEATH (Thanatos) 

Freud believed in the duality of nature

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Freud believed in two fundamental human motives o Towards life 

Libido 

sexual drive o Sex is simply creation, protection, enjoyment, growth, productivity 

This fundamental force exists within all individuals

o Towards death 

Thanatos (Greek for “death”)

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People engage in irrational destructive activity o This idea can be better understood as entropy 

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The basic flow of the universe towards disorder

The Doctrine of Opposites o Everything implies and requires its opposite 

Extremes on any scale are more similar to one another than either extreme is to the middle

PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT “FOLLOW THE MONEY” 

Freud believed that psychosexual development showed how psychic energy (libido) is invested and directed during a child’s early years

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A baby has a lot of energy o This energy lacks focus and direction

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The focal point for this psychic energy at a given period of a child’s growth define the stage of psychosexual development

o If an individual fails to resolve issues at a particular developmental stage, then those issue will be troublesome throughout their life ( Fixation and regression, respectively)

o Oral Id 0 — 18 mos. 

Three aspects:

o Physical focus o Mouth, lips, tongue o Energy is concentrated and gratification is obtained o Psychological theme o Dependency Passivity

o Physical focus and demands on the child from the outside world o Adult character type o Dependent or overly independent o Fixated, stalled in a particular stage, not fully developed

o Anal Ego 18 mos. — 3.5 years 

Three aspects:

o Physical focus o Anus and Organs of Elimination o Energy is concentrated and gratification is obtained o Psychological theme o Obedience Self Control o Physical focus and demands on the child from the outside world o Adult character type o Obedient obsessed with order or antiauthority chaotic o Fixated, stalled in a particular stage, not fully developed

o Phallic Superego 3.5 — 7 years 

Three aspects:

o Physical focus

o Sexual Organs o Energy is concentrated and gratification is obtained o Psychological theme o Gender identity and sexuality o Physical focus and demands on the child from the outside world o Adult character type o Over and under sexualized o Fixated, stalled in a particular stage, not fully developed o The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear which Freud called the Oedipus complex (in boys)

o *Latency 7 years — puberty o Psychological theme o Learning and cognitive development o Physical focus and demands on the child from the outside world

o Genital Id Ego Superego Puberty — adulthood 

Three aspects:

o Physical focus o Mature sexual relationship o Energy is concentrated and gratification is obtained

o Psychological theme o Creation and enhancement of life o Physical focus and demands on the child from the outside world o Adult character type o A mature adult (seldom achieved) o Fixated, stalled in a particular stage, not fully developed

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Identification o When a child takes on parent’s attitudes, values and ways in relating to the opposite sex, the values of the child’s same sex parent provide a moral outlook 

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Morality and sexuality are byproducts of Identification

The essence of Mental Health is the ability to love and work

ANXIETY AND DEFENSE   

Anxiety can be generated from internal and external stressors Freud was interested in Anxiety caused by internal stress To combat anxiety the ego employs defense mechanisms o Denial  Function o Prevent perception of the source of anxiety  Example o “No, That’s not possible” o Repression  Function

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o Prevent recall of anything that reminds you of the source of your anxiety  Example o “I forgot” Reaction Formation  Function o Protect against a forbidden thought or impulse by instigating the opposite  Example o “Pornography is the biggest menace to humanity there is!” Projection  Function o Attribute an unwanted impulse in oneself to other people  Example o “I’m surrounded by morons!” Rationalization  Function o Create a seemingly logical reason for doing something shameful  Example o “You have to be cruel to be kind” Intellectualization  Function o Translate a threatening situation into cold intellectual terms  Example o “After a prolonged period of discomfort, the patient expired” Displacement  Function o Redirect forbidden impulse onto a safer target  Example o Kicking a can instead of the professor Sublimation  Function o Convert base impulse into a noble cause  Example o High art, more productive and meaningful occupational choices

PSYCHOANALYSIS AS A THERAPY AND AS A ROUTE TOWARD UNDERSTANDING  

Freud believed that the source to anxiety and unhappiness was rooted in unconscious conflicts Therapy is a tool to help remedy these situations

Dream analysis, analysis of Freudian slips (parapraxis), humor and lapses and free association brings these unconscious conflicts out  The rational Ego can resolve these unconscious dilemmas once brought out into the conscious mind o Transference is important method in psychotherapy  unconscious redirection of the feelings a person has about their parents, as one example, on to the therapist o Therapists must avoid sexual relations with their patients Freud was disenchanted in psychoanalysis as a medical or therapeutic technique, he saw psychoanalysis as a tool to understand human nature and culture o

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PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY: A CRITIQUE  

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Complex o “Occam’s razor”  Keep it simple Vague definitions o “Operational definition”  Scientific concepts should be defined in terms of the operations or procedures by which it can be identified and measured Untestable o Freud’s theory is untestable, a scientific theory should be “disconformable” Sexist o Freud considers males the norm and bases his theories on their psychology

Freud was right that people have conflicting motives and that sorting them out can be a source of confusion and anxiety. He was right that sex and aggression are powerful forces in psycho- logical life. And he was right that childhood experiences shape adult personality and behavior in important ways, and that a child’s relationships with his or her parents in particular form a template that is a basis of relationships throughout life....