Theories of Personality

Freud

Chapter 2
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Outline
Overview of Psychoanalytic Theory Biography of Freud Levels of Mental Life Provinces of Mind Dynamics of Personality Defense Mechanisms
Contd
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Outline
Stages of Development Applications of Psychoanalytic Theory Related Research Critique of Freud Concept of Humanity

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Overview of Psychoanalytic Theory

What Made This Theory Interesting
Cornerstones: Sex and aggression Spread by a dedicated group Brilliant language (Goethe Prize in Literature)

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Biography of Freud
Born in Freiberg Moravia (now the Czech Republic) in 1856 Spent most of life (80 years) in Vienna Austria Was the eldest son of eight Studied Medicine, specializing in psychiatry; interested in science Studied hysteria with Charcot & Breuer
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Biography (contd)
Studies on Hysteria (1895) Abandoned seduction theory in 1897 and replaced it with Oedipus Complex In 1900 wrote Interpretation of Dreams After 1900 developed international circle of followers (Adler, Jung, and others) Was driven out of Austria by Nazis in 1938 Died in London in 1939
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Level of Mental Life

Unconscious
Beyond awareness
Includes drives, urges, or instincts Is known only indirectly

Two sources of unconscious processes

Repression Phylogenetic Endowment

Preconscious
Not in conscious awareness, but can be

Conscious
Mental life that is directly available, plays a minor role
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Provinces of the Mind

The Id
Pleasure Principle Primary Process

The Ego
The Reality Principle Secondary Process

The Superego
The Idealistic Principle Conscience Ego-Ideal
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Dynamics of Personality
Drives
Libido or Sex Drive Thanatos or Aggression/Destructive Drive

Anxiety
Neurotic Anxiety Moral Anxiety Realistic Anxiety
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Defense Mechanisms
Repression Reaction Formation Displacement Fixation Regression Projection Introjection Sublimation
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Stages of Development
Infantile Period (Birth-5) Oral Phase Anal Phase Phallic Phase Male Oedipus Complex
Castration Complex

Female Oedipus Complex (Electra)

Penis Envy

Latency Period (5-puberty) Genital Period (puberty-adulthood) Maturity

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Applications of Psychoanalytic Theory

Free Association
Transference Resistance

Dream Analysis
Manifest and latent content

Freudian or Unconscious Slips (Parapraxes)

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Related Research
Unconscious Mental Processing
Automatic, implicit, nonconscious processing

Inhibition and the Ego

Limbic system

Defense Mechanisms
Neuropsychological underpinnings of repression

Research on Dreams
Activation-synthesis theory
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Critique of Freud
Did Freud Understand Women? Was Freud a Scientist?
Theories are difficult to test Generated considerable research Difficult to falsify Very loose organizational framework Not a good guide to solve practical problems Internally consistent theory
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Freuds Concept of Humanity

Deterministic and Pessimistic Causality over Teleology Unconscious over Conscious Biology over Culture Equal emphasis on Uniqueness and Similarity

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