Chapter 19: Freudian & Humanistic Theories

1. Chapter 19: Freudian & Humanistic Theories Introduction to Psychology Virginia Union University

2. What’s your Personality • How would you describe your personality? • Why do you think you have the personality that you have?

3. Personality & Personality Theories • Personality • A combination of long-lasting and distinctive behaviors, thoughts, motives and emotions that typify how to react and adapt to other people and situations • Theory of Personality • Organized attempt to describe and explain how personalities develop and why personalities differ • Two Personality Theories will be discussed in this chapter • Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Humanistic Theories

4. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Observed patients with physical symptoms with no physical cause for the symptoms • Reasoned that symptoms must be caused by unconscious psychological forces

5. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences, unconscious or repressed thoughts that we cannot voluntarily access, and the conflicts between conscious and unconscious forces that influence our feelings, thoughts and behaviors

6. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Freud theorized that only a small part of our mental activity is conscious, much of what is thought involves unconscious forces • Conscious versus Unconscious Forces • Conscious thoughts • Wishes, desires, or thoughts that we are aware of, can recall, at any given moment • Unconscious forces • Represent wishes, desires, or thoughts that, because of their disturbing or threatening content, we automatically repress and cannot voluntarily access • Unconscious motivation • Freudian concept that refers to the influence of repressed thoughts, desires or impulses on our conscious thoughts and behaviors

7. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • We cannot voluntarily access our unconscious thoughts or desires • Freud developed three techniques to uncover the unconscious • Free Association • Dream Interpretation • Analysis of Slips of the Tongue

8. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Free Association • Freudian technique in which clients are encouraged to talk about any thoughts or images that enter their head • The assumption is that this kind of free-flowing, uncensored talking will provide clues to unconscious material

9. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Dream Interpretation • A Freudian technique of analyzing dreams • Based on the assumption that dreams contain underlying, hidden meanings and symbols that provide clues to unconscious thoughts and desires • Distinguished between the dream’s obvious story or plot, called manifest content, and the dream’s hidden or disguised meanings or symbols, called latent content

10. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Freudian Slips • Mistakes or slips of the tongue that we make in everyday speech • Such mistakes, which are often embarrassing, are thought to reflect unconscious thoughts or wishes

11. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • The three techniques allowed uncensored clues to slip out and reveal deeper unconscious wishes and desires • There is a continuous battle going on in our mind between conscious thoughts and unconscious forces

12. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Freud believed that the mind was separated into three processes (id, ego, superego) that each had different functions • Because they have different functions, Freud believed that interactions between the id, ego and superego resulted in conflicts

13. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Id: Pleasure Seeker • Freud believed that mental processes must have a source of energy, called the id • Id: Freud’s 1st division of the mind to develop, contains two biological drives (sex & aggression) that are the source of all psychic or mental energy. The id’s goal is to pursue pleasure and satisfy the biological drives • Id operates at a totally unconscious level & according to the pleasure principle • Pleasure principle: operates to satisfy drives and avoid pain, without concern for moral restrictions or society’s regulations • Following the pleasure principle leads to conflict with others (i.e. parents) and this conflict leads to the development of the ego

14. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Ego: Executive negotiator between the id and superego • Infants discover that parents put restrictions on satisfying their wishes & learn to control their wishes through the development of the ego • Ego: Freud’s 2nd division of the mind & develops from the id during infancy. The ego’s goal is to find safe and socially acceptable ways of satisfying the id’s desires and to negotiate between the id’s wants & the superego’s prohibitions • A relatively large part of the ego’s material is conscious, a smaller part is unconscious • Ego follows the reality principle • Reality principle: policy of satisfying a wish or desire only if there is a socially acceptable outlet available • Ego works to resolve conflicts between the different goals of the id and superego (executive negotiator)

15. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Superego: Regulator • As children learn that they must follow rules and regulations in satisfying their wishes, they develop a superego • Superego: Freud’s 3rd division of the mind, develops from the ego during early childhood. The superego’s goal is to apply the moral values and standards of one’s parents or caregivers & society in satisfying one’s wishes • Part of the superego is conscious, a larger part is unconscious • The superego operates as a moral guardian or conscience that is trying to regulate or control the id’s wishes & impulses • Superego produces guilt when rules are disobeyed; id doesn’t like guilt & is motivated to listen to the superego

16. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory

17. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Sometimes there is little to no disagreement between the id and superego • But when disagreement arises, the ego (execute negotiator) mediates the conflict • Mental processes the ego uses to mediate conflicts between the id and superego are called defense mechanisms

18. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Party or Study • Midterms are coming up & you know you should study • But there’s a party on campus and you really REALLY want to go • Conflict between the pleasure-seeking id and the conscience-regulating superego produces anxiety • Anxiety: in Freudian theory is an uncomfortable feeling that results from inner conflicts between the primitive desires of the id and the moral goals of the superego • The ego tries to reduce anxiety by using the mental processes called defense mechanisms

19. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms: Freudian processes that operate at unconscious levels and that use self-deception or untrue explanations to protect the ego from being overwhelmed by anxiety

20. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Rationalization • Involves covering up the true reasons for actions, thoughts, or feelings by making up excuses and incorrect explanations • Example: If I go to the party tonight, I’ll be motivated to study for the exam tomorrow

21. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Denial • Refusing to recognize some anxiety-provoking event or piece of information that is clear to others • Example: Disregarding past low exam grades that resulted from choosing to party instead of study

22. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Repression • Involves blocking and pushing unacceptable or threatening feelings, wishes or experiences into the unconscious • Example: Having feelings of failing your class might be threatening to your self-concept, so you unknowingly block these unwanted feelings by also unknowingly pushing them into your unconscious

23. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Projection • Falsely and unconsciously attributing your own unacceptable feelings, traits, or thoughts to individuals or objects • Example: All the other students in my class are going to be at the party too. I should probably go, we can form a study group and study tomorrow

24. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Reaction Formation • Involves substituting behaviors, thoughts, or feelings that are the direct opposite of unacceptable ones • Example: You are underage and regularly drink/get drunk at parties, but join a group that supports a clean/sober campus

25. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Displacement • Involves transferring feelings about, or in response to, an object that causes anxiety to another person or object that is less threatening • Example: You are irritated at your professor for scheduling an exam right after homecoming weekend. You take your irritation out on your roommate by picking a fight with them over something trivial.

26. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms • Sublimation • A type of displacement, involves redirecting a threatening or forbidden desire, usually sexual, into a socially acceptable one • Example: Going to parties and drinking/getting drunk is your ideal method of relaxation. You channel that energy into taking up yoga instead.

27. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A traumatized soldier has no recollection of the details of a close brush with death.

28. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A traumatized soldier has no recollection of the details of a close brush with death. • Repression

29. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A woman who dislikes her boss thinks she like her boss but feels that the boss doesn't like her.

30. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A woman who dislikes her boss thinks she like her boss but feels that the boss doesn't like her. • Projection

31. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A smoker concludes that the evidence linking cigarette use to health problems is scientifically worthless.

32. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanisms Practice Problems • A smoker concludes that the evidence linking cigarette use to health problems is scientifically worthless. • Denial

33. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems • A parent who unconsciously resents a child spoils the child with outlandish gifts.

34. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems • A parent who unconsciously resents a child spoils the child with outlandish gifts. • Reaction Formation

35. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems • A student watches TV instead of studying, saying that "additional study wouldn't do any good anyway."

36. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems • A student watches TV instead of studying, saying that "additional study wouldn't do any good anyway.“ • Rationalization

37. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems

38. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems

39. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems

40. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory • Defense Mechanism Practice Problems