Psychodynamic theory

 §Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud. He believed that people could be cured

by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations, thus gaining insight.

§Psychoanalytic theory attempts to explain personality, motivation, and mental disorders

by focusing on unconscious determinants of behavior.

§He believed that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shapes

our personality. E.g., anxiety originating from traumatic experiences in a person’s past is

hidden from consciousness and may cause problems during adulthood.

1. Consciousness : It contains all of the current thoughts, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. It includes what you are thinking about right now.

2. Sub-consciousness: It is the storage point for any recent memories needed for quick recall, such as what your telephone number is or the name of a person you just met. It also holds current information that you use every day, such as your current recurring thoughts, behavior patterns, habits, and feelings.

3. Unconsciousness: The unconscious mind is where all of our painful memories, desires, wishes and past experiences reside. These are those memories that have been repressed through trauma and those that have simply been consciously forgotten and no longer important to us (automatic thoughts). It’s from these memories and experiences that our beliefs, habits, and behaviors are formed.

§ID

§Based on Pleasure principle §Newborn child is all id

§Not in touch with the external world

§Not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world, as it operates within the unconscious part of the mind

§Id is illogical, demanding , blind .

§Id is the unconscious part of the mind; that act instantaneously without giving much thought to what is right and what is wrong

§Example: If your Id passed through a boy playing with a ball, the immediate urge to get that ball will drive you to snatch it by any means, this is irrational and may lead to the conflict between the boys.

§Ego

§Reality principle

§Develops in infancy

§Mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. §Decision making component of personality.

§Ego has no concept of right or wrong

§It achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or to the id.

§Ego is the logical and the conscious part of the mind

§It balances the demands of Id and super-ego in the context of real life situations.

§Ego is conscious and hence keep a check on Id through a proper reasoning of an external environment

§Ego Example:

If you pass through the same boy playing with the ball, your ego will mediate the

conflict between the Id and super-ego and will decide to buy a new ball for yourself. This may

hurt you Id, but the ego would take this decision to reach to a compromise situation between the

Id and super-ego by satisfying the desire of getting a ball without committing any unpleasant

social behavior.

§Superego

§Based on morality principle §Develops around the age of 3 – 5

§The Super-Ego is related to the social or the moral values that an individual inculcates as he matures.

§It acts as an ethical constraint on behavior and helps an individual to develop his conscience.

§As the individual grows in the society, he learns the cultural values and the norms of the society which help him to differentiate between right and wrong.

§Superego Example:

If the super-ego passed that boy playing with a ball, it would not snatch it, as it

would know that snatching is bad and may lead to a quarrel. Thus, super ego act as

a constraint on your behavior and guides you to follow the right path. But if the Id is

stronger than super-ego, you will definitely snatch the ball by any means.

1.Oral (Birth- 1 yr)

2.Anal (1- 3 yr)

3.Phallic (3-6 yr)

4.Latency (6 – 12 yr)

5.Genital (Puberty – Adulthood)

§During the oral stage, the infant's primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth.

§Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child), the

child also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation.

§The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process, the child must become less dependent upon

caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with

dependency or aggression.

§If not satisfactorily met there is the likelihood of developing negative oral habits or behaviors such as

drinking, smoking, nail-biting, thumb sucking.

§The major conflict at this stage is 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.

§As indicated this stage is primarily related to developing healthy toilet training habits.

§According to Freud, success at this stage is dependent upon the way in which parents approach toilet training. Parents who utilize praise and rewards for using the toilet at the appropriate time encourage positive outcomes and help children feel capable and productive. Freud believed that positive experiences during this stage served as the basis for people to become competent, productive, and creative adults.

§However, not all parents provide the support and encouragement that children need during this stage. Some parents instead punish, ridicule or shame a child for accidents.

§According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in negative outcomes.

§Anal expulsive personality : If parents take an approach that is too lenient, Freud suggested

that an anal-expulsive personality could develop in which the individual has a messy, wasteful,

or destructive personality.

§Anal Retentive personality: If parents are too strict or begin toilet training too early, Freud

believed that an anal-retentive personality develops in which the individual is stringent,

orderly, rigid, and obsessive.

§ According to Freud at this stage, a child begin to struggle with sexual desires toward the opposite sex

parent (boys to mothers and girls to fathers).

§A boy’s desire involves for his mother and his urge to replace his father who is seen as a rival for the

mother’s attention. (oedipus complex)

§ A girl’s desire involves for her father’s attention and wish to take her mother’s place. (electra complex)

§Attraction to opposite sex parent and imitation of same sex parent .

§At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and females.

§Identification : Identification means internally adopting the values, attitudes, and behaviors of another

person. Gender differences is resolved through the process of identification, which involves the child

adopting the characteristics of the same sex parent.

§The stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become more concerned with

peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.

§Children develop social skills, values and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.

§This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills and self-confidence.

§Fixation at this stage can result in immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an

adult.

§The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy is repressed or dormant.

§During the final stage of psychosexual development, the individual develops a strong sexual

interest in the opposite sex.

§This stage begins during puberty but last throughout the rest of a person's life.

§If the other stages have been completed successfully, the individual should now be well-

balanced, warm, and caring. It leads to marriage and child rearing.

§Loving relationships with opposite sex.