Freud Theories Psychoanalytic Therapy Final

8/2/2019 Freud Theories Psychoanalytic Therapy Final

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Sigmund Freud – Theories and

Psychoanalytic TherapyPresented by

Arockia Dinesh – F10001

Alphonsa Irene Fernando – F10003Binitha Mathews – F10005Biron D’Souza – F10006



Facts about Freud’s Life

Born Jew but never liked Judaism

Outstanding student in school

Parents favored him over his siblings from the early

stages of his childhood

Vision of human psychology was derived, not

altogether unconsciously, from his reading of the plays

(Shakespeare)

Believed that smoking enhanced his capacity to work

(died of buccal cancer)

Cocaine researched - his friend Von was a morphine

addict

Bruer-Freud-Anna.O- Hysteria

'



• In his forties, Freud experienced several, probably psychosomatic, medical

problems, including depression and heart irregularities

• fuelled a superstitious belief that he would die at the age of 51

• began exploring his own dreams, memories, and the dynamics of his personality

development

• During this self-analysis, he came to realize a hostility he felt towards his father

• He also became convinced that he had developed sexual feelings towards his

mother in infancy ("between two and two and a half years“)

• A psychologist argues that Freud’s account of his self -analysis shows that he “had

remembered only a long train journey, from whose duration he deduced that he

might have seen his mother undressing”, and that Freud’s memory was an artificial

reconstruction

Freud’s childhood influences



Concept - The Unconscious Mind

• According to Freud the mind can be divided intotwo parts:

▫ The Conscious Mind – what we are aware of;

mental processing; thinking and talking rationally;memory also included from where we can recollect– termed as preconscious

▫ The Unconscious Mind – reservoir of feelings,

thoughts, urges and emotions outside ourconscious awareness; contents are mostly feelingsof pain, anxiety; influences our behavior though we are unaware



Concept – Id, Ego and Superego

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of threeelements. These three elements of work together tocreate complex human behaviors:

• Id - source of all psychic energy; driven by pleasureprinciple; immediate gratification of desires, needs, wants; Eg. Hunger

If we are ruled by the pleasure principle then wetend to grab things out of others hands to satisfy cravings.

Primary Process: forming a mental image




• Ego – Component dealing with reality; developsfrom id and expressed in a manner acceptable;functions in the conscious preconscious and

unconscious mind; based on the reality concept; weighs costs and benefits of an action beforeacting on impulse

Tension discharged by find a real object thatmeets the mental image created by Id’s primary process




• Superego - aspect of personality that holdsinternalized moral standards and ideals;acquired from both parents and society; sense of right and wrong; provides guidelines for making judgments; begins to emerge at around age five▫ Ego ideal: rules and standards for good behavior

as per parents and society ▫ Conscience: information about bad, forbidden

things as per parents and society

Superego is present in conscious, preconsciousand unconscious mind






Stages of Psychosexual development

• Freud states that personality develops by age 5and early experiences determine our behavior. According to Freud if the psychosexual stages

are completed successfully it leads to a healthy personality

• Stages are

▫ Oral Stage – birth to year 1

▫ Anal Stage – 1 to 3 yrs▫ Phallic Stage – 3 to 6 yrs

▫ Latent Period – 6 yrs to puberty

▫ Genital Stage – Puberty till death



Drawbacks of Psychosexual theory

• Theory focused almost entirely on male development with littlemention of female psychosexual development.

• Theories difficult to test scientifically. Concepts such as the libidoare impossible to measure, and therefore cannot be tested.

• Future predictions are too vague. How can we know that a current behavior was caused specifically by a childhood experience? Thelength of time between the cause and the effect is too long to assumethat there is a relationship between the two variables.

•

Freud's theory is based upon case studies and not empiricalresearch. Freud based his theory on the recollections of his adultpatients, not on actual observation and study of children.



Psychoanalytic Therapy• Based upon the theories and work of Sigmund

Freud, who founded the school of psychology known as psychoanalysis

– Looks at how the unconscious mind influencesthoughts and behaviors – irrational drives

– Bringing drives into awareness - psychologicalresistance in the form of defence mechanisms.

–

Influence of early childhood experiences – Conflicts between conscious view of reality and

unconscious material - mental disturbances

– Skilled guidance – bring into consciousness



The History of Psychoanalytic Therapy

• Freud began developing his therapeutictechniques in the late 1800s

• In1885, Freud began to study and work withJean-Martin Charcot - Hypnosis

• Work and friendship with colleague Josef Breuer

• Anna O – Talking cure - Talk therapy - studied by Freud



How Psychoanalytic Therapy Works

• Talk therapy

• Patterns or significant events that may play arole in the client’s current difficulties

• Belief that childhood events and unconsciousfeelings, thoughts and motivations play a role in

mental illness and maladaptive behaviors• Empathetic and nonjudgmental environment



Application

• Anxiety disorders – phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorders

and post-traumatic stress disorder – to assist the client in coming to terms with their own id

impulses – to recognize the origin of their current anxiety in

childhood relationships that are being relived inadulthood

• Depression – loss every child experiences when realizing

separateness from parents early in childhood – Recalling & untangling the fixations that have built up

around it



Process & Techniques

• Used to treat depression and anxiety disorders

• lengthy process often involving 2 to 5 sessions

per week for several years• Interpretation of the ink blot

• Dreams interpretation

• Free Association

• Freudian slips



Criticisms

• Untestable All Freud's theories are built upon their own internal logic which

cannot be proved either way. Internally consistent, yes, but externally un-provable. Thus, little or no scientific worth.

• No Predictive ValueEven if we know that someone had no father figure against whomto compete for his mother's affection, what does that tell us about hisfuture behaviour?

• Tiny Sample

Theory not based on a large sample of people, or tested underexperimental conditions with control groups, etc. Freud's patients werelargely wealthy hysterical Victorian middle-class women in Vienna inthe late 1800s. Therefore, from such a narrow group, the theory isapplied universally. It is presented as an all-encompassing male-centred theory.



• NeologismsFreud invented many new terms, but rarely defined

exactly what he meant - thus open to such wideinterpretation (but some would see that as its greatattraction). The more vague the terms, then the more

people are free to apply them to their own needs.

• Metaphysicalabstract throughout - not testable via empirical

methods.

• Personal Projection of Freud's own life, fantasies andconflict with his own father (Oedipus Complex).

Criticisms

Freud Theories Psychoanalytic Therapy Final

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