Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalysis: Theory and Therapy
1. Freud and the Origin of Psychoanalysis
a. Freud‟s family background, childhood and education
b. Cocaine episode (1884)
c. Freud and Charcot: ideas can cause physical symptoms
d. Freud and Bernheim: hypnosis as treatment (viz.. Posthypnotic suggestion)
e. Freud and Breuer (and Anna O.)
2. La Salpetriere: Freud and Charcot
3. Freud the Neurologist vs. the Psychologist
a. Heavily influenced by Helmholtzian school of research, stressing physicalism and
reductionism
b. Two views of mind: Studies on Hysteria and Project for a Scientific Psychology
(both 1895)
i. “Studies” emphasized the psychological and therapeutic
ii. “The “Project” emphasized the neurological and experimental; reveals
Freud‟s scientific background.
iii. Shows many psychological concepts were originally conceived as
biological processes (e.g., the ego).
iv. Both foreshadow his later work significantly.
4. Freud‟s Clinic
a. Clinically, Freud‟s methods are evolving; he uses:
i. hypnosis, then recalling his experience with Bernheim,
ii. the pressure technique, and then
iii. free association to recall and express the memory or idea and remove the
symptom.
5. Creating the Language of Psychoanalysis
a. Around 1897-98, Freud abandoned the Project and concluded that he "will stay on
psychological ground."
b. This is the result of:
i. his findings in human sexuality and the abandonment of the "seduction
theory";
ii. his own self-analysis;
iii. the broadened meaning of sexuality;
iv. the failure of the Project and the feeling that the answers he sought were
not neurological.
c. In essence, Freud concluded that narrative truth took precedence over historical
truth.
6. Freud‟s Metapsychology
a. Two core aspects of psychoanalysis: the metapsychology and the clinical theory.
i. Both aspects involved the central concepts of: the pleasure principle,
libido, and the instincts.
b. Freud developed 3 metapsychological theories of the mind:
i. a "neurological" one in the Project (1895),
ii. the "systematic" or "topograhic" view (1900), and
iii. the final structural model (1923).
iv. Freud's approach moved from a basic science (experimental emphasis) to a
clinical/process view, then to a dynamic metaphoric view.
7. Personality components
a. Das Es, “the It” (Id): concerned with drive satisfaction, provides the motive
power; follows the pleasure principle (the horse)
b. Das Ich, “the I” (Ego): rational thought; controls & channels id; follows the reality
principle (the rider)
c. Das Uber-Ich, “the overseer” (Superego): oversees balance between ego & id;
internalized parental control; much like a conscience
8. Freudian Instincts
a. Eros: the “life instinct”; a more generalized sex drive, including creativity, hope,
and love
b. Thanatos: the “death instinct”; violent and aggressive tendencies (e.g., war)
c. Both are a part of the unconscious; both are (were) necessary to survival
9. Freudian Systems
a. The libido: The sexual life energy that drives the id; other researchers dispute
Freud's sexual emphasis
b. The conscious: consists of things you are currently aware of; constantly changing
c. The preconscious: consists of things in long term memory that influence behavior;
could be retrieved if desired
d. The unconscious: consists of things you're unaware of but that influence you; the
primary personality component
10. The Unconscious
a. The primary personality component
b. Consists of things you're unaware of but that influence you (e.g., sex, aggression)
c. Can't be tapped directly
d. Reflected in slips of the tongue, dreams, etc
e. Represents the symbolic nature of thought and conduct.
11.
12.
13. Psychosexual Stages
(source of libido satisfaction)
a. Each stage has an erogenous zone: an area of the body associated with libidinal
stimulation and satisfaction
b. Overgratification or undergratification results in fixation
c. Regression to fixated stages occurs under times of stress or in neurosis
14. Oral stage
a. Libido gratification comes from oral exploration of the world
b. Infant learns to trust in others, especially for food
c. Oral personality:
i. Problems in the oral stage supposedly lead to pessimism about the world
and hostility (oral sadistic) or passivity (oral receptive).
15. Anal stage
a. Kids learn about delay of gratification
b. Kids gain pleasure and libido satisfaction from being in control
c. Anal personality:
i. Problems in the anal stage supposedly lead to either excessive orderliness
(Anal retentive) or excessive messiness (Anal explusive).
16. Phallic stage
a. Freud believed sex-role identification occurred
b. Mechanisms included castration anxiety (boys) & penis envy (girls)
c. Phallic personality:
i. Problems in the phallic stage supposedly lead to sex-role identification
problems, promiscuity, vanity, or excessive chastity
17. Latency stage
a. A time of focus on achievement and mastery of skills
b. Libido is channeled into mastery activities
c. Freud thought little of interest happened here
d. Others have argued the sense of self-esteem is established here
18. Genital stage
a. The time of mature personality, intimacy with others
b. Libido satisfied by adult- type sexual activity
19. Defense mechanisms
a. Methods for dealing with anxiety
b. Brought about by the „ego,‟ sensing anxiety or unpleasant thoughts nearing the
surface
c. Freud thought some more effective, healthy and mature than others
i. “Don‟t get defensive”
20. Denial & Repression
a. Denial: Refusing to accept that the feeling is present or that the event occurred
i. A very primitive mechanism
ii. Example: preschoolers will convince themselves they didn't do something
they wish they hadn't
b. Repression: Unconsciously relegating anxiety-causing thoughts to the
unconscious, blocking them from consciousness.
i. Basic to nearly all neuroses, and civilization itself.
ii. Example: the Oedipus complex, embarrassing memories.
21. Projection & Reaction Formation
a. Projection: Attributing one's undesirable traits or actions to others, so they become
the problem instead of you
i. Example from a failing student: "I'm not worried about me, but I'd hate to
see Ellen flunk--she's so fragile"
b. Reaction-Formation: Taking actions opposite to one's feelings in order to deny the
reality of the feelings
c. Freud thought many people fervently pursuing a cause were using this mechanism
to hide their true feelings
i. Eg., “gay-bashing”
22. Rationalization
a. Creating intellectually - acceptable arguments for thoughts or behavior to hide the
actual anxiety - causing impulses
b. Examples:
i. "I only read playboy for the articles."
ii. "I didn't get an A on my paper because I didn't want to make you feel
inferior."
23. Regression
a. Reverting to the comfort of behaviors of an earlier stage of development in order
to cope
b. Example:
i. Children who crawl around the floor and produce baby talk when a new
baby enters the family
ii. Reactions to stress that involve erogenous zone fixations: eating, smoking,
spending money, sex...etc.
24. Displacement
a. Substituting a less-threatening object for the subject of the hostile or sexual
impulse
i. Bullying
ii. The “kick the dog” phenomena.
25. Sublimation
a. The most sophisticated mechanism
b. Redirecting anxiety-causing impulses into socially acceptable actions
i. E.g.,: creating art, music, etc.; dealing with anxiey by engaging in vigorous
physical activity
26.
27. Foundations of Psychoanalytic Therapy
a. Free association
b. Dream analysis
i. Manifest vs. latent content
ii. Dream work: displacement, condensation, symbolization, secondary
elaboration
iii. Dreams as „wish-fulfillment‟; to master or resolve anxiety
c. Analysis of resistance
d. Analysis of transference
28. A „Few‟ Problems with Freud
a. Key portions contrary to recent data:
i. No evidence for penis envy, Oedipus complex, castration anxiety, or
gender differences in moral development.
b. Much of the theory is dated.
c. Biased against females: Freud's negative attitudes toward women were a product
of his culture, colored his entire theory
29. Freud‟s Firsts
a. First form of psychotherapy;
b. First comprehensive psychological theory of the mind and behavior.
c. One of the first to emphasize the importance of early childhood experience, sex,
the unconscious, and dreams.
d. Most psychotherapies recognize “transference” and the importance of the
therapeutic relationship
e. Psychodynamic therapy is often too costly, lengthy compared to today‟s „quick
fix‟ approaches.
30. Freud‟s Legacy
a. Psychoanalytic metapsychology has not faired very well, while the clinical theory
has done much better.
b. Psychological conflict is 'normal'; same processes that cause normal behavior
cause 'abnormal' behavior
c. Revealed "defence mechanisms" and their connection to pathology and everyday
life.
d. The „discovery‟ of unconscious processes
31. Freud‟s Legacy
a. His emphasis on childhood influences on adult behavior; a comprehensive theory
of dreams
b. The nature of psychological explanation (e.g., role of language, reductionism)?
c. Demonstrated how physical and physiological disturbances can have
psychological origins.
d. Demonstrated the importance of anxiety to psychological disorders
e. Will we fair better in 100 years?"