Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

• Freud's theory focuses on four key concepts: levels of consciousness, personality structure, defense mechanisms, and psychosexual stages of development.

• Levels of consciousness include the conscious (thoughts and perceptions), preconscious (stored memories), and unconscious (instincts, fears).

• Freud's assessment techniques to access the unconscious mind include free association, dream interpretation, and Freudian slips.

• Personality structure involves the id (primitive, instinctive part, operates on the pleasure principle), ego (rational, decision-making part, reality principle), and superego (moral part, morality principle).

• The id seeks immediate gratification and is present from birth.

• The ego develops around ages 2-3 and operates on the reality principle, delaying gratification until appropriate.

• The superego develops around ages 5-6 and operates on the morality principle, enforcing ethical behavior.

Defense Mechanisms

• Defense mechanisms are the ego's methods of reducing anxiety.
• Some examples include repression, projection, denial, rationalization, and regression.
• Repression involves involuntarily removing unpleasant memories or perceptions from consciousness.
• Projection involves attributing undesirable traits, thoughts, behaviors to someone else.
• Denial is refusing to acknowledge the existence of a situation or danger.
• Rationalization provides a logical excuse instead of the real reason.
• Regression is reverting to a less mature behavior to reduce anxiety.

Psychodynamic/Neo-Freudian Theories

• Motivation comes from life goals rather than unconscious forces.
• Inferiority Complex: Feelings of inferiority originating from childhood experiences of helplessness and incompetence.
• Two Forms of the Unconscious: Personal Unconscious (individual experiences) and Collective Unconscious (inherited, universal experiences).
• Archetypes: Images and patterns found within the collective unconscious.
• Horney's Blended psychology sees personality shaped by childhood relationships and basic anxiety.
• Emphasized women's positive traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

• A personality test composed of true/false questions to establish a clinical profile.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• A motivational theory with five levels of arranged human needs.
• Physiological Needs: essential for survival (food, water, shelter).
• Safety Needs: following physiological needs (security, stability).
• Love and Belonging Needs: social connections (friendships, family).
• Esteem Needs: self-worth and recognition (respect from others and self-respect).
• Self-Actualization Needs: achieving personal potential and self-growth (becoming the best).

Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)

• A psychological projective test to assess personality, attitudes, and emotional functioning.
• Participants complete unfinished sentences to reveal thoughts, attitudes, and emotions.

Sources of Stress

• Stress is a physiological and psychological response to a condition that requires adaptation.
• Stressors are stimuli that produce physical or emotional stress.
• The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) measures stress from life events.
• Scores predict the likelihood of stress-related illness.
• Shortcomings include not considering coping strategies.

Types of Conflicts

• Approach-approach: choosing between two positive alternatives.
• Avoidance-avoidance: choosing between two negative alternatives.
• Approach-avoidance: a choice with both positive and negative aspects.
• Conflict: stress from choosing an alternative that negates another.

Defining Abnormality

• A behavior is considered abnormal if it is statistically rare, causes distress to the person, and is maladaptive.
• Individuals may be perceived as abnormal from different cultural perspectives
• Mental health issues are diagnosed by a professional, not through subjective assessments.

Defining Insanity

• Insanity is a legal term, distinct from psychological abnormality.
• It relates to a person's culpability for criminal acts, usually in relation to a psychiatric illness or condition.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

• A classification system for mental disorders developed by the American Psychiatric Association.
• Includes various disorders categorized into broad classifications.

Major Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Chronic, excessive worry.
• Panic Disorder: Recurrent episodes of intense anxiety.
• Phobias: Fear of a specific object or situation.
• Agoraphobia: Fear of public spaces.
• Social Phobias: Fear of social situations.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Repetitive and unwanted thoughts and behaviors.
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Symptoms following a traumatic event.

Explore the fundamental concepts of Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory, including levels of consciousness, personality structure, and defense mechanisms. Test your understanding of key ideas such as the id, ego, and superego, as well as techniques like free association and dream interpretation. This quiz is essential for students studying psychology.