Psychology Chapter 26-28 Psychoanalytic Theories by Freud and Jung

Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

• Freud's psychoanalytic theory emphasizes the influence of unconscious factors on behavior and development.
• Freud identified three personality structures: id (impulsive, pleasure-seeking), ego (realistic, mediator), and superego (moral conscience).
• The id is entirely unconscious, while the ego and superego operate in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.
• Personality arises from conflict between internal desires and social restraints.
• Defense mechanisms help the ego cope with this tension and protect itself from anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality.

Carl Jung's Theory

• Jung believed the mind contains a personal unconscious (Freud's concept) and a collective unconscious.
• The collective unconscious is a shared store of inherited images called archetypes, representing universal human experiences.
• Jung's concept of the self encompasses the personal unconscious, conscious mind, and collective unconscious.
• Archetypes from the collective unconscious influence personality. For example, the shadow archetype represents the undesirable and shameful aspects of oneself.

Alfred Adler's Theory

• Adler emphasized the impact of feelings of inferiority during childhood on personality development.
• Children feel inferior to adults due to their physical size and to siblings based on their birth order.
• Older children may overachieve to compensate for feeling inferior to younger siblings.

Humanistic Theories of Personality

• Humanistic psychology focuses on human potential for self-actualization and personal growth.
• Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs proposes a hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.
• The hierarchy suggests needs are met in a specific order, with lower needs having priority.
• Carl Rogers emphasized the importance of self-concept, the individual's idea and feelings about themselves.
• A positive self-concept arises when the ideal self aligns with actual experiences.
• Rogers stressed the role of unconditional positive regard from others in fostering personal growth and self-actualization.

Trait Theories of Personality

• Trait theories describe personality based on enduring personal characteristics (traits).
• Traits are stable over time and encompass how a person thinks, feels, and acts.
• The Big Five Theory identifies five personality dimensions: Openness to Experience, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
• Trait theory does not account for external influences or the reasons behind personality traits.
• It has limitations in predicting specific behaviors due to situational factors.

Appraisal Theory of Stress

• Appraisal theory asserts that the interpretation (appraisal) of a stimulus determines the emotional response.
• Primary appraisal classifies a stimulus as threatening, positive, or irrelevant.
• For threatening stimuli (stressors), secondary appraisal assesses the individual's resources for coping.

Types of Stressors

• Stress involves the disruption of equilibrium by threatening or demanding stimuli.
• Four main types of stressors:
  • Daily hassles: common, everyday occurrences that are irritating but minor stressors.
  • Personal life events: major life transitions that affect a few people significantly.
  • Environmental stressors: large-scale, persistent irritations that affect many people.
  • Catastrophes: major events that cause widespread impact.

Motivational Conflict Theory

• Motivational conflict theory describes three types of inner conflict when making choices:
  • Approach-approach conflict: choosing between two desirable options with incompatible outcomes.

Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Stress

• Chronic stress can alter brain areas involved in behavior and emotion.
• Stress-induced changes in the hippocampus impair learning.
• Stress also affects the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, leading to increased anxiety.

Managing Stress

• Relaxation, a state of reduced arousal and sympathetic activity, is effective for stress reduction.
• Meditation, a practice of regulating attention and awareness, promotes relaxation and mental calmness.
• Meditation techniques involve focusing on breathing, other sensory stimuli, or repeating a mantra.
• Neuroimaging studies show meditation produces an altered state of consciousness, characterized by increased alpha brain waves.
• Regular meditation yields benefits beyond the meditative state, including improved attention and emotional regulation.

Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

• The elaboration likelihood model describes two routes to persuasion:
  • Peripheral route: uses superficial tactics to influence attitudes or behavior.
  • Central route: involves careful consideration of the message's content to achieve attitude change.
• The central route is effective when people are motivated and able to pay attention to the message, while the peripheral route works better when attention is low.

Explore the key concepts of Sigmund Freud's and Carl Jung's psychoanalytic theories in this quiz. Learn about the structures of personality, the unconscious mind, and Jung's idea of archetypes and the collective unconscious. Test your knowledge on these foundational psychological concepts.