Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud (Classical Psychoanalysis)

• Structural personality model involves the id, ego, and superego
• Topographical model consists of the conscious, unconscious and preconscious
• Psychosexual stages include oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital
• Defense mechanisms that exist are repression, denial, and projection
• Unconscious motivation refers to hidden desires driving behavior
• Seduction theory is the now abandoned idea that psychological distress was from girls being raped
• Repetition compulsion involves unconsciously repeating past conflicts
• Free association involves letting unconscious thoughts emerge through speech
• Transference involves projecting feelings about important figures onto the therapist
• Countertransference refers to the therapist's emotional reactions to the client
• Resistance is unconscious avoidance of distressing insights
• Dream analysis means interpreting latent and manifest dream content
• Working through involves gradual integration of insights over time

Anna Freud (Ego Psychology & Defense Mechanisms)

• Expanded defense mechanisms include rationalization, sublimation, and reaction formation
• Child psychoanalysis uses developed play therapy techniques
• Ego development involves the ego being an active force in personality, not just a mediator
• Adaptive ego functioning involves the ego adapting to the external world, not just internal conflicts
• Developmental lines consist of continuous development rather than strict psychosexual stages
• Social Environments role has emphasis on the impact of social influences

Ego Psychology (Erikson, Hartmann)

• Ego as autonomous functions beyond id mediation
• Adaptive functions include reality testing, problem-solving, impulse control
• Psychosocial development (Erikson) expands Freud's stages into lifelong growth
• Conflict-Free Ego Sphere (Hartmann) has some ego functions that are independent of conflict.
• Competence & Mastery involves humans seeking skill development and environmental mastery
• Resilience & Coping focuses on how individuals adapt to stress and trauma

Object Relations Theory (Klein, Winnicott, Fairbairn, Mahler)

• Internalized objects are mental representations of caregivers and relationships
• Splitting (Klein) involves viewing people as all good or all bad
• Good Enough Mother (Winnicott) refers to the importance of responsive but not perfect caregiving
• Separation-Individuation (Mahler) is the developmental process of forming an independent self
• Transitional Objects (Winnicott) are objects (e.g., teddy bears) that provide emotional security
• Attachment & Early Development influences of early caregiver relationships on personality (Bowlby, Ainsworth, & Main developed theories of attachment regarding, secure, insecure and disorganized)

Self Psychology (Heinz Kohut)

• Self-Cohesion refers to a stable and integrated sense of self
• Mirroring means parental responsiveness supports self-esteem
• Empathy in therapy involves the therapist acting as a self object to support development
• Idealizing Transference involves clients seeking an idealized figure in therapy
• Fragmented Self is the concept that failure to develop a cohesive self can lead to disorders
• Narcissistic Vulnerabilities explores how self-esteem injuries impact personality

Summary of Key Differences

• Freud's Psychoanalysis is focused on intrapsychic conflict, with key contributions including the Id, Ego, Superego, psychosexual stages and defense mechanisms
• Psychoanalysis is deterministic with early childhood focus
• Ego Psychology focuses on the ego's adaptive function
• Ego psychology involves defense mechanisms, child analysis and developmental lines
• More emphasis is placed on ego strength & adaptation
• Object Relations focuses on relationships and the development across lifespan and with a resilience focus
• Key contributions include internalized objects, attachment and separation-individuation
• Self Psychology focuses on self-cohesion, with key contributions including mirroring, idealizing transference and self object needs
• Early relationships shape personality more than drives, with an emphasis is on self-esteem, empathy, and narcissistic injuries