Theories in Mental Health Nursing

Psychoanalytic Theory Development

• Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalytic theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Vienna.
• Freud first linked childhood experiences with adult psychological issues, emphasizing the significance of early life events in shaping personality.

Parts of Personality

• The ID represents basic desires and instincts, seeking immediate gratification without regard for reality or morality.
• The EGO acts as the rational, conscious, and reasonable part of personality, balancing the demands of the ID and the constraints of the external world.
• The SUPEREGO represents the moral component of personality, enforcing societal rules and values.

Role of the Ego

• The EGO mediates between the ID and SUPEREGO, functioning as the balancing force that helps an individual navigate reality and fulfill desires in socially acceptable ways.
• The EGO operates with consideration of consequences, striving to avoid pain and maintain pleasure while reconciling internal conflicts.

Key Concepts

• The parts of personality in psychoanalytic theory include the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO, each fulfilling unique roles in human behavior and decision-making.
• The ID is characterized by impulses and seeks the immediate satisfaction of primitive pleasures without moral consideration.

Psychological Framework

• Psychoanalytic theory provides a framework for understanding how unresolved childhood conflicts can manifest as problems in adulthood, drawing connections between past experiences and present behavior.

Explore the theories that attempt to explain human behavior, health, and mental illness in the context of mental health nursing. Learn about the strategies suggested by these theories for working with clients, including the Psychoanalytic Theory and Psychodynamic theory by Sigmund Freud.