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• These are study notes on the theories of personality, psychoanalysis, and the work of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.

Biography of Sigmund Freud

• Born in 1856, in Freiberg, Moravia which is now Příbor, Czech Republic
• Spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria, after moving there at a young age
• Was the eldest of eight children in a Jewish family, his mother favoured him
• Earned a medical degree in 1881 from the University of Vienna
• Specialized in neurology, initially studying the nervous system of fish and eels
• Studied under Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris influencing his theories on hysteria

Anna O.'s Case

• Anna O. experienced physical and psychological symptoms in her early 20s
• Symptoms included paralysis, vision and speech disturbances, hallucinations, disorganized speech, mood swings, and anxiety
• Presented hydrophobia (fear of drinking water)
• Symptoms suggesting a link to emotional stress and trauma appeared while tending to her sick father

Freud's Collaborations and Conflicts

• Collaborated with Josef Breuer influencing Freud's catharsis theory

Disagreements

• Had disagreements with Carl Jung and Alfred Adler
• These disagreements caused Jung and Adler to leave from his inner circle
• Founded the International Psychoanalytic Association in 1910

Personal Life

• Married Martha Bernays and had six children, including Anna Freud, who became a notable psychologist
• In 1938, he fled to London to escape Nazi persecution during World War II
• Endured multiple operations and intense pain due to oral cancer

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

• Mental Life divided into three levels: unconscious, preconscious, and conscious

Unconscious

• The deepest level where repressed thoughts, desires, and memories reside
• Influences behavior even without awareness

Preconscious

• The middle level
• Contains thoughts not currently in awareness but accessible when needed

Conscious

• The surface level
• Includes current thoughts and perceptions of reality

Provinces of the Mind

• Conceptualized personality as comprising three interacting components: id, ego, and superego

Id

• Instinctual and primitive part of personality
• Operates on the pleasure principle

Ego

• Operates on the reality principle
• Rational component that mediates between the id and the superego

Superego

• Incorporates societal values and norms
• The moral conscience

Dynamics of Personality

• Personality dynamics described in terms of drives and conflicts

Drives

• Life drive (Eros or Sex) involves instincts of survival and reproduction
• Death drive (Thanatos) signifies destructive and aggressive tendencies
• ISAO (Impetus, Source, Aim, Object)
• The aim of the sexual drive is pleasure
• Erogenous zones are parts of the body capable of producing sexual pleasure
• Primary narcissism and secondary narcissism

Anxiety

• Only the ego feels anxiety, but the id, superego, and the external world can each be a source
• Neurotic anxiety stems from the ego's relation with the id
• Moral anxiety is similar to guilt and results from the ego's relation with the superego
• Realistic anxiety, similar to fear, is produced by the ego's relation with the real world.

Defense Mechanisms

• Unconscious strategies that the ego employs to manage anxiety and internal conflict

Repression

• Burying distressing thoughts in the unconscious

Projection

• Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts to others

Introjection

• Incorporating positive qualities of another person into their own ego to reduce feelings of inferiority

Fixation

• Fixations develop when psychic energy is blocked at one stage of development
• Results is difficulty in making psychological change

Sublimation

• Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities

Regression

• Reverting to earlier, more infantile modes of behavior

Reaction Formation

• Repression of one impulse and the ostentatious expression of its exact opposite

Displacement

• Redirecting unwanted urges onto other objects or people in order to disguise the original impulse

Stages of Psychosexual Development

• Developmental theory outlines five stages through which personality develops: infantile period, latency stage, and genital stage

Infantile Period

• Includes the oral stage, anal stage, and phallic stage

Oral Stage

• Occurs from 0-1 years
• Focus is on mouth-related pleasures such as sucking

Anal Stage

• Occurs from 1-3 years
• Focuses on control over bodily functions and issues of autonomy

Phallic Stage

• Occurs from 3-6 years
• Centers around the development of sexual identity and the Oedipus/Electra complex

Latency Stage

• Occurs from 6-12 years
• Involves dormant sexual energy and focus on socialization

Genital Stage

• Occurs 12+ years
• Involves mature sexual interests and establishment of relationships

Applications of Psychoanalysis

• Psychoanalytic therapy to bring unconscious material into consciousness through techniques
• Techniques: free association which involves encouraging patients to verbalize thoughts without censorship
• Freudian slips are also used and involve Freud believing that parapraxes, or so-called Freudian slips
• Another technique used, is dream analysis involving interpreting dreams to uncover unconscious desires including manifest and latent.

Critique of Freud's Theory

• Face criticism for sexism and overemphasis on sexuality
• Face criticism for lacking of empirical support
• Remains influential in understanding personality, mental disorders, and therapeutic interventions

Alfred Adler (Chapter 3)

Individual Psychology

• Utilizes a holistic approach
• Teleology over causality, social influence

Biography

• Born on February 7, 1870, in Vienna, Austria
• Endured early struggles as he was weak and sickly as a child
• Had a near-death experience with pneumonia
• Originally part of Freud's circle but later developed his own theories
• Died on May 28, 1937, from a heart attack in Scotland

Core Concepts of Adler's Theory

• People's subjective view of the world shapes behavior, not reality itself
• Motivation is derived from future-oriented goals, not just past experiences (fictional finalism-guiding self ideal)
• Cooperation with others contributes to society (social interest)

Inferiority and Compensation

• Inferiority complex is a deep feeling of inadequacy leading to overcompensation
• Superiority complex involves overcompensating for feelings of inferiority through arrogance
• There are four types of styles of life: ruling, getting, avoiding and socially useful

Ruling Type

• Dominant, aggressive

Getting Type

• Dependent on others

Avoiding Type

• Withdraws from challenges

Socially Useful

• Cooperative and socially interested

Organ Dialect

• Physical disorder to express style of life

Abnormal Development

Includes:

• Setting goals too high
• Having a dogmatic style of life and living in their own private world
• External Factors in Maladjustment

Abnormal Safeguarding Tendencies

• Excuses
• Aggression (depreciation or self-accusation)
• Withdrawal

Masculine Protest

• Overemphasizing the desirability of being manly

Conscious vs. Unconscious

• Adler downplayed the unconscious
• Believed people are aware of choices
• Focuses on the future rather than the past

Birth Order

• Influences personality: firstborns, second-borns, youngest, and only children

Applications of Adlerian Theory

• Family Constellations
• Psychotherapy involves developing social interest and overcoming feelings of inferiority
• Utilizes early recollections to understanding childhood memories

Dream Analysis

• Unlike Freud, dreams reflect current goals

Critique of Adler's Theory

• It is holistic and optimistic, emphasizing personal responsibility and social interest
• Weaknesses include lacking empirical validation and being too broad or vague
• His theory highlights the power of social connections and goal-oriented behavior

Carl Jung (Chapter 4)

Analytical Psychology

• Born: July 26, 1875, in Switzerland
• Worked with Eugen Bleuler, who was influenced by Freud
• Broke away from Freud due to differences in theories on the unconscious
• Developed Analytical Psychology, focused on mysticism, alchemy, spirituality

Levels of Psyche

• Include: conscious, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious

Conscious

• Thoughts and perceptions sensed by the ego

Personal Unconscious

• Repressed, forgotten, and subliminally perceived experiences

Collective Unconscious

• Inherited memories from ancestors, containing archetypes: persona, shadow, anima/animus, great mother, wise old man and hero

Persona

• Reflects our mask

Shadow

• Reflects the dark, hidden repressed side of the personality

Anima/Animus

• Feminine side in men (anima)
• Masculine side in women (animus)

Great Mother

• Nurturing but also destructive

Wise Old Man

• Wisdom and guidance,

Hero

• Represents the struggle against adversity

Self

• Represents unity and balance within the personality

Dynamics of Personality

• Causality & Teleology: Behavior is shaped by past experiences and future goals

Progression

• The psyche moves forward (progression)

Regression

• Moves backwards (regression) to maintain balance

Psychological Types

• Attitudes: introversion and extraversion
• Functions: thinking, feeling, sensing and intuiting

Introversion

• Inward focus on thoughts and emotions

Extraversion

• Outward focus on people and experiences

Thinking

• Logical decision-making

Feeling

• Emotional decision-making

Sensing

• Relying on facts and direct experience

Intuiting

• Relying on instincts and possibilities

Development of Personality

• Includes childhood, youth, middle life and old age

Childhood

• Involves ego development

Youth

• Involves establishing independence

Middle Life

• Involves a shift from external achievements to internal self-discovery

Old Age

• Involves reflection and integration of the self

Individuation

• The Ultimate Goal: the process of integrating all parts of personality to become a balanced individual."

Jung's Methods of Investigation

• Word association test to reveal hidden emptions
• Analyses of dreams to provide insight into the unconscious and archetypes
• Active imagination

Active Imagination

• Engage with their unconscious mind through storytelling or visualization

Psychotherapy

• Aimes for self-realization rather than symptom removal

Critique of Jung's Theory

• holistic, integrates philosophy, mythology, and culture
• Weaknesses: Too mystical, lacks empirical validation
• Influences modern personality tests (MBTI) and psychotherapy