Discussion 4 Guide Freud2 (2020)Cont... (2024) (1).pptx

The dynamic interaction of Id, Ego, Superego - Ego is tasked with containing the 'conflict' and finding a balance between the demands of both the id and the - Aim: superego to keep them congruent with the conditions of external reality - Ego strength: the ability of the ego to mod...

The dynamic interaction of Id, Ego, Superego - Ego is tasked with containing the 'conflict' and finding a balance between the demands of both the id and the - Aim: superego to keep them congruent with the conditions of external reality - Ego strength: the ability of the ego to moderate and to deal with opposing forces of the id, superego, and social reality. Role of defences - Conflict leads to anxiety, and the ego employs defence mechanisms - Operate unconsciously - Repression is the cornerstone of the defences, with all other defences arising out of its workings Example: Anger may be repressed. However, anger may be extreme, and the individual employs additional defences which range from infantile: Denial- "I'm not angry..." Projection - "It is you who is angry!" Reaction formation- "I'm inordinately peaceful!" To more mature: Intellectualization- "One is only angry when there has been a sufficient amount of frustration to warrant tension release... " Rationalization- "I'm only angry because you provoked me."  Critique of Freud's developmental theory - Freud's work lacks experimental support and is unverifiable by normal methods of science - Cannot be thought of as scientifically true - However, there appears to be some consensus with regards to the evidence of the influence of concepts such as the 'unconscious' - Also, influence of early childhood experiences on adult behaviour have been broadly researched - Freud's theories exhibit a strong cultural bias as they emerged from a particular socio-cultural and historical location What was the influence of the social and political context? - Perhaps his emphasis on sexuality was a product of his time in history. - Can these theories be said to be universal, as Freud claimed? - Psychoanalytical understanding of class, ethnicity, ageing, etc, require further research. - Note issues of culture-based gendered development vis-a-vis Freud's. views - Freud's view of the unconscious as the main force that drives our behaviour has been criticised as overly deterministic. - Theories tend to reduce the finest qualities of human achievements to unconscious instinctual motivation. - There is no role for agency... or for those aspects that are regarded as driven by 'will'. - However, according to Freud, the psyche is dynamic, and always attempts to negotiate and re-negotiate itself in relation to both internal and external realities