View of Human Nature 🧬
Deterministic stance: behaviour is driven by
irrational forces
unconscious motivations
biological & instinctual drives
Human nature in psychoanalytic theory is seen as largely shaped by forces outside
conscious awareness.
Instincts: Libido, Life & Death ⚡
Libido – sexual energy that fuels much of mental life.
Life instincts – promote survival, growth, development, creativity.
Death instincts – generate aggressive drives; represent a major challenge to
humanity.
Structure of Personality 🏗️
The three agencies of the mind overlap like the three arches in the diagram below, each
serving a distinct function.
The overlapping arches metaphorically depict how the Id, Ego, and Superego interact,
with the central (lightest) arch representing the balancing Ego.
Agency Metaphor Core Features Governing
Principle
Id The Demanding Seat of instincts; Pleasure principle
Child blind, demanding, – seeks immediate
inconsistent; gratification, avoids
present at birth pain
, Ego The Traffic Cop Executive that Reality principle –
regulates mediates id
personality; plans impulses with
realistic actions; external reality
seat of intelligence
Superego The Judge Internalized Moral principle –
parental & societal generates guilt and
standards; strives conscience
for perfection;
inhibits id
The Unconscious 🕳️
Clinical evidence for postulating the unconscious includes:
Dreams – symbolic narratives of repressed wishes.
Slips of the tongue & forgetting – accidental disclosures of hidden material.
Post‑hypnotic suggestions – behaviors triggered without conscious
awareness.
Free association – spontaneous speech reveals buried thoughts.
Projective techniques – ambiguous stimuli elicit unconscious content.
Symbolic content of psychotic symptoms – overtly distorted reality reflects
underlying drives.
Anxiety 😰
Anxiety – a state of tension that motivates action, arising from conflict among the id,
ego, and superego.
Type Source of Fear
Reality anxiety External danger from the world.
Neurotic anxiety Fear that instinctual urges will lead to
punishment.
Moral anxiety Fear of violating one’s conscience or
internalized standards.
, When rational coping fails, the ego resorts to defense mechanisms.
Ego‑Defense Mechanisms 🛡️
Mechanism Brief Definition
Repression Excluding threatening thoughts from
awareness.
Denial Refusing to acknowledge an unwanted
reality.
Reaction formation Acting opposite to an unacceptable
impulse.
Projection Attributing one’s own unacceptable
desires to others.
Displacement Redirecting emotion toward a safer target.
Rationalization Providing logical excuses for unacceptable
behavior.
Sublimation Channeling sexual/aggressive energy into
socially valued activities.
Regression Reverting to earlier developmental
behaviours.
Introjection Incorporating the values of others as one’s
own.
Identification Aligning with another to boost self‑worth.
Compensation Overdeveloping a strength to mask a
weakness.
Psychosexual Development Stages 📅
Stage Age Range Primary Conflict /
Outcome
Deterministic stance: behaviour is driven by
irrational forces
unconscious motivations
biological & instinctual drives
Human nature in psychoanalytic theory is seen as largely shaped by forces outside
conscious awareness.
Instincts: Libido, Life & Death ⚡
Libido – sexual energy that fuels much of mental life.
Life instincts – promote survival, growth, development, creativity.
Death instincts – generate aggressive drives; represent a major challenge to
humanity.
Structure of Personality 🏗️
The three agencies of the mind overlap like the three arches in the diagram below, each
serving a distinct function.
The overlapping arches metaphorically depict how the Id, Ego, and Superego interact,
with the central (lightest) arch representing the balancing Ego.
Agency Metaphor Core Features Governing
Principle
Id The Demanding Seat of instincts; Pleasure principle
Child blind, demanding, – seeks immediate
inconsistent; gratification, avoids
present at birth pain
, Ego The Traffic Cop Executive that Reality principle –
regulates mediates id
personality; plans impulses with
realistic actions; external reality
seat of intelligence
Superego The Judge Internalized Moral principle –
parental & societal generates guilt and
standards; strives conscience
for perfection;
inhibits id
The Unconscious 🕳️
Clinical evidence for postulating the unconscious includes:
Dreams – symbolic narratives of repressed wishes.
Slips of the tongue & forgetting – accidental disclosures of hidden material.
Post‑hypnotic suggestions – behaviors triggered without conscious
awareness.
Free association – spontaneous speech reveals buried thoughts.
Projective techniques – ambiguous stimuli elicit unconscious content.
Symbolic content of psychotic symptoms – overtly distorted reality reflects
underlying drives.
Anxiety 😰
Anxiety – a state of tension that motivates action, arising from conflict among the id,
ego, and superego.
Type Source of Fear
Reality anxiety External danger from the world.
Neurotic anxiety Fear that instinctual urges will lead to
punishment.
Moral anxiety Fear of violating one’s conscience or
internalized standards.
, When rational coping fails, the ego resorts to defense mechanisms.
Ego‑Defense Mechanisms 🛡️
Mechanism Brief Definition
Repression Excluding threatening thoughts from
awareness.
Denial Refusing to acknowledge an unwanted
reality.
Reaction formation Acting opposite to an unacceptable
impulse.
Projection Attributing one’s own unacceptable
desires to others.
Displacement Redirecting emotion toward a safer target.
Rationalization Providing logical excuses for unacceptable
behavior.
Sublimation Channeling sexual/aggressive energy into
socially valued activities.
Regression Reverting to earlier developmental
behaviours.
Introjection Incorporating the values of others as one’s
own.
Identification Aligning with another to boost self‑worth.
Compensation Overdeveloping a strength to mask a
weakness.
Psychosexual Development Stages 📅
Stage Age Range Primary Conflict /
Outcome
