PROBLEM 1
What is the personality structure? What are fixations?
Freud introduced the topographical model of mind to explain how it´s
organized. It consist of conscious, preconscious (memories), and unconscious.
He believed that the unconscious is the one that operates personality. He also
stated a structural model of personality composed by the id, ego, and super
ego. The id is the instinctive aspect of personality that follows the pleasure
principle (immediate satisfaction) and satisfies it by the primary process
(mental image of the object or event that will satisfy that need). The ego is in
charged that the impulses of the id are expressed in a socially accepted way. It
will follow the reality principle (taking into account the internal and the
external needs) via secondary process (finding a real way or object to satisfy
the id urge with the mental image formed in the primary process). The super
ego is formed by the parental (introjection) and social values. It is divided in
the ego ideal (rules for good behavior and excellence) and conscience
(behaviors that parents would approve or disapprove). The super ego has three
goals 1) prevent the id impulse so our parents will not be disappointed on how
we act 2) forces the ego to act morally rather than rationally 3) strives for one
´s perfection.
Freud thought the personality developed throughout psychosexual stages.
Each is associated with an erogenous zone and if the conflict is not well
resolved, some energy stays in that stage and creates fixations (characteristic
reactions from stress), and when people face stress that they can’t manage it
leads to regression. The stages are:
a) Oral stage (0-18 months): associated with the mouth and lips. It is
divided in oral incorporative phase (the baby explores the world with its
mouth and its fully dependent on others) and the oral sadistic phase
(pleasure comes from biting and chewing and determines aggressive
behavior).
b) Anal stage (18 months-3 years): the erogenous zone is the anus and
pleasure comes from defecation. The personality characteristics that
result from this stage depends on the parent´s approach with toilet
training. If it was focused on elimination and rewards which convinces
the child of producing things at the right time and place, or with
punishment. The child can become rebellious (anal expulsive) which will
result in hostile personality or not going to the bathroom at all (anal
retentive) resulting in a rigid and obsessive personality.
c) Phallic stage (3-5 years): the erogenous zone are the genitals. In this
phase the Oedipus and Electra complex happens. In the Oedipus, the
boy falls in love with his mother and hates his father, but because of the
fear of castration he then identifies with the father. In the Electra, the girl
loves her mother but when she realizes she doesn’t have a penis she
hates her mother and goes to her father in hopes of fulfilling the “penis
void”. Then she identifies with her mother to find a boy that will fulfill
those needs just like his father. Fixations for boys in this stage include
, showing off their success and have a lot of children or sex, while girls
want attention and flirt a lot but don’t have sex.
d) Latency stage (6-adolescence): relaxation
e) Genital stage (adolescence-adulthood): the earlier stage was narcissist
and now the desire will develop to share mutual sexual gratification with
someone.
What factors drive our behavior? What causes a built up and the lashing out?
Freud believed the activity of all people was motivated by psychic energy. This
energy came from the instinct of life (libido) and death (Thanatos). There are
two classes of drives which is the Eros and the Thanatos. The Eros is the drive
for survival, reproduction, and pleasure, while the Thanatos drives to end the
conflicts inside us by one´s death. The tension between this two drives is called
catharsis, there is a point where the tension is too much so it has to release.
Thus aggression is a result. The difference between eros and libdio is that eros
is the instinct and libido is the energy that drives it. Motivational
determinism states that there is a reason for every action. Freud
distinguished three types of anxiety: reality anxiety (caused by real
dangerous situations), neurotic anxiety (fear of the punishment when the id
gets out of our control), and moral anxiety (fear when a value is violated).
When confronted with anxiety, the ego increases the problem-oriented copying
efforts or used defense mechanisms. When the defense mechanism become a
problem, it affects the ability to maintain a relationship and to be productive.
Why do people act in different ways to what they think?
The defense mechanisms operate unconsciously and they all distort reality in
different ways.
Repression: block information that is painful. You can partially hide it (not
think about it often) or forget it. It deals with inner conflict threats.
Suppression: block information that is painful. Is conscious.
Denial: refuse to believe something happened. It deals with external
threats.
Projection: putting our own unacceptable characteristics to someone
else. It has two purposes which are that we relieves the desire one way
or the other and does so without the ego and super ego recognize that it
belongs to us.
Rationalization: finding a rational explanation or excuse for an
unacceptable behavior. For example, I had to rob because I don’t have
enough money to buy food.
Intellectualization: thinking about threats in a cold and analytical way.
For example, my husband has cancer so I become an expert in cancer.
Displacement: directing the impulse from the originate source/person to
another. For example, I get mad with the stress at work so when I get
home I get mad at my boyfriend
What is the personality structure? What are fixations?
Freud introduced the topographical model of mind to explain how it´s
organized. It consist of conscious, preconscious (memories), and unconscious.
He believed that the unconscious is the one that operates personality. He also
stated a structural model of personality composed by the id, ego, and super
ego. The id is the instinctive aspect of personality that follows the pleasure
principle (immediate satisfaction) and satisfies it by the primary process
(mental image of the object or event that will satisfy that need). The ego is in
charged that the impulses of the id are expressed in a socially accepted way. It
will follow the reality principle (taking into account the internal and the
external needs) via secondary process (finding a real way or object to satisfy
the id urge with the mental image formed in the primary process). The super
ego is formed by the parental (introjection) and social values. It is divided in
the ego ideal (rules for good behavior and excellence) and conscience
(behaviors that parents would approve or disapprove). The super ego has three
goals 1) prevent the id impulse so our parents will not be disappointed on how
we act 2) forces the ego to act morally rather than rationally 3) strives for one
´s perfection.
Freud thought the personality developed throughout psychosexual stages.
Each is associated with an erogenous zone and if the conflict is not well
resolved, some energy stays in that stage and creates fixations (characteristic
reactions from stress), and when people face stress that they can’t manage it
leads to regression. The stages are:
a) Oral stage (0-18 months): associated with the mouth and lips. It is
divided in oral incorporative phase (the baby explores the world with its
mouth and its fully dependent on others) and the oral sadistic phase
(pleasure comes from biting and chewing and determines aggressive
behavior).
b) Anal stage (18 months-3 years): the erogenous zone is the anus and
pleasure comes from defecation. The personality characteristics that
result from this stage depends on the parent´s approach with toilet
training. If it was focused on elimination and rewards which convinces
the child of producing things at the right time and place, or with
punishment. The child can become rebellious (anal expulsive) which will
result in hostile personality or not going to the bathroom at all (anal
retentive) resulting in a rigid and obsessive personality.
c) Phallic stage (3-5 years): the erogenous zone are the genitals. In this
phase the Oedipus and Electra complex happens. In the Oedipus, the
boy falls in love with his mother and hates his father, but because of the
fear of castration he then identifies with the father. In the Electra, the girl
loves her mother but when she realizes she doesn’t have a penis she
hates her mother and goes to her father in hopes of fulfilling the “penis
void”. Then she identifies with her mother to find a boy that will fulfill
those needs just like his father. Fixations for boys in this stage include
, showing off their success and have a lot of children or sex, while girls
want attention and flirt a lot but don’t have sex.
d) Latency stage (6-adolescence): relaxation
e) Genital stage (adolescence-adulthood): the earlier stage was narcissist
and now the desire will develop to share mutual sexual gratification with
someone.
What factors drive our behavior? What causes a built up and the lashing out?
Freud believed the activity of all people was motivated by psychic energy. This
energy came from the instinct of life (libido) and death (Thanatos). There are
two classes of drives which is the Eros and the Thanatos. The Eros is the drive
for survival, reproduction, and pleasure, while the Thanatos drives to end the
conflicts inside us by one´s death. The tension between this two drives is called
catharsis, there is a point where the tension is too much so it has to release.
Thus aggression is a result. The difference between eros and libdio is that eros
is the instinct and libido is the energy that drives it. Motivational
determinism states that there is a reason for every action. Freud
distinguished three types of anxiety: reality anxiety (caused by real
dangerous situations), neurotic anxiety (fear of the punishment when the id
gets out of our control), and moral anxiety (fear when a value is violated).
When confronted with anxiety, the ego increases the problem-oriented copying
efforts or used defense mechanisms. When the defense mechanism become a
problem, it affects the ability to maintain a relationship and to be productive.
Why do people act in different ways to what they think?
The defense mechanisms operate unconsciously and they all distort reality in
different ways.
Repression: block information that is painful. You can partially hide it (not
think about it often) or forget it. It deals with inner conflict threats.
Suppression: block information that is painful. Is conscious.
Denial: refuse to believe something happened. It deals with external
threats.
Projection: putting our own unacceptable characteristics to someone
else. It has two purposes which are that we relieves the desire one way
or the other and does so without the ego and super ego recognize that it
belongs to us.
Rationalization: finding a rational explanation or excuse for an
unacceptable behavior. For example, I had to rob because I don’t have
enough money to buy food.
Intellectualization: thinking about threats in a cold and analytical way.
For example, my husband has cancer so I become an expert in cancer.
Displacement: directing the impulse from the originate source/person to
another. For example, I get mad with the stress at work so when I get
home I get mad at my boyfriend
