Personality: The Freudian Perspective
undefined
Personality
: refers
to an individual’s
unique
constellation of
consistent
behavioral traits
Used to explain
1)consistency in
behavior and
2)distinctiveness of
behavior
Personality trait
: a
durable disposition
to behave in a
particular way in a
variety of situations
Cattell concluded
that personality can
be described
completely by
measuring just 16
traits
McRae and Costa
1)
O
penness to
experience
2)
C
onscientiousness
3)
E
xtraversion
4)
A
greeableness
5)
N
euroticism
Def: include all the
diverse theories
descended from the
work of Sigmund
Freud, which focus
on unconscious
mental forces
Attempts to explain
personality,
motivation, and
psychological
disorders by focusing
on childhood
experiences, on
unconscious motives,
and methods used to
cope w/sexual and
aggressive urges
3 parts:
1)
Id
: primitive, instinctive component;
operates according to pleasure principle
2)
Ego
: decision-making component;
operates according to the reality principle
3)
Superego
: moral component; incorporates
social standards about what represents right
and wrong
Conscious
: whatever one is aware of at a
particular point in time
Preconscious
: material just beneath the
surface of awareness that can be easily
retrieved
Unconscious
: thoughts, memories, and
desires that are well beneath the surface of
conscious awareness but that nonetheless
exert great influence on behavior
Freud: people’s
lives are dominated
by conflicts that
center on sexual
and aggressive
impulses
Sexual and
aggressive desires
are thwarted more
often
Lingering conflicts
can produce anxiety
Worry about: 1) id
going out of control
and creating negative
consequences or
2)superego out of
control creating guilt
about a real or
imagined
transgression
Def: largely
unconscious
reactions that
protect a person
from unpleasant
emotions such as
anxiety or guilt
Rationalization
: creating false but plausible causes to
justify unacceptable behavior
Repression
: keeping distressing thoughts and
feelings buried in the unconscious
Projection
: attributing one’s own thoughts, feelings,
or motives to another
Displacement
: diverting emotional feelings (anger)
from original source to a substitute
Reaction Formation
: behaving opposite of what you
feel
Regression
: reverting to immature behavior
Identification
:
bolstering self-esteem by forming an
imaginary or real alliance with some person or group
Def: developmental
periods w/a
characteristic
sexual focus that
leave their mark on
adult personality
Fixation
: failure to
move forward from
one stage to
another as
expected
Oral stage
: 1
st
year;
erotic focus is the
mouth
Anal stage
: 2
nd
year; erotic
pleasure from
bowel movements
Phallic stage
: c. age
4; erotic focus on
the genital; self-
stimulation
Latency stage
:
expanding social
contacts beyond
the immediate
family
Genital stage
:
refocus on genitals,
channeled toward
peers
Unconscious has 2
layers
1)
Personal
unconscious
:
repressed or
forgotten material
2)
Collective
unconscious
: a
storehouse of latent
memory traces
inherited from
people’s ancestral
past
People share an
unconscious
Archetypes
:
emotionally
charged images
and thought forms
that have universal
meaning
1
st
to describe
Introverts
:
preoccupied w/the
internal world of
their own thoughts,
feelings, and
experiences
Extraverts
:
interested in
external world of
people and things
Striving for
superiority
:
a
universal drive to
adapt, improve
oneself, and master
life’s challenges
Compensation
:
involves efforts to
overcome imagined
or real inferiorities by
developing one’s
abilities
Excessive feelings
of inferiority leads
to an
inferiority
complex
People
overcompensate
and pursue status
and power over
others
Unconscious forces can influence behavior
Internal conflict often plays a key role in
generating psychological distress
Early childhood experiences can have
powerful influences on adult personality
People do use defense mechanisms to reduce
unpleasant emotions
Criticisms:
Poor testability—ideas too vague to test
Inadequate evidence
Sexism—a bias against women exists
Personality refers to an individual's unique behavioral traits, which can be categorized into specific traits like openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Various theories, including Freud's psychoanalytic theory, attempt to explain personality by focusing on unconscious forces, childhood experiences, and coping mechanisms. Freud emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and believed that human behavior is influenced by unconscious motives and conflicts related to sexual and aggressive impulses.
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Presentation Transcript
Personality: refers to an individual s unique constellation of consistent behavioral traits Used to explain 1)consistency in behavior and 2)distinctiveness of behavior
Personality trait: a durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations Cattell concluded that personality can be described completely by measuring just 16 traits
McRae and Costa 1) O Openness to experience 2) C Conscientiousness 3) E Extraversion 4) A Agreeableness 5) N Neuroticism
Def: include all the diverse theories descended from the work of Sigmund Freud, which focus on unconscious mental forces
Attempts to explain personality, motivation, and psychological disorders by focusing on childhood experiences, on unconscious motives, and methods used to cope w/sexual and aggressive urges
3 parts: 1) Id: primitive, instinctive component; operates according to pleasure principle 2) Ego: decision-making component; operates according to the reality principle 3) Superego: moral component; incorporates social standards about what represents right and wrong
Conscious: whatever one is aware of at a particular point in time Preconscious: material just beneath the surface of awareness that can be easily retrieved Unconscious: thoughts, memories, and desires that are well beneath the surface of conscious awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior
Freud: peoples lives are dominated by conflicts that center on sexual and aggressive impulses Sexual and aggressive desires are thwarted more often
Lingering conflicts can produce anxiety Worry about: 1) id going out of control and creating negative consequences or 2)superego out of control creating guilt about a real or imagined transgression
Def: largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety or guilt
Rationalization: creating false but plausible causes to justify unacceptable behavior Repression: keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious Projection: attributing one s own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another Displacement: diverting emotional feelings (anger) from original source to a substitute Reaction Formation: behaving opposite of what you feel Regression: reverting to immature behavior Identification: bolstering self-esteem by forming an imaginary or real alliance with some person or group
Def: developmental periods w/a characteristic sexual focus that leave their mark on adult personality Fixation: failure to move forward from one stage to another as expected
Oral stage: 1styear; erotic focus is the mouth Anal stage: 2nd year; erotic pleasure from bowel movements Phallic stage: c. age 4; erotic focus on the genital; self- stimulation
Latency stage: expanding social contacts beyond the immediate family Genital stage: refocus on genitals, channeled toward peers
Unconscious has 2 layers 1) Personal unconscious: repressed or forgotten material 2) Collective unconscious: a storehouse of latent memory traces inherited from people s ancestral past
People share an unconscious Archetypes: emotionally charged images and thought forms that have universal meaning
1stto describe Introverts: preoccupied w/the internal world of their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences Extraverts: interested in external world of people and things
Striving for superiority: a universal drive to adapt, improve oneself, and master life s challenges Compensation: involves efforts to overcome imagined or real inferiorities by developing one s abilities
Excessive feelings of inferiority leads to an inferiority complex People overcompensate and pursue status and power over others
Unconscious forces can influence behavior Internal conflict often plays a key role in generating psychological distress Early childhood experiences can have powerful influences on adult personality People do use defense mechanisms to reduce unpleasant emotions
Criticisms: Poor testability ideas too vague to test Inadequate evidence Sexism a bias against women exists
