Module 31Psychodynamic Approaches to Personality
Chapter 10, Pages 390-400Essentials of Understanding Psychology- Sixth Edition
PSY110 Psychology
© Richard Goldman
November 8, 2006
Personality
The pattern of enduring characteristics that differentiate people.
Behaviors that make each individual unique.
Psychodynamic Approach to Personality
Pioneered by Sigmund Freud Personality and behavior is motivated by inner forces
and conflicts. People have little awareness or control of these
forces. The unconscious portion of the mind is composed of a
vast store of memories, knowledge, beliefs, and feelings that influence our personality and behavior.
Understanding (Psychodynamic) Personality Must expose the unconscious to understand it.
The unconscious disguises the meaning of its contents and cannot be viewed directly.
The unconscious is disguised to protect us from the pain and conflict within it.
To learn about the unconscious we must interpret: Dreams Fantasies Slips of the tongue (Freudian slips)
Preconscious – A portion of the unconscious composed of unthreatening knowledge (2+2=4)
The Structure of (Psychodynamic) Personality
Id, ego, and superego are abstract concepts that describe the forces of the mind. Id – Primitive drive
Pleasure Principle Hunger Sex Aggression
Ego – Conforms behavior to environment Reality Principle
Makes decisions and Controls actions Balances primitive drive of id Balances over-idealistic superego
Superego – Right & Wrong Conscious
Make us feel guilty Prevents immoral behavior Helps control id
Ego-Ideal Strive for perfection Drives us to be behave morally
Freud’s Model of Personality Structure
Psychodynamic Development of Personality Focused on major biological functions:
Each function is related to a sexual concern Fixation occurs when there is over indulgence or
frustration at a particular stage
Oral Stage of Development
(0-15mo) Pleasure from sucking,
eating, mouthing, biting Fixations:
Eating Talking Smoking Sarcastic or Gullible
Anal Stage of Development
(15mo-3yr) Pleasure from retention and expulsion of feces Fixations:
Overly rigid Orderly Punctual Disorderly & sloppy
Phallic
(3yr-5yr) Pleasure from fondling genitals Fixations:
“Improper” sexual identity No conscious
Psychopath Sociopath
Latency – (5yr-Puberty)
No sexual concerns during this period Fixations: none
Genital – (Puberty-Death)
Pleasure from sexual intercourse Fixations: none
Oedipal & Electra Conflicts Boys - Oedipal:
Has sexual interest in mother Sees father as rival & wishes
to kill him Views father as too powerful Fears father will retaliate by
cutting off his penis (castration anxiety)
Castration anxiety caused son to repress desire for mother
Son then identifies with father.
Girl - Electra: Has sexual interest in father Develops penis envy Blame mother for lack of
penis (mother is responsible for her castration)
Resolves these unacceptable feeling by identifying with mother
Defense Mechanisms
Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety Anxiety – intense, negative emotional experience
from a real threat Neurotic anxiety – irrational anxiety from fear of
uncontrollable id Neurosis – occurs with the exaggerated use of
defense mechanisms.
Types of Defense Mechanisms Repression – Primary defense mechanism – blocking
unpleasant or unacceptable thoughts Regression – Behave as if in earlier stage of development Displacement – Redirect unwanted feelings to weaker
individual Rationalization – Create self-justifications Denial – Refuse to accept or acknowledge the truth Projection – Attribute your feeling to someone else Sublimation – Diverting unwanted feeling in socially
acceptable behaviors Reaction Formation – Unconscious thoughts are
expressed as their opposite
Problems with Freudian Theories Lack of supporting scientific evidence
(unobservable abstract concepts) Freud’s theories of development do not fit all
individuals (personalities sometimes change) Can not use Freud’s theories to predict behavior
(Can not tell if anal fixation will produce messy or orderly individual)
Freud viewed women as inferior to men Freud’s theories were derived from a limited
population (early 1900’s Austrian women)
Neo-Freudian Psychoanalyst
Less emphasis on sex More emphasis on society and culture
Carl Jung
Collective Unconscious – Inherited from parents Ideas Feelings Images Symbols
Archetypes – Universal representations of particular people Mother Good Evil
Alfred Alder
Emphasis on the quest for self-improvement and perfection.
Inferiority Complex – Phrase coined by Alder to describe the feeling children feel when they compare themselves to adults.
Karen Horney
Focused on social and cultural factors Supported woman’s rights
Other Neo-Freudians
Anna Freud (Sigmund Freud’s daughter)
Erik Erikson