The Psychodynamic
Perspective:
Neo-Freudians
Neo-Freudians
•
Followers of Freud’s theories but
developed theories of their own in areas
where they disagreed with Freud
• Disagreed with Freud in his belief that:
1. Behavior is motivated by sexual urges
2. Personality is formed by early childhood
experiences
3. Human nature and society are inherently
driven by sex and destruction.
Post-Freudian
Psychodynamic Theories
The Neo-Freudians
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Carl Jung’s collective unconscious
Karen Horney’s focus on security
Erik Erikson focus social relationships
Alfred Adler’s individual psychology
Carl Jung (Yoong)(1875-1961)
• Rejected Freud’s assertion that human
behavior is directed by sex &
aggression.
•Believed that humans share a collective unconscious—
concepts shared by all people across all cultures.
- “The whole spiritual heritage of mankind’s evolution born anew in
the brain structure of every individual.”
•Archetypes – ideas and images of the accumulated experience
of all human beings
-powerful father, nurturing mother, witch, wise old man,
innocent child, death & rebirth, etc…
•These images are in our unconsciousness and influence our thoughts
and feelings forming the foundation of our personality.
Karen Horney (HORN-eye)(1885-1952)
• Agreed with Freud that childhood experiences played a
major role in development as an adult but thought that the
greatest influence was social relationships not sexual ones.
• Found psychoanalysis negatively biased against women.
– Women didn’t have “penis envy” it was instead that they envied
men’s superior status in society.
– Instead said men have “womb envy” and compensate by making
creative achievements in their work.
Karen Horney
• Looked at anxiety related to security and social
relationships, especially parent-child
relationships.
• Basic anxiety— “the feeling of being isolated and
helpless in a hostile world” – happens when not
treated as you should be by parents
• This will lead to hostility towards parents that is
repressed.
• Way to get healthy was to find genuine and
consistent love.
Alfred Adler (1870-1937)
• Agreed with Freud on the importance of
early childhood but thought social tensions
were more important than sexual tensions
• Believed psychological problems were the
result of feelings of inferiority
• Inferiority Complex - A condition that
comes from being unable to compensate
for normal inferiority feelings
Alfred Adler
• Most fundamental human motive is striving for superiority
• Arises from universal feelings of inferiority that are
experienced during childhood
• People compensate for their weaknesses by emphasizing
their talents and abilities or by working hard to improve
themselves.
• If unable to compensate or when feelings of inferiority are
too great a inferiority complex can result where person feels
inadequate, weak & helpless and are unable to try to
improve.
• If people overcompensate for their feelings of inferiority
then they develop a superiority complex where one
exaggerates achievements and importance to cover up their
own limitations.
Erik Erikson
• Emphasized mother-infant relationship
• Ego has more power than Freud believed – We
have more decision making choices in our lives
• Developed an 8 stage developmental theory of
personality that dealt with different conflicts one
faces as one grows up.
– Example: Trust vs. Mistrust is the first conflict infants
must overcome to be healthy.
Evaluating & Updating
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
Evaluation of Psychoanalysis
• Evidence is inadequate— Freud’s data is developed from a
small number of upper class patients or from self-analysis.
– All of Freud’s data was from him so was he imposing his own
ideas onto his patients or seeing only what he expected to see?
• Theory is not testable—lack of operational definitions and
no way to measure results. Good at explaining the past but
not at prediction.
– Many psychoanalytic concepts impossible to disprove because
even contradictory information can be used to support Freud’s
theory.
• Sexism—believed that women were weak and inferior.
Used male psychology as basis for all people
– Said women were more vain, masochistic, and jealous than men
and influence more by their emotions and had a lesser moral and
ethical sense than men.
Updating Freud’s Theory
• Most psychodynamic psychologists agree:
– Sex is not the basis of personality.
– People do not “fixate” at various stages of
development.
– Much of a person’s mental life is unconscious.
– Childhood experiences shape us socially and
psychologically.
– People struggle with inner conflicts and regulating their
impulses, emotions and thoughts toward what society
deems acceptable.