…a symptom signifies the representation [of] a sexual situation. [However]
it would be better to say that at least one of the meanings of symptom is the
representation of a sexual fantasy, but that no such limitation is imposed upon
the content of its other meanings. Any one who takes up psychoanalytic work
will quickly discover that a symptom has more than one meaning and serves to
represent several unconscious mental processes simultaneously. And I should
like to add that in my estimation, a single unconscious mental process or fantasy
will scarcely ever suffice for the production of a symptom.
(Freud, (1905). Dora: An analysis of a case of hysteria, 1905, pp. 39-40)
Freud
Biographical Background
- born in 1856
- first child of a second marriage
- young, beautiful mother
- second child died when Freud was 19 mo. old; 4 sisters and a brother
born later
- idolized by his mother
- half brothers were grown men
- nephew playmate was one year older
- being Jewish limited his choice of profession
- became a doctor for practical reasons
- clients suffered from neurotic disorders
- began using Breuer's "talking cure"
- published The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900
- psychoanalysis is not a finished theory
- Freud continued to revise and develop it until he died in 1939
Origins of Psychoanalysis
- Breuer was sympathetic rather than punitive with neurotic patients
- used hypnosis to explore conflicts within the patient
- concluded the symptoms were caused by traumatic events
- recalling the events allowed catharsis, i.e., emotional release
- Freud successfully began using the
"talking cure"
- explored the technique and why it worked
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- patient had been unable to express strong emotion at the time of the
event
- emotion expressed in the symptom
- patient unconscious of the event and the emotions
- helping the patient remember was a long process
- inner force prevented awareness: resistance
- unconscious processes keep the memory repressed
- used free association: saying anything that comes to mind
- used interpretation of dreams and slips of the tongue
- both could reveal repressed unconscious material
Structure of the Personality
- Freud saw a self divided – diverse forces in inevitable conflict
- no sharply defined systems but fluid interactions
- takes into account the biological roots and the historical
development
Id (It) – oldest and original function
- drives, genetic makeup, reflexes, needs and wishes
- impersonal and uncontrollable
- tension reduction: pleasure principle
- primary process: forming an image of what can satisfy the
need
- wish fulfillment: satisfying a need through primary process
Ego (I) – evolves out of the id
- follows the reality principle
- secondary processes: tries to fulfill Id needs using realistic
thinking
- draws on the energy of the id
- "faithful servant" of the id
- the primary executor in a healthy adult
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Superego (Over – I)
- internalized values, ideals and moral standards
- develops during childhood dependency
- seeks moralistic solutions
- conscience: capacity for self-evaluation; creates feelings
of guilt
- ego-ideal: who we think we should be
- curbs the id when ego is still too weak
- can become a harsh taskmaster
Conscious vs. Unconscious
- adjectives, not locations
- the id is completely unconscious
- much of the ego and superego are also unconscious
- they may be dynamically unconscious
Theory of Psychosexual Development
- stages are associated with when certain behaviors naturally occur
- based on the assumption of infant sexuality
- sexuality was broader than reproductive activity
- included deriving pleasure from the body, and sublimation
- the stages describe a normative sequence of different modes for
gratifying sexual instinct
- sources of pleasure
- sources of potential conflict
- a child can become fixated at a particular stage
- when under stress, an adult may regress to childish behavior
- development moves from autoeroticism to reproductive sexuality
Oral Stage – birth to age one
- the mouth is the main source of information and of pleasure
- eating, sucking, biting/chewing
- prototypes for later behaviors and character traits
e.g., the gullible person; using "biting" humor;
gum chewing and smoking
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- two sources of conflict involve weaning and biting: may lead to a fixation
Anal Stage – 2nd and 3rd year of life
- pleasure is associated with expulsion or retention of feces
- often the first attempt to regulate instinctual impulses
- also when child begins to assert it's independence
- rigid, harsh training may lead child to rebel and hold back feces
- if this reaction generalizes, may develop a retentive character: obstinate
and stingy
- or child may vent rage by expelling inappropriately
- may become prototype for expulsive traits:
tantrums, destructiveness, messy disorderliness
Phallic Stage – 4th and 5th year
- the little boy wants to be the exclusive object of the mother's love
- his main rival is the father
- he wants to eliminate the father, and experiences guilt and fear because
of that
- the Oedipus complex is resolved when the little boy identifies with the
father, gaining the mother's love vicariously
- increased interest in gender differences
- genitals become the source of pleasure
- not associated with reproduction, but with autoeroticism
Latency Period
- a time of relative sexual calm
- sexual impulses are channeled into sports, intellectual interests and peer
relations
Genital Stage
- genital organs mature
- rebirth of sexual drive, now redirected to others
- mature people satisfy their sexual needs in socially approved ways
Freud based his theory on clinical observations and rigorous self-analysis.
Is Freud's theory testable? Can it be disconfirmed?
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