FREUD
FEATURES
 PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
 DEFENCE MECHANISMS
 DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY
Freud is the founder of psycho –analytical theory which is a mix
of biological and social and emotional motivation learning
theory linking to the development of personality
Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is probably the most well known
theorist when it comes to the development of personality.
Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development are, like other
stage theories, completed in a predetermined sequence and can
result in either successful completion or a healthy personality or
can result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality. This
theory is probably the most well known as well as the most
controversial, as Freud believed that we develop through stages
based upon a particular erogenous zone.
During each stage, an unsuccessful completion means that a child
becomes fixated on that particular erogenous zone and either over– or
under-indulges once he or she becomes an adult.
Early years follows three phases often overlapping
Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months). During the oral stage, the child if
focused on oral pleasures (sucking). Too much or too little gratification
can result in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is evidenced by a
preoccupation with oral activities. This type of personality may have a
stronger tendency to smoke, drink alcohol, over eat, or bite his or her
nails. Personality wise, these individuals may become overly dependent
upon others, gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they
may also fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression toward
others.
Anal Stage (18 months to three years). The child’s focus of pleasure in
this stage is on eliminating and retaining faeces (anus). Through society’s
pressure, mainly via parents, the child has to learn to control anal
stimulation. In terms of personality, after effects of an anal fixation
during this stage can result in an obsession with cleanliness, perfection,
and control (anal retentive). On the opposite end of the spectrum, they
may become messy and disorganized (anal expulsive).
Phallic Stage (ages three to six). The pleasure zone switches to the
genitals. Freud believed that during this stage boy develop unconscious
sexual desires for their mother. Because of this, he becomes rivals with
his father and sees him as competition for the mother’s affection. During
this time, boys also develop a fear that their father will punish them for
these feelings, such as by castrating them. This group of feelings is
known as Oedipus Complex (after the Greek Mythology figure who
accidentally killed his father and married his mother).
Later it was added that girls go through a similar situation, developing
unconscious sexual attraction to their father. Although Freud Strongly
disagreed with this, it has been termed the Electra Complex by more
recent psychoanalysts.
According to Freud, out of fear of castration and due to the strong
competition of his father, boys eventually decide to identify with him
rather than fight him. By identifying with his father, the boy develops
masculine characteristics and identifies himself as a male, and represses
his sexual feelings toward his mother. A fixation at this stage could result
in sexual deviancies (both overindulging and avoidance) and weak or
confused sexual identity according to psychoanalysts.
Latency Stage (age six to puberty). It’s during this stage that sexual urges
remain repressed and children interact and play mostly with same sex
peers.
Genital Stage (puberty on). The final stage of psychosexual development
begins at the start of puberty when sexual urges are once again awakened.
Through the lessons learned during the previous stages, adolescents direct
their sexual urges onto opposite sex peers, with the primary focus of
pleasure is the genitals.
Personality development
Freud believed that our mind consists of conscious,
preconscious and unconscious mind.
Our emotions and behaviour our driven by three parts to
our personality
The id, the ego and the super ego
The id is the ‘I want’ demands. Freud descried this as
the ‘pleasure principle' he believed we are born with
the ‘id’ it seeks to obtain pleasure and avoid pain. The
‘id’ is the dynamo that generates mental\energy. It is part
of our unconscious mind hidden from conscious
understanding. It contains our instincts our biological
drives, the ‘nature, part of us. In the newborn infant all
mental processes are id processes.
The ego is the part of the mind which operates according
to the ‘reality principle’ The ego is that part of
ourselves that develops from the id as a result from
experience and is the part of ourselves where conscious
thought takes place, it deals with the demands of the
external world
The super ego -contains rules and restrictions which
originally a child would have received from adults but in
due course become internalised. Freud believed that this
stage occurred when a child give up his/her opposite-sex
parent as a love object. The superego relies on the
morality principle
Defence Mechanisms – The ego is the decision making
part of our mind, the ego has to work out how to get on
with other people whilst coping with our unconscious.
The ego is under constant attack from the pressures of
the real world, if a person is to stay in good mental health
the ego must find a way of coping with all these
pressures Ego defence mechanisms are ways in which
they distort their understanding and memory in order to
protect their ego.
Repression – forcing unpleasant memories into
subconscious
Regressions – reverting to earlier times when faced with
threat
Denial – refusing to accept reality
Displacement – redirecting feelings to substitute
object/person
Projection – attributing own unacceptable feelings to
someone else
Sublimation – positive way of redirecting feelings and
behaviours
Rationalisation – justifying guilty feelings
Outline of Freud’s theory
� founder of modern psycho analytical theory - a mix
of biological and some learning motivating social and
emotional development/personality
� psycho sexual - early years follows 3 phases, often
overlapping - oral, anal and phallic. followed by
latency and genital
� mind consisted of conscious, pre conscious and
unconscious
� emotions and behaviour driven by id, ego and
super ego – biological drives to be
influenced/balanced by social pressures
� early experiences within first 4 years of family life
greatly influence personality development
� as basic needs are satisfied (influence of carer)
pleasure occurs and so becomes basic principle of life
� suppression/too much focus can be dangerous to
healthy development of personality
May be able to explain any of following terms –
� repression – forcing unpleasant memories into
subconscious
� regressions – reverting to earlier times when faced
with threat
� denial – refusing to accept reality
� displacement – redirecting feelings to substitute
object/person
� projection – attributing own unacceptable feelings
to someone else
� sublimation – positive way of redirecting
feelings/behaviours
� rationalisation – justifying guilty feelings
Describe three features of the Freud’s theory
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Link to settings – older people/residential homes
 Psycho- sexual stages – may be some fixation at
early years during any of the 3 stages oral, anal,
phallic – could explain extreme behaviours
 Personality distortion that the ego is under threat
from the ID or the super-ego
 The ego defence mechanisms are reverted and that
either too much – displacement or projection and
rationalisation
 Regression takes force in personality and revert to
childlike behaviours
Positive
No fixation
They can control the Id and super –ego
Use the ego defence mechanism to protest their ego
Criticisms of Freud
Methodology – he used his own experiences – to make
conclusions for example his mother was very young
compared to his father – his findings are now classed as
out of date – so how can his theory be relevant todaylacks temperal validity.
His theory is based on unscientific evidence and cannot
be proved – based on middle class women of the early
20th centaury.
Freud sees the child as passive with no active role –
based on the influence of parents only
His theory is only based on people thoughts rather than
influence of behaviours.