In this essay Freud sets out his theory of psychosexual development. He asserts that there is in all humans an innate drive or instinct for pleasure, a sort of psychic energy, which he calls the libido and this energy needs to be discharged. He then goes on to describe how this drive finds outlet at the earliest stages of life, as babies, toddlers and infants and describes the oral, anal and phallic stages and the psychological effects of fixation at these stages. It is important to note that Freud separated sexual aims and objectives. His work on sexuality and perversions led to the wider theory of sexuality whereby he differentiated the sexual aim (the desire for pleasure) and the object (the person or thing used to fulfil the desire).
Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic approach to abnormality The psychodynamic approach assumes that experiences in our earliest years can affect our emotions, attitudes and behaviour in later years without us being aware that it is happening. Freud suggested the mind or psyche has three parts: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. Freud suggested that individuals can never be aware of the contents of the unconscious. Freud argued that childhood experiences play a crucial part in adult development, including the development of adult personality. Every child must pass through the so-called psycho-sexual stages; how a child experiences these stages plays a crucial role in the development of his/her personality.
This means early experiences play a critical role in our lives. Freud believed the human mind has both unconscious and conscious areas. The unconscious part is seen as being dominated by the id, a primitive part of the human personality that seeks only gratification and pleasure. It isn’t concerned with social rules, only with self-gratification and it is driven by the ‘pleasure principle.’ It is said psychopaths are ID led. The disregard for our consequences of behaviour is referred to as ‘primary process thinking’.
Psychoanalysis was sprung up and dully applied as a psychological problem solving method by Sigmund Freud. Nevertheless, Psychoanalysis indicates that development are completely dependent on the comatose mind. Psychoanalysis holds that early life know-hows are very important in development. In the process of talking to his patients about their problems, Freud realized that their problems were an offshoot of their experiences in life. According to Sigmund Freud, as children grow up pleasure and sexual impulses shifts from the mouth to the anus and gradually shifts to the genitals.
Anthony S Brzenski 64021 BCJ 501 Criminological Theory Unit # 2 Question # 1 Freud had been criticized for the central role played in his theory by psychosexual development. Examine the role of psychosexual development as described by Freud. Next, indicate whether you believe that the critics are correct and evaluate the basis of your decision. Sigmund Freud was a Viennese Physician who opined that parents had a crucial role in managing their children’s sexual development that we develop through five stages of psychosexual development with pleasure focused on one specific region of the body during each stage. Freud believed the personality consisted of three interworking parts the id, ego, and superego.
Psychodynamic counselling places a great emphasis in exploring the types of feelings and dilemmas that have caused difficulties in a person’s everyday life. Freud had several assumptions explaining the main features of the psychodynamic approach. He assumed that emotional problems have originated from childhood experiences and people are usually not conscious or aware of the true nature of such experiences. He also assumed that the use of counselling the unconscious matter may become known through a transference reaction or even dreams and fantasy (as cited in McLeod, 2008, pg. 91).
This is the start development of ego and super ego. This is around the time the child starts school and is the awakening sexual energy. The final stage is Genital Stage which starts from puberty to adult hood. During this final stage the child is no longer a child and develops a strong sexual interest in the opposite sex. This last stage is very different form the other stages Freud explains.
Sigmund Freud differed from B.F. Skinner in terms of approaching human behavior. Sigmund Freud was a psychodynamic psychologist. His idea about human behavior and development shows that behavior throughout life is motivated by inner, unconscious forces, stemming from childhood, over which people have little control. He focused on the realm of the unconscious mind and the defense mechanism of repression. He created the clinical practice of psychoanalysis for curing the mind ailment-psychopathology.
You could view children becoming abusers themselves via Freud's ego and super ego theory, which it could be argued that in early development a child sees the way to get what they want and or need via coersion, violence, complaining, yelling, or how ever the child perceives the parent obtaining that which they want. We could also argue from Erikson's psychosocial stages that the children are not being taught what correct hope, will, love, trust, fidelity, care and wisdom truly are. My personal theory is that if we look into Bandura's social learning theory that can give us a better understanding of the development of children into adult abusers or victims. “Children learn to hit by watching other people in real life and on television. Adults learn job skills by observing or being shown them by others.” (Bandura, A.)
Psychodynamic theory includes all theories in the field of psychology that focuses on “functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious between the different structures of the personality” (McLeod, 2007). The assumptions to psychodynamic approach is; unconscious motive, childhood experiences, and causes of behaviors. In the psychodynamic assumption of unconscious motives the belief is that behavior and thinking