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’.
However, the thoughts which are formed in the unconscious are governed by the Ego, the conscious part of the brain. The Superego controls the Id (the unconscious) drive through guilt. The three parts work together in the psychodynamic approach by affecting individual personalities. Psychodynamic psychology concentrates its focus on the core of what a person may be thinking, as a focus to understand one’s relationship with others. 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 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was created to help measure the needs for power, intimacy, and achievement in regards to motivation. The motivational view I agree with the least is the psychoanalytic view. “The psychoanalytic view of human motivation suggests that behavior is ultimately determined by unconscious sexual and aggressive drives and by the complex intrapsychic conflicts that arise in daily life.” (Pinel, J.P.J. 2008. p. 299). Freud had some beliefs that I believe have been outdated and further researched since his time.
In psychology people such as Freud, Maslow and Rogers play an important role in understanding the self, whereas society can be explained by sociological figures such as Durkheim in sociology. The psychologist, Freud’s theory of personality suggests that our personality is structured by the interactions of our id, superego and ego. The id being our pleasure principle; it is the selfish part of our self and causes us to desire things such as food and sex. It is an unconscious part of our personality and present from birth. The superego is our morality principle which we develop from three to six years old, it helps us to define the difference between right and wrong and Freud suggested that it is often in conflict with the id.
Psychodynamic Theories Introduction goes here. Key Figures Sigmund Freud The father of psychoanalysis, Freud based his theories on the unconscious mind, infantile sexuality and the Oedipal complex, and repression. In addition, he proposed a three-part psychological structure in the Id, considered the pleasure principle, Ego, also known as the reality principle, and Superego, which is the internalized moral principle. According to Thornton (2010), “Freud’s innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and indeed of cultural artifacts as invariably possessing implicit symbolic significance has proven to be extraordinarily fruitful, and has had massive implications for a wide variety of fields including psychology, anthropology, semiotics, and artistic creativity and appreciation” (para 2). Alfred Adler In 1911, Alfred Adler formed the school of Individual Psychology as a reaction to the hostile response he received from members of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.
If we take the example of therapeutic alliance; the psychodynamic therapist assumes authority where the person-centered emphasizes equality. In my opinion, it is essential that the therapist is in the position of authority at the beginning of the therapeutic process. The client may begin to see that if the superordinate therapist accepts the client unconditionally, then they might reduce their conditions of worth and accept themselves also. This might not be as effective if the therapist is seen as an equal because the superego/conditions of worth are not generally adapted from those who are equal. As the client comes closer to insight, the therapist can start giving the control back to the client, just as the parent child relationship becomes more equal as the child becomes more mature.
The psychodynamic perspective is based on the work of Sigmund Freud. He created both a theory to explain personality and mental disorders and the form of therapy known as psychoanalysis. The psychodynamic approach assumes that all behaviour and mental processes reflect constant and unconscious struggles within person. These usually involve conflicts between our need to satisfy basic biological instincts, for example, for food, sex or aggression, and the restrictions imposed by society. Not all those who take a Psychodynamic approach accept all of Freud's original ideas, but most would view normal or problematic behavior as the result of a failure to resolve conflicts adequately.
In this analysis we will look at two specific parts of analyzing psychodynamic theories. First we will discuss how psychodynamic theories affect individual personalities and finally we will explain how psychodynamic theories influence interpersonal relationships. Psychodynamic Theories Affect Individual Personalities All of the psychodynamic theories mentioned in this paper lean more to the side of being limited rather than having strength, primarily in regard to the development and effects of individual personality. A dissimilar outlook exists on the definition of personality, the driving force behind development, cause and effect, and what exactly influences it and whether it can be altered. The psychodynamic theories consist mainly of Alder’s individual psychological theory, Horney’s psychoanalytical social theory, Freud’s psychoanalytical theory, Klein’s object relations theory, Sullivan’s interpersonal theory, and Jung’s analytical theory (Feist & Feist, 2009).
The overall arching idea that arises from Civilization and its Discontents is how the human species, plagued with its instinctual demands for sex and destruction, are put into check and balanced out with the rules and laws of society for the purpose of keeping such instincts into safe moderation. This societal super-ego is the main topic of discussion that I will attempt to embark on in describing Freud’s most widely read book. The super-ego is essentially the conscience that keeps the ego in check. It keeps the ego in check by monitoring what the ego does and what actions it takes. In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud relates the super-ego to the primal father that is killed by his two sons.
With maturity, preoccupations are focused less on body image and more on internal feelings and goals. It is important to note that individuals move through the various stages at different levels. . Though Loevinger does not specifically address the preverbal stage of ego development, other theorists agree that ego begins in infancy with the recognition of self. Loevinger believes early childhood to be continually stuck in impulsivity as self-expression; generally speaking, the impulsive stage is egocentric.