Psychoanalytic Theory- Discussion

529 Words3 Pages
Unit 2- Psychoanalytic Theory- Discussion The psychoanalytical personality theory is the theory developed by Sigmund Freud arguing that the human mind is structured into two parts. These two parts are the unconscious and conscious mind (Friedman & Schustack 2012). This theory focuses on what we as humans can remember and can easily bring into awareness and what we can’t bring into awareness without something triggering us to remember it. The focus of Freud’s theory is that much of what we dream is our unconscious thoughts and desires that affect our human behavior without even realizing it. Freud believed that “dreams are similar to icebergs—a little piece floats above the surface but much more is hidden underneath” (Friedman & Schustack 2012). Benefits of this theory are that we as humans have a hidden unconsciousness that affect us in all aspects in our lives and by understanding the hidden areas we can understand our own weaknesses and underlying problems and understand others better also. The first stage to Freud’s personality development theory is the “oral stage” which is the stage of an infant to satisfy their drives of hunger and thirst, but also getting security and satisfaction from their mother (Friedman & Schustack 2012). An example of this oral stage would be the infants need to continue to suck on a pacifier even though they aren’t hungry for a feeling of security. The second stage is the “anal stage” this is the stage when the child derives great pleasure from defecating (Friedman & Schustack 2012). This is the stage of potty training. The third stage is the “phallic stage” in which sexual energy is focused on the genitals (Friedman & Schustack 2012). This is the stage where children start to notice their genitals and explore by touching them. The fourth stage is the “latency period” this is time “between the ages of 5 and 11 in which sexual urges
Open Document