Freud's Theory Of Psychosexual Development

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Name: Ruth Essay Title: Evaluate the extent to which Freud’s theory of psychosexual . development can help us to understand a client’s presenting issues. Word Count: 2359 The essence of the psychodynamic approach is to explain behaviour in terms of the forces that drive it. Freud believed that the adult personality is structured into three parts that develop at different stages in our lives. The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our personality and is present at birth. The id is the real driving force behind a person’s behaviour and drives in one direction only, that is in the direction of the gratification of basic human needs. These needs would include air, water, food, warmth, shelter. It demands immediate satisfaction which can be referred to as the pleasure principle. The main aim of the id is to gain pleasure and gratification at any cost. The ego is the conscious, rational part of the mind that develops around the age of two years. Its function is to work out ways of balancing the demands of the id in a socially acceptable way. It is governed by the reality principle. The superego is the last part of the personality to develop. Forming at around the age of four years, it embodies the child’s sense of right and wrong as well as the ideal self. This concept can be likened to the ‘conscience’ which develops as a direct result of adult guidance. The superego seeks to perfect and civilise our behaviour. It is learned through identification with parents or prime carers as the child grows up. Not until the superego has developed can we be described as moral beings. According to Freud the superego observes the ego, gives it orders and threatens it with punishment, exactly like the parents whose place it has taken. The superego is governed by the perfection
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