Freud

Lesson 1

Today we looked at Freud's background and childhood, the case of little Hans and the behaviourist perspective.

Psychodynamic perspective:

All behaviour = result of inner conflict in the mind

A person is in constant inner conflict with the drives inside of them (ID, ego, super ego)

key to good mental health is to resolve these conflicts

1. We are all born with instincts 
2. Our personalities develop during childhood
3. Our personality has 3 parts: ID, ego, superego
4. We go through 5 stages of development from birth to puberty
5. We develop defines mechanisms to reduce anxiety 
6. We have an unconscious mind and thoughts and feelings can be buried in the unconscious so we are not aware of them
7. The unconscious mind can direct some of our behaviour without our awareness
8. We may get a glimpse into our unconscious mind when we dream
9. We can use projective personality tests, free association, dream interpretation and hypnosis to look into our unconscious minds
10. Childhood trauma can affect adult behaviour

ID: instinctive aspect of our personality. Pleasure principle, Immediate satisfaction etc
Ego: Reality principle based on conscious and rational decisions that reflect the demands of the instinct
Super ego: Morality. Develops by ethical/moral constraints to us by our belief of right and wrong. 

Defence Mechanisms:
1. Denial
2. Displacement
3. Projection
4. Regression
5. Repression/suppression  

Lesson 2

Job of ego is to maintain dynamic equilibrium
"A battle between a sex-crazed monkey and a maiden aunt, being refereed by a rather nervous bank clerk". 

Psychosexual development 

- our personality develops throughout our childhood
- stage theory 
- each stage is characterized by a different region of the body where libido or sexual drive is fixated. 

1. Oral (0-15months) based on breastfeeding. If a child is underfed or overfed oral traits will develop. Oral dependent personality (gullible etc) or Orally fixated (compulsive eaters, drinkers etc)

2. Anal (1-3 yrs) based on elimination. Harsh or lenient toilet training... harsh = anally retentive (stingy, stubborn, clingy, OCD) lenient = Anally fixated (messy, enjoy bathroom humour)

3. Phallic (3-5 yrs) child attached to opposite sex parent.
Oedipus complex:
rival with dad for mothers attention, may feel threatened by father (castration anxiety). To resolve boy must identify with his father and adopt his heterosexual beliefs. 
Electra complex:
female equivalent to oedipus complex. Penis envy: girls feel inferiority and jealousy. Turn affection from mother to father. Wants to find a good man like her father and produce a baby to make up for it.

4. Latency: (5yrs-puberty) Psychosexual development = dormant. Same-sex friendship and play occurs at this stage. No sexual urges. Sexual energy channeled towards school and friends. 

5. Genital: puberty onwards, full adult sexuality, sexual urges reawaken. Normal sexual relations: adult expression of sexuality and relationships. Marriage or long-term committed relationships. child-rearing and having a family.

Little Hans
- clinical case-study
- Little Hans' father = friend of Freud
- symptoms: anxiety, jealousy, fear of being separated from mother, fear of being bitten by horses.

Variables: THERE WERE NO VARIABLES. Han's was observed and interviewed and then Freud proposed conclusions about what this behavior meant. NOT a scientific experiment.