The%20Psychodynamic%20Theory%20Of%20Abnormality

1
The Psychodynamic Theory Of Abnormality
Sigmund Freud
2
Basic Assumptions
All adult personality and thus abnormalities
are a result of childhood experiences
Adult personality is largely determined by
the age of five
Behaviour is driven by unconscious motives
Abnormalities are caused by unconscious
conflicts
3
According to Freud
and an iceberg got in common?
What have the human mind
The greater part is buried beneath the surface
4
According to the theory, any thoughts, feelings
or memories that are likely to cause us
unpleasant emotions (e.g. guilt, shame, anxiety,
sadness) are pushed into the unconscious to
protect us from the negative feelings they would
provoke
According to Freud, most of what is contained in
our minds is pushed below the surface where we
cant access it
He calls this repression
But why do we repress information?
Therefore, repression in a defence mechanism
5
I wish my mother was dead
I would like to have sex with my father
I am gay
But we cannot completely escape from these
thoughts/feelings
What might be some examples of repressed
information?
I have an irrational fear of injections
I hate gay people, I think they should be locked
up
They may be represented in conscious behaviour in
symbolic form
I often feel very aggressive for no reason
Therefore, unconscious conflicts can lead to
psychological disorders
6
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vjfP9AIJA72E
7
The Structure of Personality
Freud argued that there are 3 components of the
human personality
This is about ME! want food, I want sex and I
want alcohol
This works on the pleasure principle
and I want it NOW!
The id
It is wholly concerned with the gratification of
physical needs
8
The Structure of Personality
Freud argued that there are 3 components of the
human personality
You may well be in love with her, Frog, old son,
but its only going to lead to heartache
It operates according to the reality principle
The ego
This tries to balance the demands of the id with
the needs of the superego (moral component)
Do yourself a favour, old bean go home and
drown your sorrows with a few pints
It is the rational part of the personality
9
The Structure of Personality
Freud argued that there are 3 components of the
human personality
The superego
We really shouldnt have done that, Harry
This is the moral part of the personality. It
results from the internalisation of the values of
parents and society
I guess its eternal damnation for the both of us
The superego threatens guilt for bad behaviour
and rewards (e.g. high self esteem) for good
behaviour
10
The id and the superego are in constant conflict
Oh, but you mustnt!
I WANT!
Hmm how can I deal with this problem?
The ego uses defense mechanisms to protect the
superego from the harmful thoughts of the id
As weve discussed, repression is a defence
mechanism
Over-use of the defence mechanisms can lead to
psychological disorder
11
But if the ego fails to provide a balance between
the id and the superego, then abnormalities can
occur if one or the other become dominant
A dominant ID can lead to..
Personality disorder
RAPE
MURDER
A dominant supergo can lead to..
Phobias
Anxiety disorders
Obsessive compulsive disorder
12
The psychosexual stages of development
Freud believed that during the stages of
psychosexual development, the focus of the libido
(sexual energy) shifts to different parts of the
body
During each stage, conflicts arise which have to
be resolved.
It starts in the mouth
If the child is over-gratified or
under-gratified, this can lead to fixation
It then moves to the anus
And then to the genitals
Fixation can lead to adult personality problems
13
The psychosexual stages of development
Oral stage (0-18 months approximately)
The child derives pleasure from sucking and,
later, biting
Consequences of fixation
14
The psychosexual stages of development
Nail biting
Smoking
Biting sarcasm
Over-eating
15
The psychosexual stages of development
Anal stage (18 months-3 years approximately)
The child derives pleasure from defecating and
regards its faeces as its first possessions
Consequences of fixation
16
The psychosexual stages of development
Overly controlling personality
Miserliness
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
17
The psychosexual stages of development
Phallic Stage (3-6 years approximately)
But Daddy might deal with me by castrating me
If only I could get rid of Daddy, mummy would be
mine!
The focus of the libido moves to the genitals.
The boy experiences the Oedipus Complex The boy
wishes to sexually possess his mother and get rid
of his father who he sees as a rival for his
mothers affections.
But the child fears his father will castrate him
if he continues his flirtation with his mother.
18
The psychosexual stages of development
The equivalent for girls is the Electra Complex
And so the boy represses his love for his mother
and becomes like his father (identification with
the aggressor) to avoid the threat of castration
The girl becomes sexually attracted to her father
This is how he acquires his sense of morality
(superego), through the internalisation of
parental values
19
The psychosexual stages of development
But because she fears she will lose her mothers
love, she represses her love for her father and
identifies with her mother
Consequences of fixation
20
The psychosexual stages of development
Reckless behaviour
Self love
Homosexuality
21
Apart from repression, other defence mechanisms
can include
Displacement
Repressed feelings towards a person (e.g.
hostility towards a parent) may be displaced onto
others, causing the person, in this example, to
be overly aggressive
What do you think youre lookin at?
22
Apart from repression, other defence mechanisms
can include
Reaction formation
This is where the unconscious feeling is
converted to the opposite behaviour
You disgust me!
Freud believed that homophobia was an indication
of repressed homosexuality
23
Apart from repression, other defence mechanisms
can include
Projection
This is where we attribute repressed
traits/feeling to others
Im not leaving the house
This can lead to paranoia
Theyre disgusting perverts, the lot of them
All men are sex maniacs
Its not safe