PSYCHO-ANALYTIC APPROACH

BY:

SIGMUND FREUD

personality is to be understood in terms of interactions and conflicts arising out of the needs and impulses of an individual.

Some of which at least operate at an unconscious level

FREUDS THEORY OF PERSONALITY Psycho analytic theory of Freud has

two major parts 1.theory of personality dynamics 2.theory of personality structure

THEORY OF PERSONALITY DYNAMICS Freud postulated a dynamic concept

of personality by exploring the unconscious part of human mind

According to Freud the human mind has three levels of consciousness-the conscious, the preconscious and the unconscious

CONSCIOUS MIND

• Only level of mental life that are directly available to us

• The awareness of our own mental process (Thoughts/feeling)

• Layer of mind which contains memories,thoughts,and desires of which the individual concerned is aware at a given moment.

PRECONSCIOUS MIND

• This layer stands between conscious and unconscious part of the mind.

• Facts stored in a part of the brain, which are not conscious but are available for possible use in the future

(E.g. A person will never think of her home address at that moment but when her friend ask for it, she can easily recall it)

UNCONSCIOUS MIND

• Contains all the feeling, urges or instinct that are beyond our awareness but it affect our expression, feeling, action

(E.g. Slip of tongue, dreams, wishes)

Freud believed that the most important factor in psychic activity (behaviour) is unconsciousness.

The unsatisfied desires and painful experiences of the individual are forced down to the unconscious layer of the mind(repression)

Personality of an individual is determined by the suppressed desires and experiences that constitute the unconscious mind.

Repression of feelings and desires result in blocking up of the libido(the psychic energy that provide energy for all mental activities.)

It give birth to severe anxietyand conflicts leading to mental illness and abnormal personality development.

THEORY OF PERSONALITY STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITYConsist of three parts :1.Id2.Ego3.Superego

ID(libidinal energy)

• Is the original system of personality• It is the reservoir of psychic energy• It furnishes all energy for the

functioning of ego and superego• Infants are born with Id intact

• Operates on PLEASURE PRINCIPE – to gain pleasure, avoid pain

• It is not concerned with good or bad, right or wrong, real or un real.

• For reduction of tension it chooses a path which is most pleasurable to the individual.

There are two processes employed by the id for the fulfillment of its goal

1.reflex action 2.primary process

Reflex action

Are inborn and automatic like sneezing and blinking. They reduce the tension immediately

PRIMARY PROCESS It attempt to discharge the function

by formulating an image of an object or action that will produce pressure and thus remove the tension.

The objects or action thus selected by the id for deserving pleasure are said to be cathexes

Eg:sucking thumb

. Ego

• The ego develops out of id• It derives energy from id • Apart from id ego has no existence• .The rational level of personality• Operates on REALITY PRINCIPLES –

does realistic and logical thinking• The balance between Id and Superego

Ego operates by means of the secondary process.ie,realistic thinking

Principle of reality is concerned with whether an experience is true or false.

The ego formulate a plan for the satisfaction of the need and executes it, keeping in to consideration the reality principle.

Its main role is to mediate between the instinctual requirements of the organism and the realities posed by the environment.

Relationship between id and ego is similar to the relationship between a horse(id) and a rider(ego).usually the rider determines the direction of horse, there are sometimes when it is the horse who leads the rider.

Superego

• The super ego develops out of ego’s experience with social reality.

• Partially unconscious• Operates on MORAL PRINCIPLES• Able to differentiate between good

and bad, right and wrong

It develops as a result of Childs interaction with parents,teachers,social code of conduct, religious values etc.

It represents ideal rather than real Its main concern is to decide whether

something is right or wrong If people follow their superego, they

will feel proud but if they don’t follow, they will feel guilty and anxious

Two subsystem of super ego Edo ideal Ego ideal is formed through reward It is developed by the feeling of pride Conscience Conscience is arise as a result of

punishment It is developed by the feeling of guilt

Introjections

With the formation of the super ego the reward and punishments are substituted by self control. This process of adoption is called introjections

Id represents the biological urge that seeks pleasure, ego represents the psychological need tackled from the point of view of reality and super ego is the social self which seeks perfection.

In normal circumstances the three works together as a team, under the leadership of ego

The ego postponed the gratification of the need, the id wants gratification right way, the super ego conflict with both. if ego wins over both id and super ego by keeping a balance, it leads to an integrated personality.