FREUD’S

PSYCHOANALYSIS
THEORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
➢ TALK THERAPY
➢ PERSONALITY
➢ PSYCHE
➢ PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
➢ DREAM ANALYSIS
➢ DEFENSE MECHANISMS
➢ FEMALE PSYCHOLOGY
➢ RELIGION
➢ IMPACT
Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Talk Therapy

One of Freud’s greatest contributions to psychology was talk therapy, the notion that
simply talking about problems can help alleviate them. It was through his association with
his close friend and colleague Josef Breuer that Freud became aware of a woman known in
the case history as Anna O.

The young woman's real name was Bertha Pappenheim.1 She became a patient of Breuer’s
after suffering a bout of what was then known as hysteria. Symptoms included blurred
vision, hallucinations, and partial paralysis.

Breuer observed that discussing her experiences provided some relief from her symptoms.
It was Pappenheim herself who began referring to the treatment as the “talking cure.”2

Launer J. Anna O and the ‘talking cure’.

While Anna O. is often described as one of Freud’s patients, the two never actually met.3
Freud often discussed her case with Breuer, however, and the two collaborated on an 1895
book based on her treatment titled Studies in Hysteria.

Freud concluded that her hysteria was the result of childhood sexual abuse, a view that
ended up leading to a rift in Freud and Breuer’s professional and personal relationship.
Anna O. may not have actually been Freud’s patient, but her case informed much of Freud’s
work and later theories on therapy and psychoanalysis
Freud’s Theory of Personality

According to Freud’s theory, there are a few different factors that affect personality. They
include cathexis and anticathexis, along with life and death instincts.

Cathexis and Anticathexis

According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, all psychic energy is generated by libido. Freud
suggested that our mental states were influenced by two competing forces:

Cathexis was described as an investment of mental energy in a person, idea, or object.

Anticathexis involves the ego blocking the socially unacceptable needs of the id.
Repressing urges and desires is one common form of anticathexis , but this involves a
significant investment of energy.

If you are hungry, for example, you might create a mental image of a delicious meal that you
have been craving. In other cases, the ego might harness some energy from the id (the
primitive mind) to seek out activities related to the desire in order to disperse excess energy
from the id.

Sticking with the same example, if you can’t actually seek out food to appease your hunger,
you might instead thumb through a cookbook or browse through your favorite recipe blog.

According to Freud’s theory, there is only so much libidinal energy available. When a lot of
energy is devoted to suppressing urges via anticathexis, there is less energy for other
processes.
Life Instincts and Death Instincts

Freud also believed that much of human behavior was motivated by two driving instincts:
life instincts and death instincts.

Life instincts (Eros) are those that relate to a basic need for survival, reproduction, and
pleasure. They include such things as the need for food, shelter, love, and sex.

Death instincts (Thanatos) are the result of an unconscious wish for death, which Freud
believed all humans have.5 Self-destructive behavior was one expression of the death
drive, according to Freud. However, he believed that these death instincts were largely
tempered by life instincts.

Sigmund Freud’s Theory of the Psyche

In Freudian theory, the human mind is structured into two main parts: the conscious and
unconscious mind.

The conscious mind includes all the things we are aware of or can easily bring into
awareness.

The unconscious mind, on the other hand, includes all of the things outside of our
awareness—all of the wishes, desires, hopes, urges, and memories that we aren’t aware of
yet continue to influence behavior.

Freudian psychology compares the mind to an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg that is
actually visible above the water represents just a tiny portion of the mind. On the other
hand, the huge expanse of ice hidden underneath the water represents the much larger
unconscious.
There is some question as to whether the iceberg metaphor came from Freud himself or
one of his biographers, as some researchers indicate that there was no mention of an
iceberg in Freud’s writings.

In addition to these two main components of the mind, Freudian theory also divides human
personality into three major components: the id, ego, and superego.

The Id is the most primitive part of the personality that is the source of all our most basic
urges. The id is entirely unconscious and serves as the source of all libidinal energy.

The ego Is the component of personality that deals with reality and helps ensure that the
demands of the id are satisfied in ways that are realistic, safe, and socially acceptable.

The superego is the part of the personality that holds all of the internalized morals and
standards that we acquire from our parents, family, and society at large.

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development

Freudian theory suggests that as children develop, they progress through a series of
psychosexual stages. At each stage, the libido’s pleasure-seeking energy is focused on a
different part of the body.

The five stages of psychosexual development are:

1.The oral stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the mouth.

2.The anal stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the anus.

3.The phallic stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the penis or clitoris.

4.The latent stage: A period of calm in which little libidinal interest is present.

5.The genital stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the genitals.
The successful completion of each stage leads to a healthy personality as an adult. If,
however, a conflict remains unresolved at any particular stage, the individual might remain
fixated or stuck at that particular point of development.

A fixation can Involve an over-dependence or obsession with something related to that

phase of development. For example, a person with an "oral fixation” is believed to be stuck
at the oral stage of development. Signs of an oral fixation might include excessive reliance
on oral behaviors such as smoking, biting fingernails, or eating.

Freud’s Theory of Dream Analysis

The unconscious mind played a critical role in all of Freud’s theories, and he considered
dreams to be one of the key ways to take a peek into what lies outside our conscious
awareness.

He dubbed dreams "the royal road to the unconscious and believed that by examining
dreams, he could see not only how the unconscious mind works but also what it is trying to
hide from conscious awareness.

Freud believed the content of dreams could be broken down into two different types:

The manifest content of a dream included all the actual content of the dream—the
events, images, and thoughts contained within the dream. The manifest content is
essentially what the dreamer remembers upon waking.

The latent content, on the other hand, is all the hidden and symbolic meanings within the
dream. Freud believed that dreams were essentially a form of wish fulfillment. By taking
unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires and transforming them into less threatening
forms, people are able to reduce the ego's anxiety.
Freud’s Theory of Defense Mechanisms

Even if you’ve never studied Freud’s theories before, you have probably heard the term
“defense mechanisms.” When someone seems unwilling to face a painful truth, you might
accuse them of being “in denial.” If they try to look for a logical explanation for
unacceptable behavior, you might suggest that they are “rationalizing.”

Denial and rationalization represent different types of defense mechanisms, or tactics that
the ego uses to protect itself from anxiety. Some of the best-known mechanisms of
defense include denial, repression, and regression, but there are many more.

Freud's Theory of Female Psychology

Freud's perspective on women was, and continues to be, one of his most controversial.
One of his theories relating to female psychology is known as the Electra complex, also
sometimes referred to as penis envy.

According to Freud, females start out close to their mothers. But once they realize they
don't have a penis, they start to hate their moms for mutilating them, then become close to
their dad. At the same time, females start to imitate their mom because they fear the loss
of her affection.

The Electra complex is the opposite of the Oedipus complex, which Freud contended is
when a male child develops a sexual attachment to his mother, viewing his father as a
sexual rival.
Freud's Theory of Religion

Freud theorized that religious beliefs are essentially delusions, and also that turning away
from these types of ideologies is preferable because religion does not lead to happiness
and fulfillment; in fact, it is a belief structure not based on evidence.

Freud felt that a person's religious views were, at least in part, a result of their relationship
with their father. He believed that people tend to depict their idea of a "God" based on the
qualities and traits of the father figure in their life and that these qualities changed as their
relationship with their father changed.

It is believed that Freud's theory of religion was influenced by his relationship with his own
father. Freud had a Jewish upbringing, which he said he had no desire to change, yet he

also stated that he was "completely estranged from the religion of his fathers—as well as
from every other religion.

Impact of Freudian Theory

While Freud's theories have been widely criticized, they are still important because his
work has made contributions to psychology as we know it today.

Psychotherapy

Many contemporary psychologists do not give credence to Freud's ideas, but the theories
remain important. And research has validated the effectiveness of various forms of talk
therapy, such as one finding that psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavioral
therapy were both effective for treating anxiety in college-age students. Freud's belief that
mental problems could be resolved by actually talking about them helped revolutionize
psychotherapy.

When the patient and analyst are well suited to work together, they can see how the
patient's past gets reactivated in their current therapy and much learning takes place.

— DR. DEBORAH FRIED, MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDER WITH THE YALE DEPARTMENT
OF PSYCHIATRY
Freud's theories have also sparked a major change in how we view mental illness by
suggesting that not all psychological problems have physiological causes.

Science

Freud's contributions have also impacted the foundational science of what we know about
psychology today. His idea that our thoughts are largely unconscious has withstood
scientific scrutiny, for instance, retaining their importance in understanding human
development and behavior.

Culture

Freud has even influenced thoughts about how society has formed into what it is today.
Some believe that his theories help explain some of the successes of modern society while
also explaining some of its failures.

Final Thoughts

To understand where psychology is today, it is essential to take a look at where we've been
and how we got here. Freud's work provides insight into an important movement in
psychology that helped transform how we think about mental health and how we approach
psychological disorders.

By studying Freud's theories and those that came after, you gain a better understanding of
psychology's fascinating history. Many terms such as defense mechanism, Freudian slip,
and anal retentive have become a part of our everyday language. By learning about his
work and theories, you can understand how these ideas and concepts became woven into
the fabric of popular culture.