Freud's Theory of Defence Mechanisms.
Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis is regarded as the earliest of those categorised as psychodynamic theories (Gray, 1999). J.P. Chaplin (1975, p.418) defines psychodynamic as "pertaining to the branch of psychology which investigates motivation and emotional processes." Dynamic refers to the idea of mental or cognitive forces or energies.
Psychoanalysis was Freud's "theory of personality and system of therapy for treating mental disorders" (Schultz & Schultz, 1994, p.36).
It examines the roots of human behaviour by exploring unconscious motivation. Much of Freud's theory was based on primal, sexual or aggressive urges. The main driving force behind human behaviour was what he called the libido, which is basically defined as sexual energy. .
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Psychoanalysis claims that the human psyche is composed of the id (the base or instinctual component of the personality), the ego (the rational part of the personality) and the super-ego (moral branch of the personality, which distinguishes right from wrong). From a psychoanalyst's viewpoint, the interaction and conflict that occurs between these three elements is what dictates human behaviour and personality (Chaplin, 1975).
A key component of personality under the psychoanalytical perspective is the existence of anxiety.
Anxiety.
To Freud, anxiety was an "objectless fear", for we often cannot pinpoint its origin or source. Some anxiety, however, does serve an important purpose. It can act as a kind of "warning signal" against real and tangible danger. Freud called this kind of anxiety reality or objective anxiety (Schultz & Schultz, 1994).
For example, if a person viewed a venomous snake ahead of them whilst bushwalking, their fear would prevent them from proceeding any further, and a potentially fatal situation may be avoided. In this way, we can benefit from objective anxiety.
Freud suggests, however, that other types of anxiety, namely neurotic or moral anxiety can actually have a harmful impact on the human psyche.
Freud perceives aggression as been a universal human behavior. ... I will not take side in this matter mainly because I believe both men produce about 50/50 correct answer to this theory. Freud is absolutely correct about aggression as been universal and unconscious. All living things are create with a defence mechanism. Animals are aggressive toward others in defence of their territory and lives. ...
Allport (1897-1967) whose works focus more on the healthy mind as opposed to Freud, Charot and Breur whose theories developed from within a neurological environment and focused on the psychologically unbalanced individual. ... According to Freud's theory the behavioural choices we make are not consciously determined but rather governed by a "hidden" mental process, which he named the unconscious. ... In Freud's psychodynamic theory the unconscious plays a most powerful, dynamic role in behaviour and houses the most powerful driving energy - the id. As stated earlier Freud f...
Sigmund Freud is considered the father of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology and a theory of human behaviour. ... By emphasizing social and cultural influences, dimensions she felt Freud overlooked, not only did Horney challenge Freud's psychosexual view of personality, she pioneered a new dimension to psychological thought: gender-based psychology. ... In doing so he too rejected Freud's psychosexual and Freud's 'cupboard love' explanation. ... In this sense, he agreed with Freud that from the age of 5 children's personalities are fix...
They use 2 approaches: The Continuing Danger Theory- any condition likely present a recurring should be treated as insanity. ... The External Cause Theory Automatism caused by the psychological or emotional makeup of D and any factor internal to D should be treated as insanity. If it was an external factor, like a blow to the head, the defence is automatism Designed to complement the continuing danger theory Both are closely linked. ... Needs REFORM Somnambulism Sleepwalking (sleep disorder) used to be treated as sane automatism but because of the external cause theory th...
This is known as psychoneurotic theory. ... (Funk and Wagnall Encyclopedia) In Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, he believes that this can be caused by fantasies produced by the unconscious mind. ... (Grolier 265) The success of Freud and Breuer's theories on psychoanalysis had inspired many people around the world to expand on their findings, and start schools. ... The ways in which Jung differed from Freud were theories about the unconscious and the conscious mind. ... Many theorists have taken or borrowed Freud's psychoanalysis theory and have created many new and interesti...
Chapter four discusses Freud's Psychoanalytic theories, which seem to be very controversial, even today. Some I agree with, but for the most part, I do not take Freud's theories too seriously. ... Around the age of four, children reach the identification stage, according to Freud. ... It is my opinion that Freud's theories are too sexualized, as they were developed during the Victorian Era, a time of sexual repression. ... I think many of his theories were just a representation of the sexual tension most people were feeling. ...
According to Freud, mind-body duality is not consistent. ... The id, the ego and the superego function in different levels of consciousness indeed, Freud's theory of the mind hinges upon the ability of impulses or memories to float from one level to another. ... The ego often utilizes defence mechanisms to achieve and aid this repression. ... (Freud, An Outline of Psychoanalysis, chapter 4). ... As the repressed items teem and surge beneath the conscious surface, they sap vital psychic energy and constantly force the individual to maintain lines of defence mechanisms against his own un...
In this essay, I will compare how Freud and Skinner's approaches toward human behavior helped to answer some of life's mind boggling questions as well as highlight some of the main ideas of their theories. When it comes to Freud his psychoanalytic theories grew from his years of interactions with his clients whom were psychoanalysis. Psychodynamic theories embrace all the diverse theories descended from the work of Sigmund Freud, which focuses on unconscious mental forces and asserts the idea that behavior is caused by internal, mental mechanisms (Weiten, 2001, p. 488). ... For examp...
Freud's theory also focused on the fact that a person's personality was developed in the childhood timeframe of a person's life. ... To compare the Neo-Freudian theorists to Freud himself, in regards to their theories, there are two main concepts that they tended to agree with Freud on. ... However, Freud's beliefs and theories were typically set within biological instances and settings. ... Freud and Adler did agree on certain parenting styles, which are reflected in their theories. ... She did agree with many of Freud's observations within his studies, but it is cl...