PERSONALITY Psych

PSYCHODYNAMIC APPROACH
FREUD - Psyhoanalysis
Key Ideas of the Psychoanalytic Approach
o 1. Psychic determinism
There are no accidents!
Everything a person does has a cause rooted in the past/unconscious
Reason is rooted in the structure & dynamics of a persons personality
All contradictions can be resolved if we dig deep enough
Conflicts, confusions, misunderstandings
o 2. The Unconscious
Very primal >> calls to you
There is something within us that does not necessarily have to do with social
interactions Something is interacting with society
Unconscious as field
Field as everything (its not a fight)
A source of who you are; how to understand a person
Not a separate entity
*Unconscious processes are the basis of the conscious ones and
accompany them/conscious process rise out of unconscious when
conditions are favorable then sink back
Unconscious NOT AS INACCESSIBLE >> but Pre-reflective content
Non-verbal
Symbolic
Does not follow logic

o 3. Mental Energy
Libido
Finite amount of energy
Cannot be destroyed; must & will always be expressed
* goals is to have enough proportionate (balanced) energy for the
different dimensions of the mind and for living
Instincts: the energizing force of personality
Personality is the direct/indirect expression of physiological needs
Everyone has instincts, but aims to reach HOMEOSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM
reached when instincts are fulfilled
Release/reduce the tension or energy
Personality depends on how they meet those instincts Personality
comes from how we go from the need to the end goal
Uniqueness is in how we express ourselves to fulfill the instinct.

o 4. Dialectic Structure of the Personality
Collaboration of self and society
Personality comes from a lot of conflict (dialectic = conflict/tension)
2 needs or dimensions standing in opposition with one another; take care of self
& prioritize relationships
An increasingly differentiated, integrated & mature sense of self
emerges out of constructive interpersonal relationhips

o Key Idea 5. Structure of Personality
A. ID part of the personality that is linked to the biological; basic instinct like
animals
Survival, fight
Where libidal energy comes from; source of all energy
Instinct
Pleasure principle we aim to find pleasure or relief, freeing from pain
NOW; pleasure satisfaction immediate
The Id is a baby, toddler who wants to pee NOW, if in pain or discomfort
will cry NOW.
The ID is the primitive mind

B. EGO linked to the real world
When the child interacts more with the world (language, ideas), the
EGO is formed
Is formed as the child interacts with the real world and learns language
and realities of the world; communicate; understands; gets rules and
guides
Works on the Reality Principle; self preservation and compromise
Weewee NOW? Ego says, No. Go to the bathroom
* why some people have diff personalities (some are more Id and some
more Ego)
Based on language and communication makes sense; conceptualize
the world.
It is the EGO that creates the defense mechanisms because it re-
channels what we instinctively want to do to something in reality is
more acceptable
o Channel energy: Personality: To Survive some people are
career oriented; magaling makisama; task oriented
Personality then is the Egos way of expressing instinctive needs
Personality is how the Ego channels the feelings
The computer side of the self/The Gatekeeper

C. SuperEGO linked to authority
Focuses on perfection, standards and conscience
To be great and to not be bad
Boss shouts at your. Id says wants to shouts; Ego says shout at
something not your boss; Super Ego says. Dont shout at anyone.
*Different people have very strong Super Ego, Some have very weak
External parent
Grade 2 girl with Anxiety Attack: Anxiety attack is the Ids way of saying..
Stop it!
o Key Idea 6: Psychic Conflict
The mind is divided into distinct structural parts, it can be in conflict with itself
It is up to the ego to make a compromise
Psychic conflict and libidal energy:
When the ego uses a lot of energy to control the id or super ego, there
is little energy left for the other things.
o Nervous Breakdown is when the ego cant control the super ego
o Post traumatic stress: energy focused on repression then no
more energy for other things.
o Too much control makes people become blind to others
In psychic conflicts, the ids contents leak through the ego wall, esp in
times of stress (where ego wall gets weak bec of a low level of energy)
o When tired, boundaries come down
o Key Idea 7: Psychic Balance
Find the middle ground where our goal is to achieve stability, balance.
The goal is to find balance and harmony in everything
Its the Egos task to find the Psychic Balance

o Psychosexual Stages
Personality dev is based on how libido is invested and directed in a childs first
several years
Focal points of the energy define the stages of dev. Each stage has 3 aspects
Physical Focus
Psychological Theme
Adult Repercussions
Given the psychological expression, there is a social repercussion; therefore
how society deals with libido also affects personality
Psychosexual Stages
How society formed you
Early childhood experience will determine you for the rest of your life
The earlier the trauma, the harder to fix

SOCIETAL INTERACTION
Oral stage MOUTH. Sucking. Biting. Chewing Trust and Separation & Dependency Independent
Souls & Spoiled brats.
- There will be a representative of society that will influence how this libidal energy is spent
Mother: Will the mother allow the baby to suckle anytime, everytime? Will she use a bottle?
- Psychological component: Trust can I trust my mother to feed me when I need to?
o Fed all the time Dependency/Spoiled brat
o Does not give at all Independent/ Not have a relationship with mother or impt people
in your life
o Cold turkey of no more bottle separation
*Mother Child relationship:
*Fixation: Need not met stuck or over indulge- cant grow anymore

Anal stage ANUS. Retaining & Expelling Control by other & self control Child has to much control
OR child does not control himself
- Will they teach the child to TOTALLY control? Or will they allow the child to just do what he
wants?
- Abiding by the rules is important? Not Important? OC disorder
- In the Phils, parents are very laxed in toilet training Laxed about the law
- Ego is formed at this stage

Phallic stage GENITALS. Masturbation Identification Morality and Sexuality
- Begins to realize the opposite sex parent.
- Oedipal Stage Oedipal Complex Falls in love with the Mother/Father
- This is necessary transition stage Would mean identification with same sex parent.
- My mom is in love with that guy, if I become like him, shell like me too. If he learns I love her,
hell kill me.
- Value systems
Moral Identification where superego is formed

Latency stage NONE Establishing peer relationships
- All the libidal energy is used for academics and establishing peer relationships

Genital stage GENITALS. Heterosexual intimacy Establishing intimate relationships & work
Creativity & Enhancement
- Use libidal energy to establish intimate relationships and work.
- From Genital stage onwards is for procreation

How Psychosexual Stages affects personality
o Frustration versus overindulgence
o Fixation or lack of attention
o Regression
o Adult personality
EX: Controlling person experiences a break they will be the one who will
turn and them try to meet their needs
Defense Mechanisms
o The ego calculates the effects of acting on impulses, instincts or undesirable behavior.
o Defense mechanisms are a way of allowing the energy of impulses to be released in a
desirable way.
o EX:
Displacement
Libidal enery that wants to be released to reach a homeostatic
balance.displaces
Projection project on another person, the ideas that YOU yourself, can not
accept that you have
i.e. Crush on someone, and projecting someone has a crush on that
person
Reaction Formation when an undersirable instinct is not acceptable to show,
you do the opposite.
Sublimation let out an impulse in creative means
Cleaning the house, Van Gogh
Introjection/Identification sometimes a way to deal with something negative is
to embrace.
If you cant deal with it, you identify with the cause/aggressor
Stockhold syndrome