Psychoanalytic Theory

Overview

According to Freud, there are three components to the human mind: the conscious, which represents our present awareness, including our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions; the preconscious, which represents things we are not presently aware of but can become aware of with little effort; and the unconscious mind, which represents things we are unaware of but which still affect our functioning. The unconscious mind includes both forces that originate there (our basic instincts and drives) as well as unacceptable thoughts and memories that may have been pushed back because of their threatening nature.

The core of psychoanalytic theory is that all behavior, thoughts, and emotions are influenced by unconscious processes and internal forces. These internal forces are considered to be dynamic in nature and thus always changing. The ways in which the internal forces interact with one another gives rise to behavior, thoughts, and emotions. When the forces are in conflict, abnormal behavior arises. Psychoanalytic theory has a deterministic assumption, meaning that no symptom or behavior is accidental, but rather it is all determined. In particular, it is determined by past experiences, particularly those during early childhood.

Structural Model of Personality

Freud believed that there are two basic forces that motivate human behavior: the sexual drive (referred to as the libido) and the aggressive drive. The energy created from these drives continually seeks to be released but can be channeled by psychological systems. The psychological systems that help regulate the drives are the id, the ego, and the superego.

The id is the innate system from which the libido and aggressive drives emerge. The id is located in the unconscious mind and operates from the pleasure principle, which seeks immediate gratification of sensual needs and drives. Freud viewed infants as operating on nearly purely the id. For example, an infant who is hungry will seek his or her mother to breastfed or scream and cry if the mother is not available. When direct action cannot be taken, fantasies or memories are created to meet the id's needs. In the case of the infant, the infant may imagine the sight of his or her mother's breast. This process is referred to as primary process thinking, or wish fulfillment. The id is loosely associated in organization, holds a distorted cognitive representation of the world, and is best seen in dreams.

...