Lecture 28

Freud 1

1. Historical Context
1. Victorian Era
2. Theory's Breadth
3. Freud's Influence
4. Critique
5. Sources of Controversy
2. Psychoanalytic Theory
1. Overview
2. Personality
3. Structure of the Mind
3. Structure of Personality
1. Id
2. Ego
3. Superego

Overview

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian physician who transformed the field of psychology from the study of sensation, perception, and learning to the study of psychological functioning (and dysfunction). Freud also transformed the way ordinary people think about psychological phenomena (particularly sexual drives and the role of the unconscious) and, along with Marx and Einstein, is considered one of the most significant theorists of the 20th century.

Although Freud's influence has been vast, his theory and methods have been subject to a great deal of criticism. Many of these criticisms are fair by today's standards, but they are less compelling when the theory is judged in the context in which it was developed.

At its core, psychoanalytic theory is a theory of psychological conflict among primitive, animalistic desires, and the need to accommodate these desires to environmental realities and moral imperatives. These competing elements exist within different regions of the mind, and the way people manage this conflict comprises their personality.

Specifics

• Critique Freud's theory in terms of the three criteria used to evaluate theories.
• Be familiar with at least three things people commonly believe that stem from Freud's theory (i.e., dreams sometimes reveal deep-seated conflicts and desires).
• Know three common criticisms of Freud's theory, and possible rebuttals to these criticisms.
• Know Freud's ideas about the structure of the mind, their contents, and how he used an "iceberg analogy" to characterize their size and importance.
• Distinguish three components of personality, including their function, corresponding brain regions, and methods (including distinctions between primary process and secondary process thinking).