Freudian Theory: Unconscious Drives and Personality Development
Freudian Theory
Introduction
Previously, psychology focused on consciousness. Freud, however, emphasized the unconscious—all the ideas, thoughts, and feelings of which we are not normally aware. According to Freud, human behavior is based on three kinds of unconscious instincts or drives. Others, such as hunger, thirst, and self-preservation, are necessary for the survival of the individual. Finally, there is the desire for pleasure, which Freud believed is the most critical factor in the development of personality.
The Structure of Personality
The Id
The id is the only structure present at birth and is completely unconscious. It consists of all the unconscious urges and desires that continually seek expression.
The Ego
Freud considered that the ego controls all thinking and reasoning activities. It operates by the reality principle – by means of intelligent reasoning, the ego tries to delay satisfying the id’s desires until it can do so safely and successfully. A personality that consisted only of ego and id would be completely selfish. Adult behavior is governed not only by reality but also by morality – that is, by the individual’s conscience, or the moral standards the individual develops through interaction with parents and society. Freud called this morality the superego.
The Superego
The superego is not present at birth. As we mature, we adopt as our own the judgments of our parents about what is “good” and “bad.”
Other Interpretations of the Subconscious
Carl Jung
Jung’s analytical psychology embraced many of Freud’s beliefs; however, he differed from Freud in many ways. Jung said that libido, or psychic energy, represents all life forces. Both Freud and Jung emphasized the role of the unconscious in determining human behavior. Jung saw the unconscious as the ego’s source of strength. He also believed that the unconscious consists of the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious:
- The personal unconscious is all our repressed thoughts, forgotten experiences, and undeveloped ideas.
- The collective unconscious is the memories and behavior patterns that are inherited from past generations and therefore are shared by all humans.
The human mind has developed thought forms that people have had in common since prehistoric times. He called these thought forms archetypes. Archetypes appeared in our thoughts as typical mental images or mythical representations. Two other important archetypes are anima and animus:
Anima: The female archetype for a man.
Alfred Adler
For Adler, people possess innate positive motives and try to achieve personal and social perfection. He also believed that people try to overcome feelings of inferiority that may or may not have a basis in reality. He thought such feelings often spark positive development and personal growth in some people. However, other people become so obsessed with their feelings of inferiority that they become paralyzed and develop an inferiority complex.
Karen Horney
Horney concluded that environmental and social factors are the most important influences in shaping personality, and among these, the most important are the human relationships we experience as children. Horney viewed anxiety as a powerful motivating force. She stressed that feelings of anxiety originate in a variety of non-sexual contexts. In childhood, anxiety arises because children depend on adults for their survival. Anxious adults adopt one of three coping strategies that help them deal with emotional problems and ensure safety: moving towards people (submission); moving against people (aggression); moving away from people (detachment).