Understanding Psychoanalysis: Key Concepts and Stages
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis emerged in the 19th century within higher social classes. Following the Industrial Revolution, fashionable resorts and sanatoria became popular destinations for rest and recuperation. This context fostered the development of this particular branch of medicine.
Some elements are innate, while others are learned; together, they form our psyche. Therefore, our subjectivity and our psyche are resultant. According to Freud, the innate elements are called instincts, which he defines as natural forces that drive us. Freud posited two primary drives: Eros (libido) and Thanatos (the death instinct), representing the drive for pleasure and the drive for destruction (the pleasure-destruction principle).
At birth, humans are driven by instincts, and civilization is a learned process. Human infants are not autonomous like other animal species, requiring social interaction and dependence on others. This context makes us the only species with subjectivity and a psyche. The “mother role” in psychology refers to the primary caregiver who meets the infant’s needs, not necessarily the biological mother.
Oral Stage
The first stage in the development of the psyche, where the infant depends on the mother for survival.
The Unconscious
The unconscious is a collection of elements of which we are unaware. This is why psychoanalysis is not universally recognized as a science, because the unconscious is not directly observable. In the oral stage, there is total dependence on the mother, fostering a symbiotic relationship that must eventually end to avoid developmental problems. Both mother and child need this separation to occur gradually.
The “father role” in psychology involves separating the child from the mother. The figure who breaks the symbiotic relationship with the mother is necessarily perceived as odious, as they represent rules and obligations. According to Freud, the next stage develops around 3-4 years of age and is called the “anal” phase. The child derives pleasure from excretion.
The child may resent the father, potentially leading to the Oedipus complex.
Oedipus Complex
The Oedipus complex involves navigating the symbiotic relationship with the mother and the perceived rivalry with the father. The child internalizes their role based on these relationships, learning to identify with their gender. The Oedipus dynamic functions during the anal phase.
Around 4-5 years old, the phallic stage begins, where sexual pleasure shifts to the genitals. During this phase, the child begins to practice erotic roles in relationships with other children. According to Freud, there is a latency stage, followed by the genital stage at puberty (around 11-14 years). This stage culminates in the formation of individual subjectivity and maturation.