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UNT PSYC 4520 - The Psychoanalytic Approach, Contd.
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PSYC 4520 1st Edition Lecture 4 Outline of Last Lecture I. Freud Discovers the UnconsciousA. Hysteria, hypnosis, and Anna O.B. Free associationII. The Freudian Theory of PersonalityA. Libido and Thanatos B. The topographical modelC. The structural modelOutline of Current Lecture I. Defense MechanismsA. What are defense mechanisms?B. RepressionC. SublimationD. DisplacementE. DenialF. Reaction FormationG. IntellectualizationH. ProjectionThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.I. Other defense mechanismsII. Psychosexual Developmental TheoryA. Freud’s description of personality developmentB. Psychosexual stages of developmentCurrent LectureI. Defense MechanismsA. What are defense mechanisms?i. Freud’s description of our unconscious has led to psychoanalytic cases that involve themes such as hatred for parents, aggression towards one’s spouse, incestuous thoughts, and memories of traumatic experiences. Because this material is unsettling, people experience neurotic anxiety: vague feelings of anxiety due to the sensation that unacceptable unconscious thoughts are about to express themselves in consciousness. To deal with these unwanted thoughts, the ego uses techniques called defense mechanisms.B. Repressioni. This occurs when the ego tries to push threatening material out of consciousness or keep it from reaching consciousness. For example, if a boy sees his father hit his mother, he may be so traumatized that he may not even remember the incident; he may have simply pushed it out of consciousness. This is a constant, active process and requires that the egoconstantly use energy; so, repressing a lot of thoughts leaves our ego withlittle energy for other functions. Without a strong ego, we can develop an unstable personality.C. Sublimationi. This is the only successful defense mechanism and occurs when the ego channels threatening unconscious impulses into socially acceptable actions. For example, aggressive id impulses can be sublimated by playingsports. Thus, the id can express its aggression and the ego does not haveto use energy to hold back the impulses. The athlete also receives social rewards because he is praised for aggressive play.D. Displacementi. This also involves channeling our impulses to non-threatening objects, but does not lead to social rewards. For example, if a woman is abused and for some reason cannot take her anger out on her abuser, she may take it out on her innocent, non-threatening children. This prevents/ protects her from expressing those “unacceptable thoughts.” Freud argued that our irrational fears are mostly symbolic displacements.E. Deniali. This occurs when we refuse to accept that certain facts exist. While in repression, we can say that we “do not remember” certain facts, denial occurs when we insist something is untrue despite all evidence to the contrary. For example, a widower who just lost his wife may act as if she isstill alive by continuing to set a place for her at the dinner table. This would be easier than admitting her death. The more we deny, the less in touch with reality we are, and the more difficult it can be to function.F. Reaction formationi. This occurs when we hide from a threatening unconscious idea by behaving in a way that is opposite to our unconscious desires. For example, a woman who tells people how much she loves her mother maybe masking hatred for her mother; or people who vehemently oppose pornography may be unconsciously interested in it. Reaction formation occurs when the thought is apparently so unacceptable that the ego mustprove exactly how incorrect the thought is.G. Intellectualizationi. This occurs when we remove the emotional content from the threatening thought before allowing it into awareness. Thus, by considering something in a strictly intellectual, unemotional manner, we can bring previously difficult thoughts into consciousness without anxiety. For example, by pretending to ponder the importance of seat belts, a man may actually be imagining his wife in a car accident.H. Projectioni. This occurs when we attribute an unconscious impulse to other people rather than to ourselves. By doing this, we free ourselves from the perception that we are the one who actually holds this thought. For example, if Alice is angry with Ben, she may continually ask him why he is angry with her. I. Other defense mechanismsi. Isolation: This occurs when we create a gap between an unpleasant thought and our other thoughts. By minimizing the connection between the unpleasant thought and other thoughts, we remember the unpleasant thought less often. Freud illustrated this with the example of aperson beginning a train of thought and then pausing for a moment before continuing to another subject: by inserting the pause, the person was showing that he will not let his unpleasant thought come into contactwith other thoughts. ii. Undoing: This occurs when we try to “undo” a threatening thought by engaging in the opposite behavior. For example, after thinking about being violent with someone, we may then be overly nice to them.iii. Rationalization: This is also known as “making excuses.” It occurs when we justify/explain our controversial behaviors and feelings in a rational and logical manner in order to avoid the true explanation. This makes the controversial thought consciously tolerable. Rationalization thus encourages unacceptable thoughts.iv. Identification: This occurs when we unconsciously model our “self” upon another person or group. For example, a resident physician unknowingly assumes a mode of dress and demeanor with his patients that is similar to his teacher’s. Another example is if a schoolgirl wanted her mother to buy her the same kinds of shoes that her classmates had; she would reject the idea that she was trying to be like them and instead insist that the shoes are truly the ones she herself has always wanted.II. Psychosexual Developmental TheoryA. Freud’s description of personality developmenti. Freud argued that we are “polymorphously perverse”: we can feel sexual pleasure from all parts of our bodies. He also argued that our adult personalities are majorly influenced by what happens to us during the first five-six years of our lives. He said that each child undergoes a series of development stages during this time; the major characteristic of each stage is


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UNT PSYC 4520 - The Psychoanalytic Approach, Contd.

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