Personality and Its Assessment THE PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE AND

Personality and Its Assessment THE PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE AND SIGMUND FREUD & THE HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE CHAPTER 11 (478 -493) “We make sense of our past, because we need to be more free in our present. ”

Personality �An individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. �Differs from mood in that mood is temporary, can change rapidly.

Psychodynamic Perspective �Pioneered by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud �Believed that personality developed or emerged from tensions generated by unconscious motives and unresolved childhood conflicts �To uncover these conflicts, Freud used a method he called psychoanalysis (or what we typically see depicted as “The Couch” in modern society).

�The psychodynamic perspective is a more modern version of Freud’s theory of personality. �They don’t focus on the childhood (Mommy and Daddy issues). �Still they focus on the unconscious mind and the belief that our childhood dictates who we become as adults.

Freud’s View of the Mind �How did Freud view the conscious, the preconscious, and unconscious regions of the mind and how they differed from each other? Free Association – a method of exploring the unconscious in which a person says whatever comes to mind Conscious - thoughts and feelings we are aware of Preconscious – thoughts and memories not in our current awareness but easily retrieved Unconscious – vast “region” of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings and memories; opening up the unconscious was Freud’s main objective

The Id, and Superego �ID – consists of the unconscious; strives to satisfy basic sexual/aggressive drives �ID operates on pleasure principle – demands instant grat. �Superego – reps. internalized ideals; standards for judgment; WHAT WE SHOULD DO

The Ego �The EGO is the mediator that makes our decisions �Listens to demands of ID and restraint of superego �Ego works from reality principle – satisfying the ID in a realistic way (prefer pleasure over pain)

How does this image relate to Freud’s view of the mind? Who plays which role?

Defense Mechanisms �According to Freud, an arsenal of “weapons” used by the ego to help rid the self of anxious tensions by unconsciously distorting reality.

7 Types of Defense Mechanisms �Repression – banishing thoughts from conscious �Regression – “retreat” to a infantile stage of life �Denial – refusal to admit bad things are happening �Reaction formation – reverse of an unacceptable impulse; dislike instead of fondness for unobtainable �Projection – attributing problems upon others �Rationalization – justifying one’s actions �Displacement – shifts unacceptable impulses towards a less threatening object/person

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages � Freud believed personality forms during the first 5 or 6 years of life � Problems originate from problems that were not resolved during childhood years. Phallic – Oedipus complex; boys love mother, hate father; Electra – Girls Latency – identification process: what it means to be male or female

Final Shots �If you could discuss one topic with Sigmund Freud (whether specific or general) what would it be and why? (5 min. ticket out the door)

Humanistic Perspective �Humanistic psychology – focuses on the study of the conscious experience and the individual’s freedom to choose and capacity for personal growth. �Want a psychology that A. emphasizes conscious experiences B. focuses on free will C. studies all factors (not just observable) relevant to the human condition

Maslow and Self-Actualization �Self actualization – the ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self esteem is achieved; the need to live up to one’s full potential.

Carl Rogers �Viewed humans as “seeds” who needed certain “ingredients” to flourish: Acceptance � Unconditional Genuineness � Free positive regard – total acceptance expression of feelings Empathy � Sharing our thoughts and reflecting another’s feelings “SELF CONCEPT” – all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I? ”