Psychodynamic Psychology How well do we know ourselves

Psychodynamic Psychology • How well do we know ourselves? – The unconscious mind – Developmental influences • What do our dreams mean? – Symbolism in behaviour & experience www. psychlotron. org. uk • How do our parents shape us?

• We are animals, driven by basic biological motives • The emergence of society required us to bring our animal impulses under control • Psychology involves understanding how our instincts are channeled to produce civilised behaviour – and what can go wrong with this process. www. psychlotron. org. uk Sigmund Freud

Id: Ego: Superego: Instincts Reality Morality www. psychlotron. org. uk The Psyche (Personality)

Healthy Psyche OK Guys – I’m in charge. Anything you want has to go through me. OK. Ego Id Superego www. psychlotron. org. uk OK.

Neurotic Listen up! I’m in charge, and you are not here to enjoy yourselves. Get ready for a double-size portion of anxiety with a side order of guilt! No fun. Superego Id Ego www. psychlotron. org. uk >whimper<

Psychotic Who turned out the lights? Id Ego Superego www. psychlotron. org. uk Sex! Food! Drink! Drugs! NOW!

Psychopathic OK then. Let’s go. www. psychlotron. org. uk OK. First, gimme food. Then I want sex – lots of it and I don’t particularly care whether it’s with a willing partner. Then I want to hurt people. Badly. Probably be hungry again after that so…

The Unconscious The conscious. The small amount of mental activity we know about. Thoughts Perceptions The preconscious. Things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried. Bad Worse Really Bad Fears Unacceptable sexual desires Violent motives Irrational wishes Immoral urges Selfish needs Shameful experiences Traumatic experiences www. psychlotron. org. uk The unconscious. Things we are unaware of and can not become aware of. Memories Stored knowledge

• Latent motives – the unconscious forces that drive our behaviour • Manifest motives – the lies we tell ourselves to protect us from the truth www. psychlotron. org. uk Motives