MEP - Psychoanalytic Theories of Personality Lesson

Learning Target:

• Compare and contrast the psychoanalytic theories of personality with other theories of personality. 

AP psychology course and exam description, effective fall 2020. (n.d.). https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-psychology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

The Psychoanalytic Perspective

Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality was the first comprehensive theory to explain who we are. The central theme behind this theory is that our personalities are shaped by unconscious forces, sexual and aggressive instincts, and early childhood experiences. Freud published his findings in many different books. One of the most important, The Interpretation of Dreams, explains the most basic tenets of his psychoanalytic theory. He later published The Psychopathology of Everyday Life in which he describes the role of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and wishes and how they intrude in everyday life through dreams and Freudian slips (An unintentional error in a speech that reveals subconscious feelings.).

Freud's theory evolved over time during his first twenty years of working in private practice. His theory was built upon the observations of patients and self-analysis. In the beginning, Freud used hypnosis to unlock the unconscious. He later replaced hypnosis with a technique called free association (A psychoanalytic technique in which patients spontaneously report all thoughts, feelings, and mental images that come to mind.) to help patients relax and delve into unconscious memory.

According to Freud, personality is the result of our efforts to resolve life's basic conflicts and to express impulses in ways that bring satisfaction without guilt and punishment. Like the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, Sigmund Freud believed that most of our personality was below the surface or housed in the unconscious. He also believed that our personality was made up of three separate drives: id, ego, and superego.

Let's take a closer look at the iceberg metaphor. Roll over each term to learn more.

Watch the video below on psychoanalytic theory.

Defense Mechanisms

As you can see, the ego has a challenging task in moderating the id and the superego. It is required to be both strong and flexible and is pulled in a daily ongoing battle between the two. Sometimes the ego experiences anxiety when the demands of the id or superego overpower it. This could cause a person to act on impulse or destructively. If the ego cannot find a plausible solution to the problem, it may temporarily reduce anxiety by distorting the perceptions of reality in a process called a defense mechanism.

The major defense mechanisms are summarized below. Freud points out that the use of defense mechanisms depletes one of the psychological energies needed to cope efficiently with the demands of everyday life.

Learn more about defense mechanisms in the activity below.

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