SP - Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Theories Lesson

Learning Targets:

• Define personality and discuss the key theories contributing to our understanding.
• Describe how Freud's approach to treating psychological disorders influenced his concept of the unconscious mind and outline his personality theory.
• Explain Freud's ideas on the defense mechanisms people use to protect themselves from anxiety.
• Describe projective tests, their purpose in psychological assessment, and some of the criticisms they face.

Courtesy of the AP psychology course and exam description, effective fall 2024. (n.d.). Links to an external site.

 

Understanding Personality: The Key Theories

Personality can be described as an individual's unique pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Our understanding of personality has been greatly influenced by various psychological theories. The psychoanalytic and later psychodynamic theories, developed by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, delve into the unconscious mind and childhood experiences to explain personality development. On the other hand, the humanistic theory, popularized by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, emphasizes personal growth and self-actualization. These foundational theories have paved the way for modern approaches like the trait theory, which focuses on identifying specific characteristics that define an individual, and the social cognitive theory, which examines how environmental factors and personal experiences shape one's personality.

 

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 unconscious forces, sexual and aggressive instincts, and early childhood experiences shape our personalities. 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, describing 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 during his first twenty years of 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 results from our efforts to resolve life's fundamental conflicts and 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 comprised 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.

Understanding Freud's Psychoanalysis in Modern Psychology

Contemporary psychologists view Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis as a foundational concept in the history of psychology. Freud brought attention to the unconscious mind and emphasized the significance of human sexuality and the interplay between our biological drives and societal norms. While Freud introduced the idea of defense mechanisms to explain how individuals cope with internal conflicts, modern research has advanced our understanding of the unconscious in different ways. Current scientific perspectives suggest that the unconscious operates as a parallel system of information processing, influencing our perceptions, memories, emotions, and even biases. This modern view contrasts with Freud's notion of the unconscious solely containing repressed and unacceptable thoughts, highlighting the evolution of psychological research over time.

Although Freud made significant contributions to the field of psychology, his theories have faced challenges when subjected to scientific scrutiny. While Freudian concepts like repression and the fixity of development in childhood were influential in their time, research today questions their empirical validity. Empirical studies show that our minds operate on multiple levels, with the unconscious mind playing a vital role in shaping our cognition and behavior. Rather than a mere repository of hidden desires and memories, the contemporary understanding of the unconscious includes complex cognitive processes such as schema activation, memory priming, and the shaping of implicit biases. This shift in perspective reflects the ongoing development of psychological science and the refinement of our comprehension of the human mind.

Understanding Projective Tests in Psychology

Projective tests are psychological assessments that present individuals with ambiguous stimuli, allowing for a wide range of interpretations. These tests are designed to uncover aspects of a person's inner dynamics by analyzing their responses. Two common projective tests are the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the Rorschach Inkblot Test.  

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

The TAT is known for providing a reliable insight into individuals' implicit motives that remain consistent over time.  The subject is given a set of ambiguous pictures portraying human figures in a variety of settings. They are then asked what is going on in the picture and how the person in the picture feels. The subject's answers to the questions are the manifest content, and the interpretation by the psychologist is the latent content. The analysis reveals expectations on relationships at work, with peers, parents or other authority figures, subordinates, or romantic partners.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

The most loved and widely used projective test is the Rorschach Inkblot test. Developed in 1921 by Hermann Rorschach, it includes a set of ten inkblots designed to identify people's feelings when they are asked to interpret the inkblots. As with the TAT, the subject's descriptions are the manifest content, and the therapist's interpretation is the latent content. The inkblot test can be used to understand and describe personality as well as diagnose a disorder. The Rorschach Inkblot Test is criticized for its low reliability and validity. Despite these drawbacks, some clinicians value the Rorschach test as a tool for generating initial insights during interviews and as a conversation starter.

 

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