PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE:

Psychodynamic
SIGMUND FREUD
ALFRED ADLER
Objectives

• To reflect how our thought, behavioral, and emotional patterns

are shaped by our past and present experiences

• To integrate these experiences into the wholistic understanding of

the self
 PSYCHOLOGY

• THE FUNCTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY

• 1. DESCRIBE
• 2. EXPLAIN
• 3. PREDICT

• MAJOR SCOPE: Thoughts, feelings, behavior

• Clint always finds himself
drawn to “unavailable”
women to the extent that he
would get obsessed with
them. This is not the first
time. His friend also noticed
that too. They all wonder
why? How would a
psychologist make sense of
this? FICTIONAL
CASE
PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

• A collection of psychological
theories that’s derived from the
basic propositions set forth by
Sigmund Freud in 1890-1930s but
has now evolved into many
different variations
• Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl
Jung, Karen Horney, Margaret
Mahler, etc
BASIC PREMISES OF PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

• THE ROLE OF THE UNCONSCIOUS. Human are driven by unconscious forces, motivations that are
beyond our awareness
• THE PAST. Childhood experiences and relationships shape our personality especially in how we
feel and behave in social and intimate relationships
• THE TENSION. Tension or “anxiety” happens because internal conflicts are bound to occur
particularly when our mind and feelings react differently with a particular person or situation
thus leading the person to make some mental compromise
• FORMATION OF THE “SELF”. The development of the self is possible only when we are able to
separate from the shadow of our early caregiver (parents) and individuate to form a self uniquely
our own
SIGMUND FREUD

The LEVELS OF THE THE DEFENSE

PSYCHE: THE STRUCTURES
DRIVE: Life and OF PERSONALITY: MECHANISMS:
Unconscious, Pre- against anxiety
conscious, Death Instinct Id, Ego, SuperEgo
Conscious
Levels of Psyche (3 layers)
What are these?

• Early childhood experiences that create high levels of anxiety are

repressed into the UNCONSCIOUS where they may influence
behavior, emotions and attitude for years. This includes present
experiences that might too anxiety provoking.

• Events that are not associated with anxiety but are merely
forgotten make up the contents of PRECONSCIOUS

• CONSCIOUS images are those in awareness at any given time

 What are “INSTINCTS” in Freud’s Theory?

are mental representations of internal stimuli that drive HUMAN to take certain actions

LIFE
serve the purpose of
the survival of the
individual to satisfy the Eating, drinking,

INSTINCTS
needs for food, water, sleeping, etc..
air, and sex (i.e.libido-
sexual drive)

DEATH The unconscious drive

towards decay,
SELF-
DESTRUCTIVENESS: the
The AGGRESSIVE DRIVE:
The wish to conquer,
destroy or kill objects
INSTINCTS
destruction and wish to hurt oneself,
aggression the wish to die or person/s other than
the self
STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

ID Allied with the instincts

Pleasure Principle

Childlike thinking

EGO Rational aspect of the personality

Reality principle

Directs and controls the impulses of the id

SUPEREGO The MORAL aspect of personality

The internalization of parental and societal values and standards

1) THE CONSCIENCE 2) EGO IDEALS

 FICTIONAL CASE:
Structure of Personality
• ERIK, 19 REALLY LIKES ERIKA, 23. BUT
ERIKA IS ALREADY MARRIED. ONE
NIGHT, THEY WERE IN A BAR.
• THEY WERE A BIT TIPSY ALREADY, HIS ID
(LIBIDO) WANTED SO BADLY TO BRING
HER HOME AND (YOU KNOW!) J
• BUT HIS SUPEREGO MADE HIM FEEL A
TINGE OF CONSCIENCE, “THIS IS WRONG,
SHE IS MARRIED, AND HER HUSBAND IS
MY BUDDY”
• THE EGO INTERVENED, AND MADE A
RATIONAL DECISION, CONVINCING ERIK
THAT THIS IS JUST INFATUATION. ALSO,
IT REMINDED HIM OF THE
CONSEQUENCES IF HE LET HIS LIBIDO
OVERPOWER HIS RATIONALITY
DEFENSE MECHANISMS

• Tactic/s used to
ward off
unpleasant
feelings and
emotions
• Operates in the
unconscious
 Repression Suppression

Denial Projection
Defense
Mechanisms Reaction
Displacement
Formation

Regression Sublimation
 • ALFRED ADLER, even if his theory
is part of the PSYCHODYNAMIC,
NOTE we will discuss it when we reach
HUMANISTIC.
Resources

• “THEORIES OF PERSONALITY” BY DANIEL SCHULTZ

• “THEORIES OF PERSONALITY” BY FEIST, FEIST, & ROBERTS