SIGMUND FREUD PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY

● Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theories have largely

contributed to psychoanalysis.
● Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, who is also known as
the father of psychoanalysis, was born on 6 May 1856 .
● In 1923, Freud elaborated on the three parts of the human
psyche, i.e., id, ego, and superego, in his publication “The Ego
and the Id.” Freud, along with his family, left
● According to Freud human personality is complex and more
than a single component

PsychoAnalytical Theory has three major parts

1. Theory of personality dynamics.

2. Theory of personality structure

3. Theory of psycho-social development.

1.Theory of Personality Dynamics

Freud proposed that there exist three levels of awareness, i.e.,

consciousness, preconscious, and unconsciousness

A)Conscious

● Everything that we are feeling, thinking, wishing, or

paying attention to at the given moment, comes under
the consciousness of our mind.

B)Preconscious

● Everything that the person is not paying attention to at

the given moment, but the information is readily
available to enter into the conscious of the person
whenever it’s required.
 ● For example, you may not be thinking about your
sibling’s mobile number at the given moment, but you’ll
immediately recall the number whenever needed.

C) Unconscious

● The third level is unconscious, which includes mental

activity that people are unaware of.
● According to Freud, the unconscious is a reservoir of
instinctive or animal drives.
● Examples of unconscious events include suppressed
feelings, auto reactions, complexes, and concealed
phobias.

2. Theory of Personality Structure

● According to Freud, the human personality consists of

three components: Id, Ego, and Superego.

1.Id

● Id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that

contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden
memories
● The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our
psyche that responds directly and immediately to basic
urges, needs, and desires.
● Freud assumed the id operated unconsciously according
to the pleasure principle (gratification from satisfying
basic instincts).
● The id comprises two kinds of biological instincts (or
drives), including the sex (life) instinct called Eros (which
contains the libido) and the aggressive (death) instinct
called Thanatos.
● An infant crying when it is hungry is an example of the
id.
 2.Ego

● The ego is “that part of the id which has been modified

by the direct influence of the external world.”
● The ego is the only part of the conscious personality
● The ego develops from the id during infancy. The ego’s
goal is to satisfy the id’s demands in a safe and socially
acceptable way.
● The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is
good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without
causing harm to itself or the id.
● example, if you are craving chocolate, the ego will make
you wait until you can get your own chocolate bar
instead of snatching the one your friend is about to
enjoy.

3.Super ego.

● The superego incorporates the values and morals of

society, which are learned from one’s parents and
others.
● It develops around 3 – 5 years during the phallic stage of
psychosexual development.
● The superego is a part of the unconscious that is the
voice of conscience (doing what is right) and the source
of self-criticism.
● Example:A woman feels an urge to steal office supplies
from work. However, her superego counteracts this urge
by focusing on the fact that such behaviors are wrong.
3.Theory of psycho social development

● Sigmund Freud proposed that if the child experienced

frustration at any of the psychosexual developmental
stages, they would experience anxiety that would persist
into adulthood as a neurosis, a functional mental
disorder.
● Oral stage- in this stage child gets happiness through
mouth-related activity in the first year from birth.
● Anal Stage- At the age of 1 to 2 years, the child gets
happiness through an anal-related activity.
● Phallic stage- in this stage, at the age of 2 to 5 years the
child attracts his mother due to the Oedipus complex
and the child attracts her mother due to the Electra
complex.
● Latency stage- In this stage, in the year 6- 12 year child
gets happiness by playing with peers or by doing social
work with peers, etc.
● Genital Stage- In this stage at the above age of 12 years
child attracts to sex opposite sex

● Oedipus Complex. The attachment of the child to the

parent of the opposite sex, accompanied by envious and
aggressive feelings toward the parent of the same sex.
● These feelings are largely repressed (ie. Made
unconscious) because of the fear of displeasure or
punishment by the parent of the same sex.
● Electra complex:The Electra complex is a term used to
describe the female version of the Oedipus complex.
 ● It involves a girl, aged between 3 and 6, becoming
subconsciously sexually attached to her father and
increasingly hostile toward her mother.

Model Questions

1. According to Freud, there is / are only:

A)One Instinct

B)Two Instincts

C)Three Instincts

D)Four Instincts

Answer:B

Solution:

● There are two instincts: Eros and Thanatos.

● Eros is the life instinct, which is responsible for all of the
things that keep us alive, such as hunger, thirst, and the
need for love and connection.
● Thanatos is the death instinct, which is responsible for
all of the things that lead to our destruction, such as
aggression, violence, and self-destructive behaviour.

2.The level of consciousness which is considered

 as the reservoir of instinctive or animal drives is

A)Unconscious

B)Preconscious

C)Conscious

D)None of these

Answer:A

Solution:

● Conscious level: The thoughts, feelings, and sensations

that one is aware of at the present moment.
● Preconscious level: It contains information of which one
is not currently aware, however, they can easily enter the
conscious mind.
● Unconscious level: It consists of thoughts, feelings,
wishes, drives, etc. Of which we are not aware. It,
however, influences our conscious level of activity.

3.Which of the following is not a stage of psycho-sexual

development as given by freud?

A)oral stage

B)Anal stage

C)latency stage

D) iconic stage

Answer:D

Solution:
Oral stage- in this stage child gets happiness through
mouth-related activity in the first year from birth.

Anal Stage- At the age of 1 to 2 years, the child gets happiness

through an anal-related activity.

Phallic stage- in this stage, at the age of 2 to 5 years the child

attracts his mother due to the Oedipus complex and the child
attracts her mother due to the Electra complex.

Latency stage- In this stage, in the year 6- 12 year child gets

happiness by playing with peers or by doing social work with peers,
etc.

Genital Stage- In this stage at the above age of 12 years child

attracts to sex opposite sex.

4.Who is the father of psychoanalysis?

A)Sigmund Freud

B)Ivan Pavlov

C)Wilhelm Wundt

D)Williams James

Answer:A

Solution:

● The concepts of id, ego, and superego are proposed by

'Sigmund Freud' in his 'Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality.
● Freud used these three concepts to describe the three parts
of the human personality and to explain the way a human
mind works.
● According to Freud, the human personality is made up of
three major systems: the id, ego, and superego.
5.What did Freud consider the paternal love of girls?

A)Oedipus complex

B)Electra complex

C)Narcissism

D)Feeling of dependence

Answer:B

Solution:

○ Freud proposed the concept of 'The Electra complex'

and 'The Oedipus complex' in the Phallic stage of the
Psychosexual Development Theory.
○ Oedipus complex: Boy's sense of affection for his
mother.
○ Electra complex: Girl's sense of affection for his father.