Theories of mind

Theories of mind

PSYCHOANALYTIC (PSYCHODYNAMIC) THEORY
Psychoanalytic theory is a theory of the mind and personality development that is centrally based on the concept of conflict among forces within the mind (i.e.. intrapsychic conflict
Its origin and development have been uniquely identified with the work of Freud (1856 – 1939)

Basic psychoanalytic concepts

1. Unconscious mental process
a. much of mental activity (e.g.. drives ,wishes , defenses ,conscience) occurs outside of awareness (i.e.. is "unconscious")
unconscious mental activity influences conscious thought and behavior although it is not available to voluntary recall .
conscience :an unexplained feeling of guilt or shame , or one that is out of proportion to the identified cause

2. Psychic determinism

a. The concept of psychic determinism asserts all mental activity is meaningful and purposeful and is connected with previous life experiences (albeit often unconsciously ) .
b. Consequently ,no mental activity (and ,therefore ,no behavior ) is random , accidental ,or meaningless .

3. Instincts (drives)

a. Drives originate from biologic processes and are the motivation behind mental activity and action .
b. The psychological manifestations of drives are experienced as urges , wishes , and fantasies .
c. there are two major categories of drives :
(1) Sexual drive (libido)
(2)Aggressive drive
d. Drives press toward gratification and discharge .
In the infant and young child , this action is more direct and overt , and gradually conforms to parental , group , and societal standards
e. Drives go through a process of development in stages



4. Psychosexual stages of development refer to a gradual , sequential process in the development of the sexual drive (instinct) from infancy (infantile sexuality) to adulthood (genital sexuality) , reflecting maturation of the body and nervous system on the one hand and interpersonal experience on the other
a. During the oral stage (birth to 1 1/2 years ) , the primary drive satisfaction is achieved by sucking , feeding , and chewing behaviors

b. During the anal stage (11/2 to 3 years ) , the primary (not the exclusive) focus of pleasure and interaction shifts to the anal zone and to activities of expulsion and retention (both anal and urinary ) , followed by the acquisition of voluntary control

c. During the phallic (oedipal) stage (approximately 3 to 6 years ) , the focus shifts to the genitals as the primary source of interest , pleasure and organization of wishes . This is manifested by masturbation , curiosity , and exhibitionism .
(1) The Oedipus complex involves wishes directed toward the parents . The child increasingly wishes to have an exclusive relationship with the opposite-sex parent , but also wishes to preserve a positive relationship with the parent of the same sex

(1) The Oedipus complex involves wishes directed toward the parents . The child increasingly wishes to have an exclusive relationship with the opposite-sex parent , but also wishes to preserve a positive relationship with the parent of the same sex .
(2) This complex of feeling leads to oedipal conflict , which is a fear that the same –sex parent will be displeased and angry with the child for his rivalrous wishes and will retaliate

This in turn leads to fear of bodily damage in the boy (castration anxiety) and fear of loss of love in the girl .
(3) The conflict is resolved by relinquishing the rivalrous "sexual" wishes and maintaining the original relationship with parent of the opposite sex by choosing to be like the father (boy) or the mother (girl) when grown-up

d. During latency (approximately 6 to 12 years or the period between resolution of the oedipal conflict and the onset of puberty) , the primary interests turn to peers and school , with socialization and acquisition of knowledge and skills .
e. The genital stage (puberty to adulthood ) is the only psychosexual stage with explicit neuroendocrine and maturational components . Ideally the drives , aims , and objects of the previous psychosexual stage are integrated into primary genital sexuality , with the previous stages (e.g.. oral pleasure , anal pleasure ,exhibitionism) now active as part of foreplay rather than determining the primary sexual aim .

a. Definition . Defenses are mental (psychological) operations that function outside of awareness (unconsciously) to ward off anxiety and maintain a sense of safety , well-being and self-esteem .
(1) Defenses emerge , along with maturation , in a development sequence .
(2) They may emerge episodically (i.e.. as in a transient regression) or become habitual and operate as a part of the personality (e.g.. rationalization , intellectualization , compulsiveness) .They may become fixed as part of a symptom formation , as in a phobia


(1) Denial is blocking from awareness (or acceptance) information or perceptions that seem to be unacceptable (e.g.. "That cannot be true ;" "That cannot have happened").
(2) projection is the assignment of an unacceptable inner impulse or feeling , such as anger , to another person or agency (e.g.. "it is not I who am angry , but you who are angry at me") . An individual can also project his own sexual feelings to another , as bad .
(3) splitting is a way of maintaining a perception of self and others as either all good or all bad .
(4) Repression is a dominant and important intrapsychic defense that operates to keep unconscious any urges , thoughts , wishes , and feeling considered unacceptable or dangerous .

(5) In reaction formation , only one side of an attitude or relationship is allowed into awareness and may be experienced (e.g.. a harsh morality , self-righteousness , exaggerated affection or generosity , self-sacrifice).
(6) Isolation of affect maintains the separation of a thought from its otherwise unacceptable or painful feeling (e.g.. speaking calmly of what otherwise would be a painful , humiliating , or frightening experience) . The affect may also be though of as repressed .
(7) Rationalization is substituting acceptable or even admirable motives for attitudes or behavior to more self-serving or otherwise unacceptable motives .
(8) Intellectualization A common defense in our culture , involves addressing an issue that would be painful or threatening by understanding or explaining it intellectually (e.g.. parents of a child with a serious or fatal illness learn all of details about the illness to ward off feeling of helplessness and hopelessness)

(9) Undoing involves a thought or action that "magically" neutralizes (or "undoes") harm or consequence related to an unconscious wish . Undoing is a defense found in ritualistic and superstitious behavior (e.g.. knocking on wood , throwing salt over one's shoulder , avoiding the path of a black cat) .
(10) Regression is a special case—as much a process as a defense—which can be more or less adaptive . It is the return to or revival of earlier forms of behavior or though in response to a current stress or threat . This is very common in young children and is seen in a return to thumb sucking or immature speech following the birth of a sibling .

6. structural model of mental functioning . An elaboration of psychoanalytic theory , the structural model organizes mental processes and behavior according to function , and it groups related function together . The groups are referred to as the "structures" of id , ego , and superego .
a. Id is the psychic representation of drives (wishes) , which are largely unconscious , particularly sexual and aggressive infantile and childhood drives (e.g.. sucking drives , anal retentive drives , sadistic and destructive drives) .

b. Ego is a group of functions that provide for adaptation to the demands of the drives and to the requirements of external reality allowing for drive discharge and gratification , taking safety and feeling into account . Function may be classified as primarily maturational (i.e.. biologic or genetic) or primarily developmental in origin .

c. Superego represents :
(1) Judgment , self-criticism , and conscience , which are affectively regulated by guilt (what one should not think , feel , or do) .
(2) Aspirations and values to live up to—the "ego-ideal" component of the superego—which are affectively regulated by shame .


(3) Conscience and the ego –ideal , which develop by the transfer of prohibitions , permissions , expectations , and values from external authority (parents) to an internal agency

Transference and counter transference

a. Transference . The attitudes , feelings , thoughts , and wishes that involve important figures in the past (e.g.. parents) are unconsciously reenacted with individuals in the present . In analysis , this process in the patient progressively focuses onto the person of the analyst and is then subjected to analysis .
b. counter transference . This is the same process as transference , but it occurs on the part of the analyst toward the person of the patient . For one to become an analyst ,a personal analysis is considered essential to minimize the role of counter transference .