Psychoanalytical Theory was first introduced by a German neurologist Sigmund Freud in his famous book “Studies in Hysteria” which he wrote with his colleague Dr. Joseph Breuer in 1896. The cornerstone of this theory was one of his patients named Bertha Papenheim which is known as Anna “O” in the literature. She was complaining to be a patient of neurological disorders, a paralysis of her legs and right arm etc. She had been treated by many doctors before Freud and his colleague Dr. Joseph, but they found no organic cause of her illness. Then, Dr. Joseph started her treatment. He treated her for two years. And most of the symptoms of her illness disappeared. Now she was feeling quite well. But when she proclaimed that she was pregnant with Dr. Joseph’s child and people began to rumor about them (though she had no real pregnancy and it was merely a delusion of her mind). Dr. Joseph and his wife were greatly shocked by this alarming situation. Consequently, Dr. Joseph resigned from Anna O’s therapist. Later on, her treatment was continued by Freud and he was successful in discovering the secret of her illness. Freud found that the origin of her illness is in the unconscious part of her brain. This illness was known as “hysteria” (no called as conversion disorder) in those days. Ok, it was a short back story of this theory. Now let us come to the main story.
The Conscious and Unconscious
According to Sigmund Freud our behaviors and actions are controlled by two zones of our brain, the conscious zone and the unconscious zone. He says that most of our actions are caused by the unconscious part of our brain, which is about 90% of the total brain, while the conscious part plays a very little role in influencing our behaviors. He gives an example of an iceberg floating in the sea. He says that the peak, that part which is above the water level, of the iceberg is the conscious zone, while the bottom of the iceberg, that part which is under the water level, is the unconscious zone of our brain. The third part of our brain is the preconscious zone which acts like a buffer zone between these two zones. Freud says that those things which are present in the unconscious zone are not easily accessible to our mind, while those in the conscious zone are always available to our mind. We are unaware of those things which are present in the unconscious zone.
We perform many activities and experience various things in our daily life. All these things affect our brain directly or indirectly, and they are stored in our memory. Some of these things are very embarrassing and make us unhappy. So we try to forget them and send them to the unconscious zone of our brain to keep ourselves cool and calm. Freud called this process Repression. But it is not always true. Sometimes they suddenly enter into the conscious zone of our brain and influence our behavior. Similarly, we make many mistakes in our daily conversations. Freud says that these slips of tongue are not due to chance but they are the results of those factors which are present in the unconscious zone of our brain.
The Conscious and Unconscious
According to Sigmund Freud our behaviors and actions are controlled by two zones of our brain, the conscious zone and the unconscious zone. He says that most of our actions are caused by the unconscious part of our brain, which is about 90% of the total brain, while the conscious part plays a very little role in influencing our behaviors. He gives an example of an iceberg floating in the sea. He says that the peak, that part which is above the water level, of the iceberg is the conscious zone, while the bottom of the iceberg, that part which is under the water level, is the unconscious zone of our brain. The third part of our brain is the preconscious zone which acts like a buffer zone between these two zones. Freud says that those things which are present in the unconscious zone are not easily accessible to our mind, while those in the conscious zone are always available to our mind. We are unaware of those things which are present in the unconscious zone.
We perform many activities and experience various things in our daily life. All these things affect our brain directly or indirectly, and they are stored in our memory. Some of these things are very embarrassing and make us unhappy. So we try to forget them and send them to the unconscious zone of our brain to keep ourselves cool and calm. Freud called this process Repression. But it is not always true. Sometimes they suddenly enter into the conscious zone of our brain and influence our behavior. Similarly, we make many mistakes in our daily conversations. Freud says that these slips of tongue are not due to chance but they are the results of those factors which are present in the unconscious zone of our brain.
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| Structural Model Of Psychodynamic Theory Of Personality |
The Id, Ego and Super Ego
According to the Psychodynamic Theory our personality is consisted of three components, the id, ego and super ego. Let us examine these components one by one.
Id
Id belongs to our intrinsic drives, urges, desires or wishes like hunger, thirst, sex drive, feelings of love and hate etc. Id works on the principle of pleasures. It does not take care for social or moral values. It only knows how to fulfill its desires and needs immediately. For example when we are hungry, our Id induces us to get some food by hook or by Crooke. Id can better be observed in babies and infants. Baby is a good example of Id. We see that when a baby becomes hungry, she starts crying to tell you that she wants some milk. And when she gets milk, she stops crying. Think! Who taught her to behave like this in times of hunger? Of course, no one, but it is totally intrinsic and natural process. So we can say that Id is a built-in component of personality. People who have this factor in abundance would be selfish, rude and egotist etc.
Ego
Ego is a rational component of personality. It works on the principle of reality. It tells us what is real and what is imaginary. Ego works like a guide. It guides our Id in fulfilling its needs in a socially acceptable way. Sometimes, it is said that Ego plays the role of mediator. When a conflict arises between Id and Super Ego, Ego mediates between them.
Super Ego
Super Ego is the third and most ideal element of personality. This element is closely connected with our social life. Super Ego takes care for social and moral values. For example, when you need some money for your necessities but you don’t have any money. Your Id will tell you to get the money somehow, but Super Ego will stop you from adopting any illegal or socially unacceptable behavior. Super Ego is a very important element of personality and most of our daily actions and activities are directed by it. It enables us to distinguish between right and wrong. It advises us what to do and what not to do. It teaches us that we should comply with the norms of the society. In short it tells us “Do at Rome as the Romans do.”
Stages of Personality
Freud described the following psychosexual stages of personality.
