Describe and evaluate the theories of Sigmund Freud's psycho dynamic approach as an explanation of human behaviour. In the evaluation summarise and evaluate the cognitive perspective as an alternative explanation of human behaviour. This essay is going to describe in depth and detail the theories of Sigmund Freud's psycho dynamic approach. The strengths and weakness as an evaluation of Sigmund Freud's work. A summary and evaluation of the cognitive perspective as an alternative of human behaviour will also be identified in this essay. Sigmund Freud was born in the Czech Republic on 6 may 1856, was a neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. He had a personal interest in hysteria a condition were psychical symptoms occurred without any obvious psychical causes. Sigmund Freud's theories were based upon ideas that he collected through out his working life from various case studies. Although other people had their theories about various ailments and conditions, it was Sigmund Freud who was the first person to actually document his work. Freud believed that people were controlled by two drives: the Eros the life drive, which was referred to as the sexual instinct and the death drive (Thanatos). “However, his ideas have become interwoven into the fabric of our culture, with terms such as "Freudian slip," "repression" and "denial" appearing regularly in everyday language” (http://psychology.about.com). His work is still revered, taught and criticised today over one hundred years later. Sigmund Freud's model of the mind can be likened to an iceberg, where the tip is visible above the water and the rest is hidden below the water unseen. The visible part is likened to our conscious mind from where we have our sensa... ... middle of paper ... ...f guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to id demands, the superego may make the person feel bad though guilt”. ( www.simplypsychology.org, (2011). “The ego possesses a remarkable capacity for life preserving distortion”. (Vaillant, 1995, pp 9). A frequent question concerns whether a person could get lost in trance and not come back. There is know danger of clients failing to emerge from the hypnotic trance state. The worst that could happen is that they would fall asleep and awaken naturally sometime later”. (Laybay, 2003 pp 35). “If in your dreams you make thoughts conscious you would wake up. So dreams may give a clue about unconscious wishes, but there are revealed through symbols rather than directly. This is to protect our sleep”. (Brian, 2000, p.151). “When moving into the preoperational stage, the child starts to engage in symbolic play” (Brian, 2002, p.212)
The psychodynamic perspective, as pioneered by Sigmund Freud, revolves around three main ideas. These ideas explain that an individual’s actions are essentially determined by their cognition – particularly the way that they think and the way that they feel. For example, the classic idea that a customer may be inappropriately rude to a staff member at their local grocery store may be due to the customer having a bad day. The customer enters the store feeling pessimistic and upset, and the action of belittling or abusing the staff member comes as a result of their feelings. The psychodynamic perspective also outlines that many of these cognitive events occur outside of an individual’s mental awareness, or, as Freud’s theory suggests, within an individual’s subconscious. Freud equated the idea of consciousness and mental awareness to the iceberg metaphor. That is, the visible tip of the iceberg represents an individual’s conscious mental processes which can be shown by observable b...
Sigmund Freud’s theories on the construction of the mind are simple, but fundamentally changed the field of psychology. He proposed, among other things, that the human mind is composed of three parts: the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. The preconscious consists of information, such as a telephone number, that is “accessible to consciousness without emotional resistance” (Schellenberg 21). In Freud’s estimation, the unconscious is the most important area of the mind. The information stored within it has “very strong resistances” to becoming conscious (Freud 32). Residing in the unconscious is the id, which “contains everything…that is present at birth… – above all, therefore, the instincts which originate from somatic organization” (14). From birth, all action is instinctual, from the id. The id recognizes and entertains no desires but its own and is impatient to have its needs met. This phase lasts until a part of the id changes “under the influence of the real external world” (14). This changed portion b...
Dare, C., Dreher, U. A., Holder, A., Sandler, J., (1997). The development of Freud’s theory. FREUD’S MODELS OF THE MIND An Introduction (18-26). London: Foreword Copyright.
Contemporary Psychology, 36, 575-577. Freud, S. (1961). The Species of the World. The Complete Works of Sigmund Freud. London: The Hogarths.
Freud, Sigmund. New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Ed. James Strachey. Trans. James Strachey. Standard. Vol. 22. London: Hogarth Press, 1964.
The introduction of the psychoanalytic theory into the field of psychology in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Sigmund Freud provided an innovative approach toward the examination and treatment of an individual’s behaviors. Through Freud’s definition of psychoanalysis, the idea that behaviors are not random, but rather full of significance, was encapsulated. In general terms Freud viewed psychoanalysis as an attribution of thoughts and actions to an individual’s unconscious motives and conflicts through the use of personality and therapeutic methods. Within this theory Freud developed an idea of an individual’s mind by analyzing it in comparison to an iceberg. Much like an iceberg, which contains various regions that are exposed and concealed, Freud viewed one’s cognizance through the same lens. He generated a clear view of the human mind in three distinct categories: the id, the ego, and the superego.
In the development of the philosophy of mind, many had come to rely on Descartes and his Meditations on First Philosophy. Dualism and the understanding of the causal relationship between the mental realm and the physical world had been widely accepted. Though, doubts had begun to sprout as considerations of the exclusivity of a person’s mental realm came into question. With developments in the field of psychology in the late 19th-century, Sigmund Freud had theorized on the idea that the mind is not always aware of its mental state and that humans tend to ignore or deny the underlying thoughts that are taking place under t...
This theory is a social construction, just as all theories are, of Freud’s own experience. It is important to understand this, and to take the good with the bad. Analysis of the Psychodynamic Theory The main issue with the psychodynamic theory is that it is based on very subjective and quantitative aspects. The internalization of the human mind is not something that can be easily or quantitatively studied.
The psychodynamic approach lends itself to being a controversial yet highly influential theory in the history of psychology. The theory has become one of the most significant psychological approaches and its originator, Sigmund Freud, has become a major influence in modern psychology. The psychodynamic approach largely focuses on motivation and past experiences which develop and individual’s personality. Freud used the iceberg metaphor to outline the three states of consciousness and argued that only twenty percent of the mind represents the conscious. In addition he theorised that there was a pre-conscious mind which represents general memory. Finally, the unconscious mind which is essentially the reservoir of repressed or hidden experiences and desire.
Their contributions to the psychological school of thought continue to be embraced by many modern day psychologists. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who developed the discipline of psychoanalysis, theories about the unconscious mind, repression and verbal psychotherapy, a method of treating psychopathology through verbal dialogue between patient and psychoanalyst. The principles of psychoanalysis therapy are human behavior; experience and cognition are determined by innate and irrational drives that are mainly unconscious. He believed bringing those irrational drives to awareness met psychological resistance in the form of defense mechanism. An individual’s development is determined by events that occurred during childhood and any conflict between the conscious and unconscious.
The first theory Psychodynamic theory presented by Sigmund Freud, is based on how a person’s self-awareness and understanding of the past on present behavior. Psychody...
During Freud’s time of theology his main focus was humanity. He predominately spent his time studying and observing the functioning of humans and the forces and drives of why individuals respond to things the way they do. Part of his studies also dealt with relating individual’s forces and drives to early experiences had during the growing stages of life. The term Freud decided to use to summarize his entire concept of study was Psychodynamics. The fundamental concept, Psychodynamics, is an approach that underlies human’s behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate to early experiences.
The aim of this essay is to clarify the basic principles of Freud’s theories and to raise the main issues.
Freud, Sigmund, James Strachey, and Peter Gay. An Outline of Psycho-analysis. New York: W.W. Norton, 1989. Print.
Sigmund Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory suggests that human behavior and personality is influenced by unconscious motives. In the early 1900s, Freud proposed this theory, stating that the personality consists of the id, the ego, and the superego. Psychodynamic psychologists see behavior as a compromise between the three areas of our psyche. These psychologists study human behavior by looking for deeper meanings in peoples’ thoughts and actions. Today, many of Freud’s ideas have been criticized for being too abstract and objective, but that does not mean that his work is without merit. The Psychodynamic Theory has redefined patient-therapist relationships and our understanding of thought processes and response patterns.