Freud’s Structure of the Mind

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Freud’s Structure of the Mind

At the age of 40 in 1896, Sigmund Freud introduced the world to a new term- psychoanalysis (Gay 1). Psychoanalysis is a method of treating patients with different nervous problems by involving them in dialogues which provide the physician with insight into the individual’s psyche. These dialogues provided the basis for Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, which “attempts to explain personality, motivation, and psychological disorders by focusing on the influence of early childhood experiences, on unconscious motives and conflicts, and on the methods people use to cope with their sexual and aggressive urges” (Weiten 363). Part of this theory involves the structure of the mind. This is a concept that touches on human nature itself and attempts to explain the motives behind human behavior.

Freud described the mind as a “tripartite model,” a construction consisting of three different elements (Internet Encyclopedia). The first element is the id, which operates exclusively on the unconscious level. Biological urges, such as the urge to eat, sleep and have sex, drive the id. The id demands that its urges be satisfied immediately. Wayne Weiten, author of Psychology: Themes and Variations, writes that “The id engages in primary-process thinking, which is primitive, illogical, irrational, and fantasy oriented” (364). The second part of the mind is the ego, which operates on the subconscious and conscious levels. The ego is the element that “engages in secondary-process thinking, which is relatively rational, realistic, and oriented toward problem solving” (Weiten 364). The ego seeks to satisfy the id, but it also operates according to society’s rules, customs, and regulations of conduct and take...

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...e is featured in either German of English.

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/f/freud.htm#The%20Theory%20of%20the%20Unconscious

This site provides a description of the tripartite model Freud developed of the mind. It gives a brief description of the elements of this construct and describes the way these elements interact. Finally, the site discusses the defense mechanisms Freud believed were employed to deal with these conflicting elements.

Works Cited

Gay, Peter. “Time 100 Polls- Psychoanalyst: Sigmund Freud.” Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/freud.html Oct. 5, 2002.

“Neuroses and the Structure of the Mind.” Internet Encyclopedia. http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/f/freud.htm#The%20Theory%20of%20the%20Unconscious Oct. 5, 2002.

Weiten, Wayne. Psychology: Themes and Variations. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group, 2002.

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