Explain each one of these questions according to the brief below. What is psychoanalytic, who was the founder, main concepts, view of psychology and humans
This is descended from one of the early schools of thought in psychology
which grew from the work of Sigmund Freud (1856–1939). Freud was the
first-born child in his family. He trained as a medical doctor and became
interested in patients with physical symptoms (e.g. paralysis, blindness
and loss of sensation) with no known physical cause. He thought there
must be psychological causes and began using hypnosis to treat these
patients. Later he used free association, in which patients lay on the
couch in his office and described whatever came into their minds. Often
this related to painful experiences from childhood. On the basis of this,
Freud came to believe that all behaviour is determined by innate sexual
and aggressive impulses. As these impulses are forbidden and punished
in society, they are pushed down (repressed) into the unconscious. But
these impulses do not disappear from the unconscious; they continue to
influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. As a result, we develop
and use defence mechanisms to try to manage the anxiety that these
unconscious impulses cause us.
Freud’s theory has been heavily criticised for a number of reasons.
Many feel he emphasised childhood sexuality too much.
It is also difficult to do empirical research on the theory. However, the
theory recognised the importance of early childhood experiences in our
personality development. A number of followers of Freud (neo�Freudians) have developed his theories and taken them in new
directions, including Carl Jung and Freud’s daughter,
Anna Freud.
- What is psychoanalytic: Psychoanalytic theory is a psychological approach that focuses on the role of unconscious processes and childhood experiences in shaping personality and behavior.
- Who was the founder: Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalytic theory. He was a medical doctor who became interested in the psychological causes of physical symptoms in patients.
- Main concepts: The main concepts of psychoanalytic theory include the unconscious mind, innate sexual and aggressive impulses, repression, defense mechanisms, and the importance of childhood experiences in shaping personality.
- View of psychology: Psychoanalytic theory views psychology as being heavily influenced by unconscious processes and early childhood experiences. It emphasizes the role of hidden motivations and desires in shaping behavior.
- View of humans: Psychoanalytic theory sees humans as being driven by innate sexual and aggressive impulses that are repressed into the unconscious mind. These repressed impulses continue to influence thoughts, feelings, and behavior, leading to the development of defense mechanisms to manage anxiety. It highlights the importance of childhood experiences in shaping personality development.