Freudianism

Freudianism is a Psychoanalytic approach derived from the influence of Sigmund Freud, who is considered to be the founder of the psychodynamic approach to psychology, which looks to unconscious drives to explain human behavior.

Beliefs
Freudianism believes that the mind is responsible for both conscious and unconscious decisions that it makes on the basis of psychological drives. The id, ego, and super-ego are three aspects of the mind believed to comprise a person's personality.

Religion
Freud's psychoanalytic perspective viewed religion as the unconscious mind's need for wish fulfillment. Because people need to feel secure and absolve themselves of their own guilt, Freud believed that they choose to believe in God, who represents a powerful father-figure.

Psychoanalytic Theory
The basic principle of psychoanalysis is that people could be cured by making their unconscious a conscious thought and motivations. The id, ego, and super-ego are a set of three concepts in psychoanalytic theory describing distinct, interacting agents in the psychic apparatus (defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche).

[[file:Id.png]] Id
The id according to Freud is the part of the unconscious that seeks pleasure. His idea of the id explains why people act out in certain ways when it is not in line with the ego or superego. The id is the part of the mind, which holds all of humankind's most basic and primal instincts. It is the impulsive, unconscious part in the mind that is based on the desire to seek immediate satisfaction. The id does not have a grasp on any form of reality or consequence. Freud understood that some people are controlled by the id because it makes people engage in need-satisfying behavior without any accordance with what is right or wrong. Freud compared the id and the ego to a horse and a rider. The id is compared to the horse, which is directed and controlled, by the ego or the rider. This example goes to show that although the id is supposed to be controlled by the ego, they often interact with one another according to the drives of the ego.Id is made up of two biological instincts. Eros which is life instinct and thanatos which is death instinct.

[[file:FreudEgo.png]] Ego
In order for people to maintain a realistic sense here on earth, the ego is responsible for creating a balance between pleasure and pain. It is impossible for all desires of the id to be met and the ego realizes this but continues to seek pleasure and satisfaction. Although the ego does not know the difference between right and wrong, it is aware that not all drives can be met at a given time. The reality principle is what the ego operates in order to help satisfy the id's demands as well as compromising according to reality. The ego is a person's "self" composed of unconscious desires. The ego takes into account ethical and cultural ideals in order to balance out the desires originating in the id. Although both the id and the ego are unconscious, the ego has close contact with the perceptual system. The ego has the function of self-preservation, which is why it has the ability to control the instinctual demands from the id.

[[File:SuperEgo.png]] Superego
The superego, which develops around age four or five, incorporates the morals of society. Freud believed that the superego is what allows the mind to control its impulses that are looked down upon morally. The superego can be considered to be the conscience of the mind because it has the ability to distinguish between reality as well as what is right or wrong. Without the superego, Freud believed people would act out with aggression and other immoral behaviors because the mind would have no way of understanding the difference between right and wrong. The superego is considered to be the "consciousness" of a person's personality and can override the drives from the id. Freud separates the superego into two separate categories; the ideal self and the conscience. The conscience contains ideals and morals that exist within a society that prevent people from acting out based on their internal desires. The ideal self contains images of how people ought to behave according to society's ideals.

Psychosexual Development
Freud believed that our personalities develop through a series of stages during childhood, where we focus on certain areas of our bodies that are sensitive to stimulation, also known as erogenous zones. There are five of these stages: oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital, and each one is associated with a particular erogenous zone that gives us pleasure. If we're not satisfied during any one of these stages, it can lead to fixation, while satisfaction can help us develop a healthy personality.

However, if a child experiences frustration during any of the psychosexual developmental stages, it can cause anxiety that may persist into adulthood as a functional mental disorder, known as a neurosis. Freud believed that this could happen because the child's pleasure-seeking energies became focused on that particular stage, and they were unable to move on to the next one.

According to Freud, sexual infantilism refers to the failure of a child in satisfying their sexual drive or libido due to disapproval from parents or society. This can lead to anxiety and fixation on the erogenous zone associated with the failure. The fixation can persist into adulthood, shaping an individual's personality and potentially causing mental ailments like neurosis, hysteria, "female hysteria," or personality disorders.

Oral stage
During the first stage of psychosexual development, known as the oral stage, which occurs from birth to around one year old, the child experiences sexual pleasure from activities such as feeding at the mother's breast and exploring their environment through their mouth. The id dominates this stage since the ego and super ego have not yet fully developed, and every action is based on the pleasure principle. However, the infantile ego is starting to form, and the child begins to understand their body image and the boundaries between their body and the external world. They also start to learn delayed gratification and that specific behaviors can satisfy certain needs.

The weaning process is a critical experience in the oral stage, as it is the child's first experience of loss and the end of the physical intimacy of feeding at the mother's breast. Weaning helps the child learn that they do not control their environment, which leads to the development of independence and trust. However, if the oral-stage needs are not met, such as not getting enough or getting too much gratification, it can result in fixation. If the child gets too much gratification, they may become passive, immature, and manipulative. In contrast, if they receive too little gratification, they may become passive and give up too easily.

Anal stage
The second stage of psychosexual development is the anal stage, which takes place from the age of 18 months to 3 years. During this stage, the infant's focus shifts from the mouth to the anus as their erogenous zone. The child's experience of toilet training is a key event of the anal stage, during which the id (seeking immediate gratification) and the ego (seeking delayed gratification) come into conflict. The way in which parents handle toilet training can have a significant impact on the resolution of this conflict, with gradual and moderate demands leading to a self-controlled adult, and immoderate demands potentially leading to the development of a compulsive or self-indulgent personality.

The optimal resolution of the id-ego conflict is for the child to learn the value of physical cleanliness and environmental order through moderate parental demands. This promotes the development of a self-controlled adult. However, if parents overemphasize toilet training, it may result in the development of a compulsive personality, while a self-indulgent personality may develop if the child follows the id and the parents yield. On the other hand, if the parents are too controlling, the child may develop a weak sense of self.

Phallic stage
The phallic stage of psychosexual development occurs between the ages of three to six and focuses on a child's genitalia as their primary erogenous zone. During this stage, children become aware of their bodies, those of their peers, and their parents. They learn physical and sexual differences between genders and associated social roles. Boys experience the Oedipus complex, which is son-father competition for possession of the mother, and girls experience the Electra complex, daughter-mother competition for psychosexual possession of the father. Initially, Freud applied the Oedipus complex to both boys and girls, but later developed the feminine Oedipus attitude and the negative Oedipus complex for girls. Carl Jung coined the term Electra complex in 1913, which Freud rejected as inaccurate. Karen Horney has disputed Freud's theory and proposed the concept of womb envy instead. Defense mechanisms, such as repression and identification, provide temporary resolutions to the id-ego conflict. Unresolved psychosexual competition for the opposite-sex parent might result in fixation and lead to abnormal personality traits. Therefore, satisfactory parental handling and resolution of the Oedipus and Electra complexes are crucial for infantile development.

Latency stage
The latency stage of psychosexual development occurs between the ages of six years to puberty. The child reinforces the character traits developed in the earlier three stages. Due to the repression of the instinctual drives during the phallic stage, the child's defense mechanism makes these drives inaccessible to the ego. The child derives pleasure from external activities such as schooling, friendships, and hobbies as the gratification is delayed during the latency stage. Any neuroses arising during this stage may result from the failure to direct energy towards socially acceptable activities or from the inadequate resolution of the Oedipus conflict.

Genital stage
The genital stage of psychosexual development is the fifth and final stage, which begins during puberty and continues through adulthood. The primary objective of this stage is to achieve psychological independence from one's parents. During the genital stage, unresolved psychosexual conflicts from childhood are confronted and resolved. While the phallic stage is also focused on the genitalia, the genital stage involves consensual and adult sexuality, as opposed to infantile and solitary sexuality. The key difference between the phallic and genital stages is that in the latter, the ego is well-established, and the individual's focus shifts from fulfilling primary desires to satisfying them through symbolic and intellectual means such as romantic relationships, family, friendships, and adult responsibilities.

Oedipus Complex and Electra Complex
According to Freud, the Oedipus complex is a normal and universal aspect of human development that arises during the phallic stage of psychosexual development, which occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. During this stage, the child becomes aware of their own genitals and begins to experience sexual feelings and desires.

In the case of a male child, the Oedipus complex involves a desire for the mother and feelings of hostility and jealousy toward the father, whom the child sees as a rival for the mother's affection. The child may also experience castration anxiety, which refers to a fear of losing his penis as punishment for his forbidden sexual desires. In response to these feelings, the child may repress his sexual desires and identify with the father as a way of resolving the conflict.

In the case of a female child, the Oedipus complex is somewhat different. Freud proposed that girls experience a parallel process known as the Electra complex, in which they desire their father and feel jealousy and hostility toward their mother. However, Freud later revised his theory to suggest that the female Oedipus complex is less intense and less universal than the male version, and that girls may resolve the conflict by identifying with the mother instead of the father.

Dreams and the Unconscious
According to Freud, dreams are created through two mental processes. The first process involves unconscious forces that generate a wish that is expressed in the dream, and the second process is the act of censorship that distorts the expression of the wish. Freud believed that all dreams are forms of "wish fulfillment" (except for some dreams discussed in Beyond the Pleasure Principle). Freud's belief that dreams can be interpreted immediately puts him in opposition to prevailing theories of dreams.

Freud suggested that an analyst can distinguish between the manifest content and latent content of a dream. The manifest content is the remembered narrative that unfolds in the dream, while the latent content is the underlying meaning of the dream. During sleep, the unconscious condenses, displaces, and transforms the dream content into representations, and the latent content of the dream is often unrecognizable to the individual upon waking.

Defence Mechanisms
Freudian defense mechanisms are psychological processes that we use unconsciously to protect ourselves from unpleasant emotions, thoughts, and experiences. These mechanisms can prevent us from feeling anxious, guilty, or ashamed, but they can also cause problems in our relationships and overall mental health. There are several types of defense mechanisms, and they vary in their effectiveness and adaptiveness. Some of the most common mechanisms include repression, denial, projection, displacement, and sublimation.


 * Repression involves pushing unwanted thoughts and memories into the unconscious mind, where they are inaccessible to conscious awareness. This can be useful in protecting ourselves from traumatic experiences, but it can also lead to problems if the repressed thoughts and emotions resurface later in life.
 * Denial involves refusing to accept or acknowledge a painful reality or emotion. This can be a way to avoid feeling anxious or overwhelmed, but it can also prevent us from dealing with the problem and finding solutions.
 * Projection involves attributing our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to others. This can be a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own actions, but it can also lead to misunderstandings and conflict in relationships.
 * Displacement involves redirecting our emotions or impulses from one target to another, usually a less threatening one. For example, if we are angry with our boss, we may come home and take it out on our family members. While this can provide temporary relief, it can also cause problems in our personal relationships.
 * Sublimation involves channeling our impulses into socially acceptable behaviors, such as creative or intellectual pursuits. This can be a healthy way to express our emotions and desires, but it can also lead to a disconnect between our thoughts and actions.

Friends

 * [[File:Psychoanalysis.png]] Psychoanalysis - This is me but in theory.

Frenemies

 * [[File:Existentialism.png]] Existentialism - You may criticize my emphasis on the unconscious mind and sexuality, but I believe we share a common goal of exploring the human experience.
 * [[File:Jung.png]] Jungianism - Sexuality is important, and it's all about repression, not creativity.

Enemies

 * [[File:Postmodern.png]] Post-Modernism - Your emphasis on subjectivity seems to be at odds with my deterministic view of human nature.

[[File:Wikipedia.png]] Articles

 * [[File:Wikipedia.png]] Sigmund Freud

[[File:Book.png]] Literature

 * [[File:Wikipedia.png]] Introduction to Psychoanalysis
 * [[file:Wikipedia.png]] The Interpretation of Dreams