Introductory psychologyLesson 1 of 4 in the course Personality

Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory: Unconscious Processes, Personality, and Development

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces Sigmund Freud, the beginnings of psychoanalysis, and Freud’s distinction between conscious and unconscious mental activity. These ideas matter because Freud helped make the study of unconscious processes a central topic in psychology, even though many of his specific claims remain controversial.

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was a physician who developed influential theories about personality and the mind. Psychology was not yet an established university degree when he studied medicine. His professional background and the historical context of his work help explain why some of his theories differ from modern psychological approaches.

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Pleasure principle
In Freud’s model, the id’s tendency to seek immediate satisfaction of desires.
Superego
The part of Freud’s personality model that represents internalized moral standards and ideals.
Reaction formation
A proposed defense mechanism in which someone expresses a response opposite to an unacceptable inclination.
Displacement
A proposed defense mechanism that shifts an emotional response from its original target to a safer target.
Fixation
In Freud’s stage theory, the persistence of patterns associated with an earlier developmental stage.

Quiz questions

  1. In Freud’s model, what are the id, ego, and superego?Answer: Theoretical systems of personality, not separate physical brain structures.
  2. In Freud’s theory, what is projection?Answer: Attributing one’s own unacceptable feeling to someone else.
  3. What is sublimation in Freud’s account of defense mechanisms?Answer: Channeling an impulse into a socially acceptable or constructive activity.
  4. In Freud’s model, what does the ego’s reality principle involve?Answer: Considering circumstances and consequences when addressing a desire.
  5. Who treated Anna O., whose case helped inspire Freud’s early psychoanalytic ideas?Answer: Josef Breuer, a Viennese physician who collaborated with Freud.

Based on Psychology 2e by Rose M. Spielman, William J. Jenkins, Marilyn D. Lovett (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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