Abstract
Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychoanalysis, has made lasting contributions in the field of psychology because of his theory on psychosexual and personality development. His unorthodox psychological techniques and theory were influenced by his forerunners and then, after his lifetime, left a lasting impact about how nurture explains human consciousness and behavior, especially, on mental illnesses. His three aspect of the mind: superego, ego, and id, are apt psychodynamic explanations about the workings of the mind and human behavior among his avid followers of psychoanalysts. Further, his stages of psychosexual development: pre-genital, oral, etc., not to mention Oedipus and Electra complexes, may as well continue to haunt theorists and practitioners with dissimilar orientations and praxis as he has – onwards.
Introduction
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), is an Austrian neurologist who originated psychoanalysis, thus, considered as the Father of Psychoanalysis . In other words, he is among the brain doctors who studied human motivation under psychiatry in comparison to psychology. The inspiration and training of Freud where influences from the spirit of his time (Zeitgeist). Experimental psychology impacted on Freud’s ideas concerning the search for the mind’s elements. Further, experimental psychologists’ methods of introspection, measurements of sensation, and scientific taxonomies from biochemistry were all influential to Freud’s theory of psychosexual analysis. Other than experimental psychology, Freud was also inspired by the literary works of Dostoevsky (1821-1881), a Russian novelist whose themes revolve on human sufferings with humors and psychological insight.
Additionally, Freud was also influenced by Hobbes (1588-1679), an English political and materialist philosopher who advocated absolutist sovereignty as the sole governmental type that could solve problems that resulted from human selfishness. Even the Talmud, or the collection of ancient writings on Jewish law and tradition under the Orthodox Judaism, had an impact on Freud’s mystical belief. Added to those literary, political and religious influences, Freud also benefited from materialism in various science, specifically, physics (e.g., Helmholtz’s idea on energy conservation) and biology (e.g., Bernard’s idea on homeostasis). Much more specifically, as a practicing brain doctor, Freud was also influenced by Jean Martin Charcot (1825-1893), a French neurologist who used hypnotism in curing male hysterics, as well as, by Breuer’s “Studies of Hysteria.” There are other influential psychological thinkers and neurological practitioners before and during Freud’s time who contributed to his psychosexual theory of development.
Body
In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, he believed that nurture has the most effect on the human mind and the development of mental illnesses. His query pointed to human motivation as the answer to what makes individuals do things. In other words, for Freud (that is, just like Maslow), human needs (such as, food, belongingness, shelter) motivate people’s behavior. When a person is deprived of his need, there arises desire or drive at the back of their mind (for example, wills to live, survive or die), which causes some individuals to act irrationally. Compared to animals who respond instinctively on their needs, humans, on the other hand, learn a variety of ways in responding to their needs. Hence, it is human motivation that explains why a person behaves the way he does.
In elaborating further on his contributions and their affiliations, Freud mentioned in his theory of personality three components or aspects that influence human instinctive behavior. These aspects consist of the id, ego, and super ego. For Freud, the three components are not physical entities but processes. First, the id is the component of the mind that is totally unconscious, which seeks for and bring to humans pleasure. Hence, as a primitive part of human personality, it houses sexual drives and aggression. The id’s activities (e.g., irrational wishes, shameful experiences, fears) are generally the primary process for instinctual energy. Nonetheless, it is timeless because it is determined genetically. Moreover, the id operates in congruence with the maximization of pleasure.
Second, the ego is the mind’s executive part that is conscious of itself or has the rational aspect. It is conscious of reality as it decides over what actions to perform positively and what not to pursue when it believes something to be the wrong thing to perform. Nevertheless, among infants, the id needs correction when having to distinguish fantasy from the real world. In other words, as the ego develops, it ensures that the id is being appropriately accommodated. Despite of that, it is the id that provides energy to the ego’s secondary processes of activities (e.g., stored knowledge, learning). Last but not the least, the superego has conscious but mostly unconscious aspect of the brain. It acts as an individual’s conscience as he is reminded on what he should or he ought not to do. The superego plays its role as it internalizes parental, familial and communal values to get rewards and avoid punishments. Between the superego (e.g., societal norms) and id (e.g., selfishness), there is a constant conflict. Further, Freud’s psychosexual theory, which has a perennial impact on the field of psychology in general, is presented next:
Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory of development has made a lasting impact on psychodynamics. According to Bradley (2002), Freud’s writings that have long-term influence under psychology included topics on dream interpretation (1900), sexual theory (1900), and psychoanalytic lectures (1916). Additionally, Freud wrote or performed research on psychotherapy, personality dynamics, psychosexual development, mental disease medical model, and theory on unconsciousness. Specifically, in Freud’s psychosexual development theory, for instance, he ascribed more significance on childhood rather than on nature, genetics, or heredity. Hence, in Freud’s theory, he dealt with value internalization (i.e., psyche) when relating interpersonally one’s bodily pleasures (i.e., sexual drives). For Freud, an individual’s early experience with pleasures determines his personality as an adult. As Freud further elaborated on his theory, he claimed that pleasures are derived in various ways, such as with the use of anus, mouth, and genital organs.
In relation to the aforementioned statement, when researchers, psychologists, and psychoanalysts mentioned about Freud’s theory, what comes immediately to mind is about his psychosexual development, which contains six stages, namely: pre-genital, oral, phallic, anal, latent, and genital . For Freud, all of his psychosexual developmental stages are governed by instinctual expressions, which are either fixed (e.g., source and aim of sexual desire) or variable (object of sex). Nevertheless, at the individual stages of psychosexual development, prototypes are established by adjusting to challenges. For example, when responding orally through spitting out, the prototype built is a reactionary formation to reject or object. Likewise, when responding orally by means of holding on to an object, the prototype established through adjustment is tenacity. Moreover, an anal-retentive response creates frugality.
More interesting about Freud’s psychosexual theory of development that made lasting impact included the phallic state, which is related to castration complex. Among males, it is referred to as the Oedipus complex where a child exclusively desires his mother, becomes jealous of his father, fears castration, renounces his mother, identifies with his father, and then turns his affection to other women. Among females, it is referred to as the Electra complex where a girl exclusively desires her mother, notices that she has no penis, feels castration, blames her mother, libidinal energy for her mother weakens, envious towards those with penis, prefers her father, and hopes to have a baby as a substitute for her pudendum. Conclusion
In conclusion, the essay contained Sigmund Freud’s inspiration and training, contributions made and their affiliations, as well as, long-term impact on the field of psychology in general. His psychoanalytic technique and theory developed as a result of his readings, research, and interactions with other practitioners and theorists. Moreover, Freud’s contributions to the theory of sex, unconsciousness and consciousness, personality dynamics, psychotherapy, inter alia were beyond doubt, controversial and unorthodox, yet still made the field of psychology more enriched by giving a better understanding of human personality .
References
Bradley, M. (2002). Psyography: Sigmund Freud. Retrieved from Psyography: Internet Source for Biographies on Psychologists: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/psyography/sigmundfreud1.html
Freud, S. (2016). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: http://www.ebscohost.com
Strachey, J., & Freud, A. (Eds.). (1953-1964). The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 24 vols.). London.
Tauber, A. (2010). Freud, the Reluctant Philosopher. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Thornton, S. (2010). Sigmund Freud (1856—1939). Retrieved from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/freud/
