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SUMMARISED NOTES
Freud’s Theory Page 3
Social Cognitive Approach Theory Page 12
Maslow’s Theory Page 17
Roger’s Theory Page 22
Frankl’s Theory Page 28
African Perceptive Theory Page 32
Considered to be the first personality theory - and most respect still regarded as the most comprehensive of all
the theories.
Freud was born in 1856 spend most of his live in Vienna, Austria.
Qualified as medical doctor.
Practice in Austria as neurologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
His theory was influences by his personal life - his relationship between his parents and his thoughts about the
phallic stage and the Oedipus complex.
Important to take into consideration the social and scientific contexts in which he developed his theory.
His theory was developed on the basis of contact with neurotic patients, drawn from the higher social class of
Viennese.
Therefore the over-emphasis for the role of sex in human functioning - a total taboo in higher circles.
His theory, for various reasons, is not accepted in its entirety by modern day psychologists.
Firstly - the terminology used in psychology is based on Freudian concepts.
Secondly - many other theories have been develop in opposition to Freud and cannot be understood without a
sound knowledge of Freud’s theory.
Psychoanalysis is fundamental to all psychological studies, if you agree or not.
View of the person underlying the theory
Freud’s theory is based on mainly 3 basic assumptions:
Psycho-social conflict :
A person is caught up in constant conflict between drives within the psyche and the demand and norms of
society.
Sexual and aggressive drives - demand continual satisfaction.
Moral prescriptions of society whose purpose is to protect society by controlling these drives.
Results of this conflict - individual tries to experience drive satisfaction and few guilt feelings.
Biological and psychic determinism
Freud describes human drives as physiologically based and rooted within the body.
Drives are localized in part of the psyche called id.
Societal rules are absorbed into another part of the psyche called superego.
Conflict which determine all behaviour takes place within the psyche.
Mechanistic assumption
He believed that human beings function in a mechanistic way.
Physical principles of energy consumption, conservation and transformation - valid for human functioning.
Stream engine to be taken as suitable analogy for psychic functioning.
Structure of the personality
Clear, definitive structural properties to the personality = id, ego and superego.
Functioning take place on three levels of consciousness = conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
Sees the individual as a unit consisting of three separate aspects with three primary goals:
Ensure the survival of the individual.
Allow the individual to experience as much pleasure as possible.
Minimize the individual’s experience of guilt.
Levels of consciousness
Conscious level:
Contains thoughts, feelings and experiences - currently aware off.
Content of this level change all the time.
, Preconscious level:
Information which can be recalled to consciousness without much effort.
Consist mainly of memories of earlier occurrences - not painful or anxiety provoking.
Experiences and observations not concentrating at any particular moment.
Unconscious level:
Contains a person’s “forbidden” drives.
Memories of events that cause pain, anxiety, guilt.
Cannot recall to the conscious mind.
Levels of consciousness did not explain person’s complex psychic function therefore he created structural concepts
- id, ego and superego.
The illustration below represents the individual who, according to Freud, is in a state of constant internal conflict. In
this conflict the ego acts as mediator between the id and the superego, and this takes considerable skill on the part
of the ego. Metaphorically it means that the rider (ego) will only remain in the saddle if he can keep the horse (id)
under control and can make the horse do what the instructor (superego) demands. The ego must therefore be strong
enough to cope with the conflict between the id and the superego and the accompanying tension. Remember that the
process of conflict occurs on an unconscious level.
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