PSYA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Reaction Formation, Reality Principle, Libido
PSYA02 Lecture 5: Psychodynamic approaches to Personality part 1
Psychodynamic Perspective
- Freud was pioneer in the study of personality and the treatment of psychological
disorders
o Realized eotioal stuggles of his patiets ould’t e udestood at the
physiological level
▪ Had to dive into the mind of patients
▪ Led to him trying to understand the personalities of his patients and the
psychological dynamics that led to the problems they were facing
▪ Observations led to his psychodynamic theory
- Assumptions of Psychodynamic Theories
o Assumes personality and behavior are shaped by powerful forces in
consciousness
▪ Most of these forces are hidden from our awareness
o Claims we have little control over ourselves
▪ Everything we do comes from deeply buried psychological dynamics that
we have no access to
- Unconscious Processes and Psychodynamics
o Conscious mind: your current awareness containing everything you are aware of
right now
o Unconscious mind: vast, powerful inaccessible part of your consciousness
▪ Operates without your conscious engagement
▪ Houses your lifetime of memories and experiences
• Includes the memories you can no longer bring into conscious
awareness
• Also contains your preferences and desires
• Viewed as primary driver of our behaviour
• Freudian Slip: conscious mind intends to say something
appropriate but unconscious mind leads them to say what they
were really thinking
• Freud developed several techniques to try and better understand
the unconscious
o Relationship between two levels described using an iceberg metaphor of
consciousness
▪ Bulk of iceberg under water surface represents unconscious mind
o Psychoanalysts like Freud claimed personality reflects patterns that emerge as
ppl attempt to resolve conflicts between their conscious and unconscious minds
- Structure of Personality
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PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
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