Psychoanalytic Theory

Psychoanalytic Theory

Sigmund Freud proposed the psychoanalytic theory based on the human unconscious mind. He described a detailed explanation of how the mental state of humans developed through the unconscious mind. Freud addressed the various situations or states from childhood to the adult. How human beings develop their mentality through unconscious and conscious mind states. Following are the ways Freud described human behavior.

Mind Structure

Freud proposed to describe human psychology based on Conscious, preconscious, and unconscious states of mind.

Conscious mind: conscious mind is the state of mind we live and every individual is aware of every action, feeling, and observation. Conscious mind is the state of mind in which all living organisms are active and aware of all the actions done.

All the actions, feelings, thinking, decisions, and anything that we observe and feel belong to the conscious mind.

Examples

1. We listen to our sound when talk
2. We feel the hot and cold environment
3. We make decisions to perform many actions
4. Feel and observe all the actions we do in the present.

Preconscious mind:

This state of mind is concerned with past or historic actions used in a conscious state. Any past event of information in memory recalled and used to perform present actions(thinking, feeling, doing, or making decisions).

Examples

1. Recall the phone number when calling or the like any action in present\
2. Use of learned methods to calculate the mathematics
3. Use of training skills or knowledge at work to perform specific tasks.
4. Use of memory to produce a food dish

Preconscious and conscious mind states works are interlinked and interdependent to each other. These are the states made to understand to characteristics of our mind and hence human behaviour.

 Unconscious mind

This state of mind is concerned with the state in which human beings are not aware of and control. But it significantly influences the behavior. The unconscious mind executes the thinking, feeling, and all the way but hidden. These hidden events of the unconscious mind state do not allow us to control them as effectively as they can be done in the conscious mind.

Examples

1. Feeling jealous
2. People abuse when angry in some cases but don’t know how abuse is done by them.

The memory of abuse is made unconsciously from childhood.

• Dream content when we feel in the dream
• Automatic reactions which people make on many incidents
• Symbolic behaviour which happens unconsciously such as romantic feelings etc.
• Phobia which causes fear of water, height, etc.

The unconscious mind significantly influences our behaviour but automatically or unconsciously. It may be based on past experiences but when we are not aware of why and what is happening and are not aware of the reactions executed. That is why this state of mind is known as the unconscious mind state.

Fred categorized human psychology into three parts: the ID, Ego, and Superego. The three parts of the psyche contribute to building or shaping behavior and mental states. Freud describes the structure of human psychology in different ways through these three parts.

ID

It is the state of mind that is more primal and based on the Pleasure principle. An individual in this mind state strives for immediate satisfaction irrespective of social norms, and ethics. This state of mind does not consider discipline, code of conduct or ethics, culture, social norms, etc. Irrespective of these factors the individual strives to fulfill their need. Mostly this state of mind is found in the child.

Examples

1. The child cries until his need is not fulfilled
2. Many people eat tasty food late at night in huge quantities irrespective of health impact.
3. People drink alcohol and the like many other substances to get pleasure
4. Due to frustration or depression some people aggressively behave with someone. Their aggressive behavior is the result of the Id state of their mind.

Ego

This part of psychology works on the reality principle. It can act as the avoiding the impact of id on behavior which is not acceptable and ethically wrong. It works on the immediate satisfaction of needs irrespective of social norms and ethics whereas the Ego restricts any outcome of the Id that is not acceptable according to social norms.

Examples

1. Employees in the office cannot be angry with the boss however they very much disagree and feel angry with the boss. They can not express their angriness to the boss. Because of the Ego part of psychology, they avoid expressing angry feelings to ensure job security.
2. Common example of husband and wife avoiding both of them to make another relationship.
3. Students in the classroom control their emotions as they are bound by the rules and discipline
4. The child controls many feelings and avoids the gratification of eating due to health issues. For example, eating excess chocolates avoids eating vegetables is not for good health. Hence child avoids excess eating of chocolates and other junk food and sacrifices eating gratification due to the Ego state of psychology

Super Ego

This state makes the balance between ID and Ego. This state of psychology enables an individual to differentiate what is right and what is wrong. This state of psychology belongs to the moral standards or ethical standards that enable individuals to differentiate right and wrong. It is concerned with feelings of shame or pride.

Examples

1. Id: Instinctual Desire
2. Ego: Practical Decision Making
3. Super Ego: Moral Judgement

‘Id’ is the state of psychology that belongs to instinctual desire which is not avoided anyhow.

            Example: If a person found money on the road. He keeps the money for his expenses and enjoys the expenses.

The ego is Practical decision-making made on how it is beneficial to an individual.

            Example: the same person in an ego state tries to get a return by investing this money somewhere. This is the practical and beneficial decision-making done in the ego state of psychology. It controls the instinctual desire that occurs in the ID state of personality.

Super Ego: is the state of psychology that enables an individual to make morally or ethically right decisions.

Example: The same person in the Superego state avoids keeping money found on the road or anywhere else as it belongs to another person. He realizes ethically it is wrong. And try to find the owner of that money. If not found such people spend this money on social work. This state of personality or psychology differentiates the decision of what is right and wrong morally or ethically.