Psychoanalysis
One of the most prominent names associated with psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud. Born in Vienna, Austria, Freud was the eldest of the six children of Jakob and Amalie Freud. He grew up to be strong, healthy and smart. He was always consistently on top of his class. At 17, he studied at the University of Vienna, and, after eight years, earned a medical degree, specializing in neurology. He studied under a highly respected French neurologist, Jean Charcot, who was focusing on studies on hysteria, a conversion disorder. Freud also took special interest on the case of Anna O., a patient suffering from hysterical paralysis. Freud’s rich clinical experience was able to provide a strong backbone for the development of his psychological theory. He used the term psychoanalysis to label his theory. He also published a book, “The Interpretation of Dreams”, claiming that dreams are “fulfilment of secret wishes”.
The core concept of psychoanalysis is that human personality is composed of three dimensions: first, conscious; second, unconscious; and lastly, subconscious. He likened these three dimensions into an iceberg. The small tip of the iceberg corresponds to the conscious part that controls all experiences and perceptions that a person is fully aware of. The part of the iceberg that is hidden below the surface is the unconscious part that stores all thoughts, feelings, and memories hidden from the person’s awareness. The part that lies in between the conscious and unconscious part is the subconscious that contains all memories, thoughts and feelings hidden temporarily but can still be restored. Psychoanalysis focuses on the influence of the unconscious.
Psychoanalysis also discusses two major personality instincts that motivate human behaviour. These are the life instinct, (the need for food, water, air and sex) and the death instinct (the need for rest, calmness, lifeless). The theory caused several stir and controversies due to its obvious emphasis on sexual factors. It further explained that sexual motives are one of the strongest factors affecting human behaviours.
The theory also identifies the structure of human personality: id, ego and superego. Id operates on the pleasure principle, the drive for immediate gratification of desires. Superego revolves around the moral principle, giving importance to what’s right and what’s wrong. Meanwhile, the ego serves as the mediator, operating on the reality principle. Another important concept proposed by the psychoanalytic theory is the defence mechanisms, the unconscious strategies to decrease anxiety and distort reality. The defence mechanisms include repression, denial, projection, reaction formation, rationalization, and sublimation.