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Sigmund Freud: Biography and his Theory of Psychoanalysis

 

As we well know, when psychology emerged as such, separated from biology and philosophy, and different currents or schools of psychological thought began to be created to try to understand human behavior. Within these currents, psychoanalysis -created by Sigmund Freud- was one of the most controversial and popular, due to the methods it used and the results achieved.

Below we provide a brief review of the life and work of Sigmund Freud and his Theory of Psychoanalysis.

Biography

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was an Austrian neurologist and the forerunner of psychoanalysis – also called “the father of psychoanalysis.” Psychoanalysis is a method used for the treatment of psychopathologies and also a theory that explains human behavior.

At the age of 4, Freud moved with his family to Vienna, where he lived and worked most of his life.
After graduation (1881), Dr Freud quickly entered private practice and began treating various psychological disorders of people who came close to him.
In 1886 he married, which bore fruit to their six children, of whom the youngest – Anna – became a distinguished psychoanalyst.

His effort to understand the path of knowledge and human behavior led him to create certain practices that would help him better understand the mechanisms of the human mind.

His theories on infantile sexuality, sexual energy, the ego, and the unconscious, among other topics, were some of the most influential academic concepts of the 20th century. In addition to introducing a great variety of terms that are used in the scientific field, but also have a daily use; some of the terms are: libido, denial, repression, cathartic, neurotic.

In his theory of behavior , Freud claimed that when we explain our own behavior to ourselves or to others, we rarely tell the truth; not because we want to lie or lie to the other, but because we deceive ourselves. Human beings rarely have the ability to recognize their own behavior without deceiving themselves, since it is the mind that deceives us most of the time.

Psychoanalysis

Freud discovered that some childhood wishes and memories of his patients were often too painful for them to recognize, so he delved into those wishes and memories, and was able to affirm that such information was locked in the unconscious mind through defense mechanisms , in this case the process of repression.

According to Freud, the unconscious is the key to understanding conscious thoughts and behaviors.

The unconscious is the place in the brain where all the mental content that is not in consciousness is deposited and where most of the work of the mind is carried out. The unconscious mind functions as a repository for primitive desires, impulses, and automatic abilities such as walking or talking. It is also the source of intuition and dreams, and is the one who begins the processing of information.

Psychoanalysis is based on a process, which implies that the patient must take several sessions with the psychoanalyst to achieve a successful treatment. During a psychoanalysis consultation, the psychoanalyst will try to help the patient reach his unconscious mind, in this way it is intended that the patient bring out his thoughts and desires that have been 

repressed. The method of free association is introduced , in which the patient talks about every thought, desire or fear that breaks into his mind. The patient is also encouraged to talk about his dreams, as dreams play a very important role in psychoanalysis.

Theories of psychoanalysis

Theory of affective-sexual development

Freud proposed a theory of personality based on the stages of psychosexual development, which he called affective-sexual development.
This theory generated a great revolution in the scientific thought of the time. It speaks of sexuality in its broad sense, including affective and emotional aspects, not only as genital sexuality.
Within this theory, Freud contributes a series of concepts that would later be used by different scientists; among them the concept of libido, drive, the difference between need and desire, among others. ->  Read more about Theory of affective-sexual development .

Primary process and secondary process

Within this theory, Freud proposes two processes that are modes of operation of the psychic apparatus.
The primary process is characterized by the Unconscious system and the secondary process by the Pre-conscious-conscious system.
In the primary process, the psychic energy that flows freely is treated, unlike the secondary process, where it speaks of a psychic energy that is controlled before flowing.
It can be said that the primary process works through the action of the “it” and the secondary process through the action of the “I”. ->  Read more about Primary Process and Secondary Process.

First Freudian topic: conscious, preconscious and unconscious

Freud formulated two topics to describe the psychic apparatus; According to the first topic, the psychic apparatus is composed of three elements: conscious, preconscious and unconscious.

The conscious is composed of all the mental processes of which we are aware. This mind allows the subject to have a perception of reality , since  it is located in the present.

The preconscious mind is made up of mental processes that are not found in the conscious mind, but are not hidden in the unconscious mind either.

The unconscious is the primary source of human behavior; It is composed of mental processes that are not accessible to consciousness. Within the unconscious there are impulses and desires repressed by the subject; These repressed urges and desires are locked in by defense mechanisms. -> Read more about First topic of Freud.

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Second Freudian topic: it, me and superego

In this topic Freud proposes another system of functioning of the psychic apparatus , in this system the mind works based on three elements known as: it, I and superego.

The id is the element that allows us to satisfy our basic needs . This is present when we are born and is hidden as we grow and are governed by the orders of the self.

The id is related to the instinctual and the pleasant, with impulses and free energy.  This involves primitive impulses and irrational thoughts; it also tries to satisfy all the needs of the individual regardless of the context in which they are.

The ego is developed in the oral phase and tries to mediate between the id and the superego. This element of the psychic apparatus moderates the energy of the psyche so that it does not flow freely through impulses of pleasure, but it also tries to satisfy the demands of the id, although unlike the id, the ego is aware that there is a reality with people involved in it. .

The superego  is made up of consciousness and the ideal self. The function of this is to restrain the impulses of the id. The superego tries to hide the psychic impulses that it creates unacceptable to society. The impulses will be repressed and stored in the unconscious mind. Along with the appearance of the superego, the Oedipus Complex takes place -> Read more about Freud’s Second Topic

Dora’s case

The Dora case was a case of hysteria published by the father of psychoanalysis in 1905. Freud described this case as a picture that apparently was not very interesting, it was only constituted by the regular psychoanalysis of a patient, Ida Bauer. In this case, a failure also occurred, since the patient did not complete the treatment. In any case, Freud thought it would be useful to show an illustration of his concepts, methods, and his dream analysis technique.

Dora (Ida Bauer) was an 18-year-old girl; her father (Philip Bauer) who had been treated by Freud, sent his daughter to begin psychoanalysis treatment. The patient had a wide variety of symptoms, including: aphonia, disponibility (shortness of breath), cough and headache , anxiety, depression, and “abnormal” behavior.

In her first sessions, Dora spoke about her relationship with her family; the good relationship he had with his older brother, Otto Bauer -who would become a key member of the Austro-Marxist movement-, the close relationship he had with his father and the little relationship he had with his mother Katharina Gerber – who was diagnosed with an obsessive psychosis for cleanliness and order.

After talking about the family relationship, Dora begins to tell what later could be the cause of her hysteria.

His father was treated for tuberculosis, and while undergoing a “rest cure” treatment in a sanatorium, he had developed a strong friendship with Mr. K. -who will be a fundamental pillar in this analysis-, but above all, he had developed a strong bond with his wife, Mrs. Frau K. In several subsequent sessions, Dora accuses Herr K. of harassment, stating that he kissed and sexually harassed her repeatedly. The young woman reported everything that happened to her father, but when he confronted him, Herr K. denied everything, reversing the roles. Dora’s father -who had an affair with Frau K.-, refuses to cut off his relationship with Mr. K. -to be able to maintain the love affair with Mrs. K- and invalidates Dora’s stories, telling her that they were «things of your imagination.

Freud’s analysis focused on the interpretation of Dora’s dreams. There is a fire in the house. My father has come to my bedroom to wake me up and is standing next to my bed. I dress in a hurry. Mom still wants to keep her jewelry box safe. But Dad protests: “I don’t want the boys and me to burn because of his little box.” We ran down. When I go out to the street I wake up ». This was a recurring dream of Dora. According to Freud’s analysis, the jewelry box was a symbol of Dora’s virginity. Dora was afraid to give in to her wish, but she was also concerned about her virginity, which had been sacrificed to be sacrificed.

For Freud, Dora’s breathing difficulties were a symbolic expression through the defense of displacement, because of the pressure she felt when Herr K. hugged her to kiss her. Freud concluded that Dora was not simply repressing her sexual desire for Herr K. In fact, Dora had a sexual desire that was repressed by her own father. And he also had a homosexual desire repressed by Frau K.

When Freud announced his findings to Dora, she immediately stopped treatment. Later, he reconnected with Freud, informing him that after leaving his treatment, he had confronted his father, Frau K.; Herr K. At this point, his hysterical symptoms subsided.

 

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Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

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