Freud would say that your greatest unconscious conflict began when you were an

He would also conclude that compared with others, the way you are today is moderately affected by the events from your childhood. What this means is like many people, you appear to have some unresolved conflicts to attend to. This also means that the conflicts you do have aren't extreme in their intensity. till these issues may be ones that deserve your attention. Tickle's !h.".s determined your level of conflict by looking at the different psychosexual stages of your development and your #level of conflict# in each. These findings were then compiled to determine how conflicted you are overall. $ased on your responses to the test %uestions, it appears that you are more conflicted than &'( of the individuals who took The Freud Test. This score doesn't mean that you're better or worse off than anyone else) it's merely a gauge of how your childhood experiences may be affecting you more or less than other people's experiences are affecting them. $ut before you examine your specific scores in relation to the standard psychosexual conflicts, you should know a bit more about Freud's theories. The next few paragraphs are designed to help you do *ust that. TH+ ! ,-H. +/012 T13+ .F "+4+2.!5+6T The unconscious is the part of the mind you don't have easy access to 7 it's kind of like a locked storage room. 8t's believed that painful or difficult memories are often stored in your unconscious so that these remembrances can't get out to disturb or upset you. Freud believed that infantile desires, needs, and impulses are also housed in this part of the mind. $y storing early memories in the unconscious, you don't have to be aware of them, or fully acknowledge them, or even work through them. $y hosting them in your unconscious mind, you also protect yourself from interfering with your present image of yourself. Freud, however, argued that the clutter we never fully addressed in our unconscious, is a series of #conflicts# we never resolved as we went through the five stages of psychosexual development9 the .ral !eriod, the 1nal !eriod, the !hallic !eriod, the .edipal !eriod, and the 3enital !eriod. He further believed that these conflicts cannot only be traced back to specific stages of psychosexual development, but also can lead to specific personality traits in adults. Freud believed most adults still experience substantial problems due to their unresolved unconscious conflicts. He also felt that most people could benefit from Freudian analysis to uncover exactly what their conflicts are. Freud's theories are based on the idea that all adult neuroses originate in some kind of unresolved sexual conflict, normally tied to an earlier point in life. To emphasi:e his point, he delineated the conflicts that must be resolved in each in order for us to develop fully into healthy, normal adults. This process, Freud believed, was normal and unavoidable. He didn't think it possible for anyone to make it through these very difficult periods of childhood and psychosexual development unscathed. ;ather, he saw development as a *ourney that would likely result in numerous problems later on. He also believed that in most situations parents could only partially mitigate a child's trauma. .nly in very unusual situations could they alleviate it altogether. 1s a result, Freud would say that most 7 if not all 7 adults struggle with some kind of conflict that dates back to what happened during their childhood sexual development. H.W -.6F28-T+" 1;+ ,.0<

Through your test responses, Tickle determined that your greatest conflict originated in what is called the 3enital !eriod of sexual development. This stage occurs at about the same ages for all people. 6ote that some stages overlap and exactly how each stage plays out differs slightly from person to person. ,et for the most part, there is a standard progression across individuals and across years. Freud would say that your strongest conflict stems from events that happened when you were post=pubescent. The section below does three things9 8t details the strength of your conflicts during each of your developmental stages, examines exactly what the stages are, and looks at issues that may persist in your adult life as a result. This chart shows how conflicted you are in each of the periods when compared with others9

Genital Period Anal Period Oral Period Oedipal Period Phallic Period

Genital Period (Adolescence onward) -ompared with others, you're more highly advanced in this period than >>( of people. The 3enital !eriod is different from the rest. 8n order to arrive here successfully, you have to have resolved most conflicts from the other periods. This is no small feat. This is the stage when adult sexuality begins to flourish because the difficulties of childhood sexual development have basically been maneuvered successfully. While in theory you can't reach this stage if you are stuck in earlier ones, in practice you're likely to display some healthy behaviors typical of adult sexual relationships while still having some unresolved unconscious conflicts from childhood. Thus your score on this dimension indicates the extent to which you engage in healthy sexual behaviors. 8f it is your highest score, it means you have resolved more conflicts than you have left to resolve. 8t also indicates that to a great extent, you're able to engage in positive adult sexual relationships. However, a positive score doesn't mean that you have no issues to resolve) you simply have fewer of them than most people do. .ne way you can tell that a person has reached the 3enital !eriod is by looking at how they handle the impulses of the id. The id is the aspect of self that is responsible for raw desire. 8t has no consciousness or rational thought. 8t simply wants 7 whether the want is food, sex, or some other primal desire. !eople in the 3enital !eriod are able to take this raw energy and express it in the form of productive, creative work. !eople who have not reached this period may feel compelled to relentlessly pursue satiation of those needs. 1ccording to Freud, another way you can tell if someone is in this stage is if they seek a mate who resembles their opposite=sex parent but aren't guilty about having sex with this person. Freud believed that this indicated several things9 First, that an individual has abandoned their incest feelings for their opposite= sex parent and has therefore let go of any rivalry with their same=sex parent. econdly, that they've let go of the phallic problems around gender identification and are able to lovingly accept and appreciate the differences between the sexes. 2astly, that they can now identify with the same=sex parent and be on good terms with them. .bviously this all assumes that the person's parents are normal to some extent, so that wanting someone *ust like your parent would be a rational thing to feel. However, not everyone has reasonable parents. o *ust because someone doesn't get along with their mother it doesn't necessarily mean that they haven't resolved their .edipal complex yet. 8t may simply mean that their mother is a tough person to deal with. While this appears to be an obvious truth, it's not necessarily a perspective Freud would share. Therefore we give you the result here according to what Freud would have thought, given the assumptions of the theory stated above. $ased on Freud's assumptions, it appears that your connection to this period is a very strong one. 1s a result, Freud would say that you're likely to experience this situation to a great degree.

o if you didn't know before, you definitely know now9 exuality is a primary component of Freud's theories. This being true, it only makes sense that among the many ways Freudian analysis might impact your life is by improving your sex life. Tickle's !h.".s have examined particular aspects of Freud's work to help you look more deeply at your sex life from a Freudian perspective. Anal Period (18 months to 3 years) -ompared with others, you're more conflicted about this period than ?@( of people. The 1nal !eriod is the second stage of development. +ven if you had difficulties during the .ral !eriod, you still moved beyond them and onto this second stage 7 though it's possible you had two sets of conflicts to contend with. Freud's theory states that during the 1nal !eriod you learn the pleasure you can experience by having control over your body, and, more specifically, by withholding or releasing your excrement. This stage marks the first time you can control something in your environment through your own will. Freud remarked that if your parents interfered with this process by trying to control when you defecated, a battle of wills may have ensued. "uring the 1nal !eriod, you began to learn the power of your own choices. What exactly you learned was dependent on your parents' behavior. For example, if your parents forced you to go to the bathroom on a predetermined schedule as dictated by some expert, a doctor, or *ust for their convenience, you probably learned that your bodily functions weren't as important as the convenience and needs of others. .n the other hand, if you were allowed to go to the bathroom more or less when you wanted to and weren't potty trained prematurely, it's likely that you moved through this stage with little strife. However, having a highly permissive parent could result in problems of a different kind. There are two main ways that the 1nal !eriod manifests itself in adulthood. ,ou can be either #anal retentive# due to parental over=control or #anal expulsive# due to parental under=control. .f the two, you appear to be more retentive. !eople who are anal retentive are likely to be highly compulsive. For highly, anal=retentive types, everything needs to be in its proper place, and their surroundings need to be cleaned and organi:ed. 8n addition, they may have trivial compulsions like having to cross the road *ust to pick up a piece of newspaper littering the sidewalk. 8nterestingly enough, even though anal retentives typically avoid mess, Freud believes that unconsciously they crave it 7 and therein lies their conflict. Freud felt that this internal unrest also manifested through stubborn behavior. He suggested that anal=retentive individuals learned that controlling others and standing their ground was the key to being able to satisfy and have control over their own bodily functions and needs. Freud also believed that in adulthood being anal retentive could take on yet another form, translating into withholding or saving money more than most people. .f course not all people who save money are anally fixated, but when paired with compulsive cleanliness and control issues, it's strongly suggested. 1t the opposite end of the spectrum are people who are highly anal expulsive. ;ather than withholding pleasure from themselves, anal expulsive types are more likely to overindulge. .ften this trait is associated with being sloppy and wasteful, as well as with not being able to keep a good hold of things. 5uch like anal retentives, those who are very anal expulsive tend to be defiant of authority and are often obstinate. The 1nal !eriod ABC months to @ yearsD is also the time of life when you grew stronger and got sharper teeth. "uring this time you may have learned that you could hurt others by biting, hitting, and so forth. ,ou likely also learned what it's like to experience aggression and be able to act on it. $ecause this period couples the knowledge of how to inflict pain on others with the discovery of anal pleasure, Freud concluded that being fixated in this stage could, in extreme cases, lead to sadomasochistic behaviors, pairing pain with sex. $ecause your fixation on this period seems to be very strong, you're likely to experience these kinds of issues to a great degree. Oral Period (birth to 18 months) -ompared with others, you're more conflicted about this period than @B( of people. The .ral !eriod is the first stage that everyone goes through. 8t begins when you're born and continues through your first year and a half. For some individuals, it may not last %uite that long and for some it may last slightly longer. However, overall this stage lasts about BC months. Freud said that during the .ral !eriod, you experience pleasure through your mouth, by sucking on a mother's breast, a pacifier, a bottle, or even your thumb. This is the first pleasure you feel and it is one that you're able to give to yourself. 8n other words, Freud interpreted this to mean that the first pleasurable feeling a person has is autoerotic. 8t has been argued by some that children should suckle at their mother's breast through the age of six or seven. The rationale is that when the children aren't allowed to do so, they need a surrogate for the mother's nipple. Thus, when a child moves to a pacifier, thumb, or blanket, these things are used as a substitute for the nipple.

1ccording to Freud, there are two types of parental behavior that can negatively affect children during this stage. !arents can wean a baby off of the mother's breast, pacifier, or other ob*ect too early, or they can do so too late. Freud taught that in order to move past the .ral !eriod, you have to have been able to graduate out of your need and dependence on the nipple. 8f your parents insisted that you stop your sucking behaviors before you were ready, you may have developed an oral fixation. 5oreover, if you were shamed or chastised for your behavior on top of being forced to %uit, your oral fixation could be even stronger. 8f you can't remember ever sucking your thumb, blanket, pacifier, or some other soothing ob*ect, or were weaned from your mother's breast too early, chances are you repressed that need, and now it can resurface as an adult through other problems. .n the flip side, if your parents didn't put any pressure on you to stop sucking, or weaned you off your mother's breast much too late, you may also have developed an oral fixation. This kind of fixation plays out differently in terms of certain personality traits. .f these two types of fixation, you display more of the personality traits consistent with having an underindulgent parental figure. !eople with extreme fixation in the .ral !eriod are likely to9 "evelop serious eating disorders

+at when they are stressed or lonely $e orally aggressive A8n childhood this aggression may mean literally biting, in adulthood, it can mean being verbally 'biting' by using sarcastic languageD

When it comes to other aspects of personality, those who were weaned too late by an overindulgent parent are more likely to be domineering and manipulative) those who were weaned too early by an underindulgent parent are more likely to be passive and dependent. $ecause your fixation on this period appears to be moderate, you're likely to experience these problems to a moderate degree. Oedipus complex (puberty) -ompared with others, you're more conflicted regarding this period than BC( of people. The .edipus complex occurs during puberty. The issues behind the .edipus complex center on guilt about wishing you could marry your opposite=sex parent. .bviously most people don't identify with this wish consciously 7 most likely in part because of the social taboo that keeps these desires repressed. However, at some point in your life you may have wished that you could have your opposite=sex parent all to yourself and then felt guilty about wishing your other parent would disappear. 0nderstand that there is a big difference between what you wished would happen and what you truly wanted. However, on an unconscious level having the thought and performing the act are identical. Therefore, the guilt for actually doing something is no less than *ust thinking it. 1ccording to Freud's theory, at some point everyone wishes for their same=sex parent to disappear and is left with the guilt of having that wish. 8f the same=sex parent dies or leaves for some other reason, this guilt can become dramatically compounded. o too, if incest occurs, children can experience tremendous guilt and shame because they unconsciously believe that they caused the abuse to happen by wanting the opposite=sex parent all to themselves. uch feelings cause enormous conflicts. 8f you're stuck in the .edipal !eriod and unresolved about it, you may feel guilty when kissing a lover in front of a parent, as though you're doing something wrong or betraying them. ,ou may also feel either guilt or fear around same=sex people who are about your parent's age. Freud said that these feelings surface because of a fear that the same=sex parent will punish you for being a rival. 5any factors can complicate the .edipal !eriod, and most people have difficulty with it. For instance, if your opposite=sex parent communicated in some way or another that you were more attractive, desirable, or otherwise a more preferable partner than your same=sex parent, your own experiences with the .edipus complex may be harder to deal with. .n the one hand you may consciously or unconsciously want victory over the same=sex parent. 1t the same time, you don't really want that victory. o if you attain it, the result can be a lot of guilt and confusion. ,our fixation on this period seems to be moderate, so you're likely to experience .edipal problems to a moderate degree. Phallic Period (4 to 7 years) -ompared with others, you're more conflicted about this stage than B'( of people. The !hallic !eriod starts when you're about four years old and goes on until approximately age seven. Freud's theories about this stage focus more heavily on the penis than on the clitoris. He stated that the !hallic !eriod is the time of life when both boys and girls learn the importance of the penis. Freud believed that from girls' anatomy, boys learn it is possible for them to lose their penises 7 to be castrated. 3irls learn from boys' anatomy that they have already lost their penises and are deficient. Freud postulated such reali:ations cause boys to feel fearful of losing their penises and girls to feel inferior because they do not have one. 8n addition, Freud focused on the fact that children between three and seven typically reali:e that they can receive pleasure by stimulating the penis or clitoris. 5asturbation is a natural human behavior, but because of social taboos, parents often shame children caught doing it. For example, according to Freud, some boys

are told that if they masturbate their penises will fall of or will get cut off. Furthermore, Freud felt that even boys not explicitly given this message might have internali:ed it because of the way they processed other parental instructions. For instance, if a boy played with something he wasn't supposed to and it was taken away, that same child may feel that if he plays with his penis when he wasn't supposed to, that could be taken away as well. "epending on how your parents treated masturbation and feelings of inferiority or superiority during this period, you may have come out feeling more or less conflicted. 3irls with a phallic fixation will tend to behave submissively and passively in romantic relationships. $oys with this fixation often grow up needing to show the power of their penises by dominating others either sexually or throughout life) Freud said this hides their fears of castration. Freud also believed that phallic fixation can cause boys and girls to resent their mothers 7 for the girls because the mother represents inferiority and for the boys because she represents a threat. 8n addition, Freud said phallically fixated girls wish to be like their fathers so that they can have penises too. 8f you were punished as a child for masturbating or were made to believe that you were wrong to touch yourself, chances are you have some residual unconscious feelings about touching yourself now. 1nother possible repercussion of feeling intense guilt is if you masturbate compulsively, needing to masturbate any time life gets intense. $ecause your fixation on this period appears to be mild, you're likely to experience these problems to a great degree. The stage that follows the !hallic !eriod is latency, lasting from age seven to puberty. "uring this time Freud hypothesi:ed that children repress their sexuality. He also believed that the seeds of the .edipus complex are planted during the !hallic !eriod and latency as children experience conflicts regarding their love for their same and opposite=sex parents. 85!;.4863 ,.0; +/ 28F+ 1ccording to Freud, your sexuality in adulthood is intimately tied to how your psychosexual development unfolded during childhood. Freud felt that the more unresolved sexual conflicts you experience as a child, the more difficult it becomes to experience satisfying sexual relationships as an adult. To help you get past these old conflicts, Tickle's team gathered information about typical ways Freud's stages of development can play out in your sex life. They also provided exercises to help examine and alleviate the conflicts associated with each period. Anal Period When fixated in the anal stage of psychosexual development, you may be drawn to sadomasochistic sexual fantasies or encounters that pair pain and pleasure. 1gain, if you have a sexual partner with similar desires, such a focus becomes less of a problem than when only one partner is oriented this way. 8n fact, you and your mate may be able to indulge one another's greatest fantasies. However, potential problems arise from the danger involved in this kind of sexual activity. adomasochistic acts re%uire a great deal of trust. They also re%uire that each partner take careful precautions so that neither person is physically in*ured during the encounters. 8f you feel compelled to engage in this kind of sexual behavior or are in an unbalanced relationship where your sexual partner doesn't have an interest in it, you might want to consider seeking some method to change these desires for yourself. However, whether or not you should change is a *udgment only you can make. ome theorists believe that this kind of sexual behavior is linked more to the oral stage of development. "isturbance from either stage may make you more liable to be dealing with these compulsions.

When sex and pain are paired, it can be difficult to untangle them. 5ost people have some fantasies that border on sadomasochistic. .ne way to lessen the entanglement of pain and sexual pleasure is to use visuali:ation techni%ues to try to pair your sexual excitement with highly erotic but not painful images of sex. o for example, masturbating to non=painful sex, making it as erotic as you can, even if it is not as en*oyable as what you could be thinking, can help you move closer to what you are trying to achieve9 arousal by non=painful sex. -reating choices for yourself about the kinds of sex you want to have can be very liberating. $y teaching yourself to become aroused by non=painful sex, you give yourself the option to be aroused by whatever kind of sex you wish to engage in.

Oral Period When a person is completely fixated in this stage, they far prefer oral sex to other kinds of sex. 8f both partners in a romantic relationship prefer oral sex to other kinds of sex, there will be less conflict around sexual acts. However, in most cases, this preference will cause an imbalance and result in disruption of the sexual relationship. When extreme problems occur surrounding this issue, sexual expression can come to feel like a routine without variation. This can make sex feel less intimate and meaningful. Freud would encourage that to have more #normal# desires around oral sex, you should make conscious those unconscious conflicts at the root of the problem. $y understanding what underlies your desires, Freud

believed you could change how you approach sex. Therefore, if you really want to dig deep, you should work to expose any underlying shame or guilt around oral pleasure. 8f you were weaned from the breast very early or were discouraged from sucking your thumb or blanket at an early age, Freud would say that oral fixation may be something to examine.

3et some privacy.

uck your thumb and notice how it feels. "oes it feel like you are doing something

wrong< Talk to yourself with reassurances that it is totally normal to need to do this, that there is no shame in having that oral need. While you may feel very silly doing this, the idea is to speak to the child within you who was weaned off sucking a thumb, pacifier, or blanket too soon. .r, if you were weaned late or sucked your thumb or pacifier longer than most other kids, ask yourself how this experiment feels in terms of meeting your needs. 8s it really something that is satisfying, or are you indulging a need that was created from sucking too long in the first place<

Oedipus complex 1ccording to Freud, it is difficult to maneuver this stage of sexual development so that upon your exit all conflicts are resolved. Therefore, for most people this particular stage has special relevance. 1s for how the .edipus complex interferes in sex, there are two primary ways. The first way is experiencing guilt about having sex. This is especially true in heterosexual relationships, because being stuck in this stage of development indicates a conflict around the incest taboo9 threatening your relationship with the same sex parent because of your attractiveness to or desire for the opposite sex parent. The second way the .edipus complex can interfere with sex is when you become unable to pair desire and love together in the same relationship. 8f whenever you are sexual with someone, you consider it to be wrong, taboo, or dirty you can severely limit sexual intimacy. These thoughts make is so the person you're being sexual with is degraded in your mind. 8t can be difficult to love and trust a sexual partner when you feel there is something wrong with them *ust because they are having sex with you. 8f you feel that this dynamic represents a strong conflict for you, you may want to work on changing your perceptions so you can be freer to engage in positive adult sexual relationships.

,ou may not have ever had conscious thoughts about wanting to marry your opposite=sex parent and wishing your same=sex parent out of the picture. $ut it may still be useful to look back into your childhood, scan through your mind with no *udgment, and see whether you ever harbored a thought like that. 8f you find one, assure yourself that it's totally normal and that you can't hurt a parent simply by wishing that they were out of the picture. 8f you don't remember ever having this thought, imagine someone you really care about, having this conflict. 8magine what you would say to them and how you would reassure them that there is nothing wrong with their thoughts and feelings. 8magine telling them that it is all very normal and healthy to have these ideas.

Phallic Period When fixated in the phallic stage of psychosexual development, you may be conflicted about gender roles in society or may have an unclear or ambivalent gender identity yourself. This conflict can influence the roles you take on during sex. Typically, sex for phallically fixated people focuses on power and domination. The pairing of domination and sexual excitement is more common in males. Freud would say that this is because during the !hallic !eriod there is a strong focus on male domination. While some females also take on more dominant roles 7 if they identified with the father more than the mother during this period of childhood, for example 7 in general they are more likely to take submissive roles. Whatever the gender, being fixated in this period can often lead to a compulsion to engage in power games during sex. 8f you and your sexual partner en*oy this, then you can have en*oyable sex together. However if your partner doesn't en*oy this kind of power play, or you feel guilty about it afterwards, you may not want to focus your sexual encounters in this way. The other and perhaps more fre%uent conse%uence of phallic fixation is being addicted to masturbation or preferring it over sex with others. .bviously this preference can interfere with sexual intimacy. 8f masturbation is the height of your sexual experience, other encounters may seem dull or not good enough by comparison.

5ost of the problems from this period stem from guilt around masturbation. This is something that you can work on, on your own, when masturbating. For one, try to stay away from indulging in

fantasies about bondage or power games if you have compulsions around those areas and are trying to reduce your compulsions. econdly, you can work on your feelings after you masturbate, or while you are masturbating, if you are wracked with guilt, shame, anger, or some other intense emotion. $y labeling that emotion you give it less power, and you can start to use self=talk to change your emotional reaction to it. For example, if you feel guilt when masturbating, you can talk to yourself about how normal it is to have sexual desires and to masturbate. ,ou can assure yourself that it is a completely natural human behavior that is healthy to do. 3ive yourself permission to feel the guilt, but simultaneously soothe and encourage yourself. $y consciously thinking more positively about your actions, you can gradually move out of the emotional trap that may be associated with masturbating.

o now you know some actions you can take to explore how unresolved conflicts might be affecting your sexuality. $ut what about looking more deeply at the other aspects of your life< For that kind of an in=depth examination, you may want to consider consulting with a professional psychoanalyst. 1s mentioned before, you appear to have more of the conflicts psychoanalysis is designed to resolve than do &'( of people who have taken The Freud Test. Tickle's research team compiled some facts to help you decide if psychoanalysis is the right thing for you. ! ,-H.1612, 8 9 8 8T F.; ,.0< .f course, only you can answer this %uestion. However, having the facts to make an informed decision is a good place to start. The following section will help you understand exactly what psychoanalysis is, what it's usually helpful for, and where you can expect to find it. hat is psychoanalysis! First of all, not all therapy is psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis refers specifically to Freud's method of therapy. !rimarily, psychoanalysis involves two people talking. 1s a patient, you're typically instructed to think aloud and to say whatever comes to your mind. The idea is that the less interference you have from your therapist when talking, the faster you'll get to what's important. !sychoanalysis also often involves the process of #free association,# in which you're given a topic and asked to %uickly say whatever comes into your head. .ftentimes this method will be used to help you understand the deeper meanings beyond your dreams. "reams are given great importance as part of the psychoanalytic process, especially in the beginning years of psychoanalysis. Free association can also be used to help determine where your psychological conflicts may lie. For instance, a psychoanalyst might say a word and ask you to state the first word that comes to mind. "elayed responses, repeat responses, and unusual content can all indicate that there's something in your unconscious trying to come to the surface. o this free association techni%ue helps your psychoanalyst identify areas that may need to be worked on. ,ou may have heard of the term transference before. Transference occurs when a patient unconsciously redirects feelings about a person or situation onto their therapist. This is another aspect of psychoanalysis that therapists can use as a tool. To do so, your therapist would note the way you acted toward them in a therapy session and use that information as clues to what may be bothering you on an unconscious level. o for example, if you got repeatedly got angry with your therapist, they might conclude that really you're mad at one of your parents. ,ou're simply taking that anger out 7 transferring it 7 on to your therapist. $y working with transference, Freud felt that deep issues could come forth and can be addressed. 8n addition to these therapeutic methods, psychoanalysts sometimes also use hypnosis. 8t's looked at as a way to get past your conscious mind to the latent, compulsive tendencies of your unconscious) however, Freud had doubts of the effectiveness of hypnosis and preferred to work with most patients without it, especially in the later years of his career. ,ou may want to note this fact when deciding on an psychoanalyst. 1s for where to find an analyst, there may be more psychoanalysts per capita in 6ew ,ork than anywhere else in the country. ;egardless of where you live, your best bet will be to consult your local mental health Asometimes called behavioral healthD association, a medical association, or your insurance carrier. 6ote that because psychoanalysis can be a lengthy process, your insurance carrier will likely cover only a portion of such services, if any at all. 8t will be best to examine the details of your plan in advance. "o you need it! 1s for whether you need psychoanalysis, it depends both on the severity of your problems and on the value you would place on this kind of experience. 3enerally, the more extreme your unresolved conflicts, the more problems you're likely to experience in your day=to=day life. However, you may have unresolved conflicts and still lead a perfectly happy life. 8n this case it may be less important to seek psychoanalysis. However, some psychoanalysts would argue that everyone could use psychoanalysis) it's simply a tool to help you to understand yourself better. Woody 1llen movies epitomi:e the result of years of psychoanalysis 7 a highly sophisticated understanding

of psychological processes and of your own problems. However, there are critics of Freud's theories 7 even from one of his most famous followers, -arl Eung. Eung, who went on to contribute substantially to the field of psychoanalysis with his own ideas, felt that you could bring unconscious conflicts into consciousness, but it didn't necessarily mean you'd be healed. Eung and Freud, however, both did agree that if any healing was to occur, bringing unconscious wounds to the surface was the first step. .ther opponents of Freud's theories would argue that no one could really benefit from psychoanalysis. 8n fact, some people feel that psychoanalysis can do more harm than good. 5ostly opponents conclude that psychoanalysis is a time=consuming, expensive process that, for some, produces very little benefit. For women, psychoanalysis's usefulness is even more %uestionable) there are many feminist theorists who argue that Freud's views were gender=biased and provide far less insight into the depths of female sexuality than they do into the depths of male sexuality. +ven many modern followers of Freud find this criti%ue %uite convincing. For example, the .edipus complex appears to be consistent with studies done on the folklore and mythology of other cultures 7 at least as far as boys are concerned. However, for girls the situation played out in the .edipus complex is not part of the mythology and folklore. .n the contrary, it is the father who desires the love relationship with their daughter, not the other way around. 1lthough folk tales are not proof for or against Freud's theories, this example does shed light on the way Freud's theories may or may not pertain to females. Other #orms o# therapy 8f psychoanalysis doesn't sound like it's right for you, there are many other forms of counseling. .ne of the many possible examples is cognitive=behavioral therapy. -ognitive=behavioral therapists focus mostly on actions and thought patterns that are negatively affecting you, as well as helping you to change those patterns. These therapists don't normally try to dig up conflicts from your unconscious or your distant past. They're more concerned with the present9 What are you doing in your life< What positive feedback are you getting for acting this way< What is the negative feedback< 1fter determining these things, they can then work with you to enhance your good behaviors and thoughts and root out bad ones. 1gain, if you feel that you may need therapy, try contacting your local mental health center, your insurance carrier, or your physician for a referral. ,ou may also want to rely on friends and family to help you out. 8f you are in acute distress, check the yellow pages for a crisis hotline and get immediate help. Hotlines can usually give you referrals and may also be able to tell you what kind of treatment you need. 6ote that The Freud Test is not a diagnostic tool and cannot determine whether you meet criteria for an official psychological diagnosis. This test was simply meant to give you a snapshot of Freud's most central theories and how they may apply to your life. 8f you want to determine whether you have a disorder of some kind, you'll need to talk to a licensed mental health professional, preferably one who is accredited in your area. For further information, you may want to contact the 1merican !sychological 1ssociation Ahttp9FFwww.apa.orgD. H.W .TH+; 16 W+;+" TH+ G0+ T8.6 Here are each of the test %uestions and the percentage of people who gave each answer. $our answer 5y mother liked me more than she liked my father. B>( H @I( H 'B( H C( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 am more gullible than suspicious. J( H @B( H ''( H B>( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 chew on my pencil or pen9 BB( H @&( H @K( H I'( H Whenever 8'm holding one ometimes ;arely 6ever

The penis is a symbol of power and domination. '( H BI( H 'C( H @J( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 am better at most things compared to others. BB( H 'C( H 'K( H B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 prefer to compete against9 BC( H B'( H JC( H !eople of my gender !eople of the opposite gender !eople of either gender

8 like to be the one in charge. IB( H &&( H I@( H B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 have a lot of energy for creating new things. I&( H &B( H I@( H B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

#1s a child, 8 used to bite people out of anger.# @( H B'( H @J( H '?( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 work hard to please others. B>( H &I( H I'( H &( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

ome people think 8 am a slob. C( H @K( H 'K( H II( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

There are certain people 8 couldn't live without. '@( H trongly agree

@'( H BC( H &( H

1gree "isagree trongly disagree

#When under stress, 8'm most likely to9# I@( H J( H BJ( H I@( H J( H BC( H C( H +at "rink $ite my nails moke +xercise 0se some other vice it peacefully until it passes

-astration should be used as a punishment for men's crimes. BK( H IJ( H @>( H I&( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 sometimes go through the motions of being sexual without feeling much desire. BK( H 'K( H @&( H B&( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 get bored when people talk about themselves. BB( H I>( H &&( H &( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 can't trust my own *udgment. I( H B>( H &@( H IJ( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 let myself be vulnerable to others. BB( H @C( H @J( H B&( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

#8 am into sports cars, single=engine airplanes, or guns.# C( H II( H @&( H @&( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

5asturbating makes me feel ashamed or guilty. BI( H IB( H 'K( H I?( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

Women are inferior to men. B( H C( H I>( H JI( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 am attracted to9 J&( H IC( H &( H B( H B( H The opposite sex exclusively 5ostly the opposite sex 8'm e%ually attracted to both of the sexes 5ostly the same sex The same sex exclusively

.lder people of my gender often have something against me. '( H B@( H &?( H IJ( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 have a tendency to overeat. B@( H @C( H @@( H BJ( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 can en*oy sex with someone 8 dislike. &( H B@( H IC( H &'( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 resent my mother. J( H B'( H @>( H 'B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 seek validation from others to feel confident about what 8'm feeling or thinking. BK( H IJ( H &&( H >( H 1lways 0sually .ccasionally 6ever

8 try to use as few pieces of toilet paper as possible. @( H B'( H &K( H @@( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 trust men more than women. ?( H IC( H &@( H BI( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly "isagree

8 keep careful records of everything 8 spend. @( H B@( H 'C( H @J( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 prefer masturbation to sex with another person. I( H IB( H @K( H '?( H 1lways ometimes .nly if 8 don't like the person 6ever

8'd like to use sex as a way of dominating another person. @( H B@( H '@( H 'B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 have a lot of anxiety or guilt about sex. J( H B>( H 'K( H @&( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

5y father liked me more than he liked my mother. ?( H IK( H &K( H I@( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

When it comes to being punctual9 BJ( H &J( H I@( H &( H 8'd make a drill sergeant happy 8'm usually on time 8'm usually late 8'm always late

#When someone insults me, 8 am %uick with a biting comeback.#

II( H '@( H @I( H @( H

trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

#When forbidden to do something, 8 want to do it more.# B&( H &'( H IC( H @( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8'm working to improve myself. @B( H &C( H BK( H B( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 easily change my mind once 8've made a decision. &( H @?( H 'C( H BK( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 look at highly successful people and think9 @J( H I?( H I&( H BK( H I( H omeday that will be me 8 wish 8 were that successful 3ood for them Who cares They probably sold their soul for it

#8 stopped sucking my thumb, blanket, or pacifier when 8 was9 # BI( H B@( H IK( H B@( H BB( H @B( H ? or older $etween ' and J $etween I and @ 1bout B year old 1 few months old #8 never sucked my thumb, a blanket or a pacifier #

!eople have told me that 89 @C( H &I( H C( H I( H hould be a therapist 1m a pretty good listener -ould stand to be a better listener 5ust have some kind of hearing damage

8 sometimes hurt people *ust for fun. @( H B'( H @J( H '?( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 don't let people in authority push me around. BJ( H &I( H @K( H I( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree

8 identify more with my father than 8 do with my mother. BI( H IC( H 'I( H trongly agree 1gree "isagree trongly disagree H8 T.;, $+H86" TH+ T+ T The history behind The Freud Test is really the history of Freud's contributions to psychology. 1lthough this test does not cover everything that Freud contributed, it does fully explore the psychosexual developmental stages he identified. The purpose of The Freud Test is to assess the test taker's personality and link it to particular childhood experiences based on Freud's theoretical framework. This test assesses an individual's level of fixation for each of the developmental stages Freud identified. Fixation is a term used to describe a person who has so much of their psychic energy tied to particular childhood experiences 7 and the unconscious conflicts related to them 7 that they're partly stuck in the past. While fixation is a clinical term usually used to describe the most extreme cases, each of us is stuck in certain stages to a greater or lesser extent. Therefore, Tickle's The Freud Test looks at the degree to which individuals are fixated in each stage. To do this, Tickle's researchers evaluated certain personality traits in con*unction with childhood experiences. This team examined the number of significant experiences each test taker had, alongside particular personality traits. These elements were used to assess a person's level of conflict in each stage. 8t's important to note that there is very little evidence for, or against Freud's theory. 1lthough Freud was a scientist and used rigorous methods to understand the psyche, he did not perform the e%uivalent of a clinical trial to assess either the effectiveness of his techni%ues or the applicability of his theories. BC( H Tickle's The Freud Test is a uni%ue test, one that encapsulates Freud's most famous theories and ties them together with the childhood experiences Freud related to them. 8f you're interested in learning more about Freud or the sources that were used as a basis for this test, feel free to consult the following resources9 $reuer, E., and . Freud. Studies in Hysteria. 4ol. I of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Wor s of Sigmund Freud. 2ondon9 Hogarth, BCC&. Freud, igmund. Civili!ation and "ts #iscontents. 4ol. IB of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Wor s of Sigmund Freud. 2ondon9 Hogarth, B>@K. Freud, igmund. The "nterpretation of #reams. 4ols. ' and & of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Wor s of Sigmund Freud. 2ondon9 Hogarth, B>IJ. Freud, igmund. Three Essays on Sexuality. 4ol. ? of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Wor s of Sigmund Freud. 2ondon9 Hogarth, B>K&. Eung, -.3. $odern $an in Search of a Soul. 6ew ,ork9 Harcourt $race, B>>@. Lahn, 5. %asic Freud.. 6ew ,ork9 $asic $ooks, IKKI. torr, 1nthony. The Essential &ung' Selected Writings. !rinceton, 6E9 !rinceton 0niversity !ress, B>C@. ome links9 http9FFwww.essaybank.co.ukFfreeMcourseworkF&''.html http9FFpsychology.about.comFlibraryFweeklyFaaBBB&KKa.htm http9FFwww.fmarion.eduFNpersonalityFclinicalFfreudFfredthe.htm http9FFwww.hypnosis.demon.co.ukFoldFfreud.htm