Sigmund Freud

(May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) 
Module 5: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

He  was  a  physiologist,  medical 

doctor,  and  the  Father of
Psychoanalysis,  and  is 
generally  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  influential  and 
authoritative  thinkers  of  the 
twentieth  century.  He  was  an 
Austrian neurologist and the 
co-founder  of 
the psychoanalytic school  of 
psychology.
Introduction:
• Freud’s views about human development are
more than a century old. He can be considered
the most well-known psychologist because of his
very interesting theory about the unconscious
and also about sexual development. Although a
lot of his views were criticized and some
considered them debunked, (he himself
recanted some of his earlier views). Freud’s
theory remains to be one of the most influential
in psychology. His theory sparked the ideas in
the brilliant minds of other theorists and thus
became the starting point of many other
theories, notable of which is Erickson’s
Psychological theory.
 Freud’s Stage of Psychosexual Development
• Freud is the most popular psychologist that
studied the development of personality, also
probably the most controversial. His theory of
psychosexual development includes five distinct
stages. According to Freud. A person goes
through the sequence of these five stages and
along the way there are needs to be met.
Whether these needs are met or not, determines
whether the person will develop a healthy
personality or not. The theory is quite interesting
for many because Freud identified specific
erogenous zones for each stage of development.
These are specific ‘’pleasure areas’’ that become
focal points for the particular stage. If needs are
not met along the area, a fixation occurs. As an
adult, the person will now manifest behaviours
related to this erogenous zone.
 Oral stage
(birth to 18 months)
• The erogenous zone is the mouth. During the
oral stage, the child is focused on oral pleasures
(sucking). Too much or to little satisfaction can lead
to an oral fixation of oral personality which is shown
in an increased focus on oral activities. This type of
personality may be oral receptive, that have a
stronger tendency to smoke, drink alcohol,
overeat, or oral aggressive, that is, with a
tendency to bite his or her nails, or use curse
words or even gossip. As a result, these persons
may become too dependent on others, easily fooled,
and lack leadership traits. On the other hand, they
may also fight these tendencies and become
pessimistic and aggressive in relating with people.
 Anal stage
(18 months to 3 years)
• The child’s focus of pleasure in this stage is the anus.
The child finds satisfaction in eliminating and
retaining feces. Through society’s expectations,
particularly the parents, the child needs to work on
toilet training. Let us remember that between one
year and a half to three years the child’s favourite
word might be ‘’No!”. Therefore a struggle might
exist in the toilet training process when the child
retains feces when asked to eliminate, or may choose
to defecate when asked to hold feces for some
reason. In terms of personality, fixation during these
stage can result, in being anal retentive, an obsession
with cleanliness, perfection, and control; or anal
expulsive where the person may become messy and
disorganized.
 Phallic stage (age 3 t0 6)
• The pleasure or erogenous zone is the genitals.
During the preschool age, children become
interested in what makes boys and girls
different. Pre-schoolers will sometimes be seen
fondling their genitals. Freud’s studies led him to
believe that during this stage boys develop
unconscious sexual desire for their mother.
Boys then see their father as a rival for her
mother’s affection. Boys may fear that their
father will punish the for these feelings, thus, the
castration anxiety. These feelings comprise what
Freud called Oedipus Complex. In Greek
Mythology, Oedipus unintentionally killed his
father and married his Mother Jocasta.
• According to Freud , out of fear of
castration and due to the strong
competition of their father, boys
eventually decide to identify with them
rather than fight them .By identifying
their father, the boys develop masculine
characteristics and identify themselves as
males and repress their sexual feelings
toward their mother. A fixation at this
stage could result in sexual
deviances(both overindulging and
avoidance) and weak or confused
sexual identity according to
psychoanalysts.
• Psychoanalysts also
believed that girls may also
have similar experience
developing unconscious
sexual attraction towards
their father. This is what is
referred to as the Electra
Complex.
 Latency Stage
 ( age 6 to puberty )

• Its during this stage that

sexual urges remain
repressed. The children’s
focus is the acquisition of
physical and academic skills .
Boys usually relate more with
boys and girls with girls
during this stage.
 Genital Stage
( puberty onwards)
• The fifth stage of psychosexual
development begins at start of
puberty when sexual urges are
once again awakened. In their
earlier stages, adolescents
focus their sexual urges towards
the opposite sex peers, with
pleasure centered on the
genitals.
Freud’s Personality Components
• Freud described the personality
structures as having three
components, the id, the ego and
the superego. For each person, the
first to emerge is the id, followed by
the ego, and the last to develop is
the superego
• While reading about the three
components, use the graphic
organizer below to put your notes
and questions about them.
Id Ego Superego

• z
One’s
Personality
The id.
• Freud says that a child is born with the id. The Id plays a
vital role in one’s personality because as a baby, it works so
that the baby’s essential needs are met. The id operates on
the pleasure principle. It focuses on immediate gratification
or satisfaction of its needs. So whatever feels good now is
what will pursue with no consideration for the reality,
logically or practicality of the situation. For example, a baby
is hungry. Its id wants food or milk…. So the baby will cry.
When the child needs to be changed, the id cries. When the
child is comfortable, in pain, too hot, too cold, or just wants
attention, the id speaks up until his or her needs are met.
• Nothing else matters to the Id except the satisfaction
of its own needs. It is not oriented towards considering
reality nor the needs of others. Just see how babies cry any
time of day and night! Absolutely no regards of whatever
mommy is tired or daddy is sleeping. When the Id wants
something, it wants it now and it wants it fast.
The Ego.
• As the baby turns into a toddler and then
into a pre-schooler, he/she relates more with
the environment, the ego slowly begins to
emerge. The ego operates using the reality
principle. It is aware that others also have
needs to be met. It is practical because it
knows that being impulsive or selfish can
result to negative consequences later. So it
reasons considers the best response to
situations. As such, it is deciding agent
of the personality. Although it functions to
help the id meet its needs. It always takes
into account the reality of the situation.
The Superego.
• Near the end of the preschool years,
or the end of the phallic stage, the
superego develops. The superego
embodies a person’s moral aspect.
This develops from what parents,
teachers and other persons who
exert influence impart to be good or
moral. The superego is likened to
conscience because it exerts
influence on what one considers
right or wrong.
 The Three Components and Personality
Adjustments
• Freud said that a well-adjusted person is
one who has strong ego, who can help satisfy
the needs of the Id without going against the
superego while maintaining the person’s sense of
what is logical, practical and real. Of course, it is
not easy for the ego to do all that and strike a
balance. If the id exerts too much power over the
ego, the person becomes too impulsive and
pleasure-seeking behaviour takes over one’s life.
On the opposite direction, one may find the
superego so strong that the ego is overpowered.
The person becomes so harsh and judgemental to
himself and others actions. The person’s best
effort to be good may still fall short of the
superego’s expectations.
• The ability of a learner to be well-
adjusted is largely influenced by how
the learner was brought up. His
experiences about how his parents met
his needs, the extent to which he was
allowed to do the things he wanted to
do, and also how he was taught about
right and wrong, all figures to the type
of personality and consequent
adjustment that a person will make.
Freud believed that the personality
of an individual is formed early
during the childhood years.
 Topographical Model:
The Unconscious.
• Freud said that most what we go through
in our lives, emotions, beliefs, feelings, and
impulses deep within are not available to us
at a conscious level. He believed that the
most of what influence us is our
unconscious. The Oedipus and Electra
Complex mentioned earlier were both
buried down into unconscious, out of our
awareness due to extreme anxiety the
caused. While these complexes are in our
unconscious, they still influence our
thinking, feeling and doing in perhaps
dramatic ways.
 The Conscious.
• Freud also said that all that we
are aware of is stored in our
conscious mind. Our conscious
mind only compromise a very
small part of who we are so that,
in our everyday life, we are only
aware of a very small part of
what makes up our personality;
most of what we are is hidden
and out of reach.
 The Subconscious.
• The last part is the preconscious or
subconscious. This is the part of us that we can
reach if prompted. But is not in our active
conscious. Its right below the surface, but
still “hidden” somewhat unless we search
for it. Information such as our telephone
number, some childhood memories, or the
name of your best childhood friend is stored in
the preconscious.
• Because the conscious is so huge, and because
we are only aware of the very small conscious
at any given time, Freud used the analogy of
the iceberg to illustrate it. A big part of the
iceberg is hidden beneath the water’s surface.
• The water, may represent all the that we are not aware of have not experienced,
and that has not been made part of our personalities referred to as the nonconscious

Conscious

Preconscious
Nonconscious
  Superego
Ego*
Unconscious
Id *Note : Ego is freefloating in all three
levels.

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Freud’s Conception of human Psyche
(the Iceberg Metaphor)