MODULE 3

Lesson 1
Developmental Theories and Other Relevant Theories: Freud’s
Psychoanalytic Theory

What’s This Lesson About?

Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939) was the founding father of psychoanalysis,
a theory which explains human behavior. He believes that all people possess
unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories. Additionally, he believes
that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping
our personality (McLeod, 2018).
This lesson will focus on Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory. It will specifically
explain the different stages of human development, the three components of
personality and personality adjustment, and the topographical model of
personality.

What Will You learn?

At the end of the lesson, you must be able to explain Freud’s views about child
and adolescent development. Specifically:
1. Identify and describe Freud’s Stages of Development, Personality
Components, and Topographical Model of Personality.
2. Draw implications of Freud’s theory to education.

Are you ready? Buckle up!

Let’s Try This!

Activity 1: Reminisce and Reflect!
DIRECTIONS: Share an experience and provide necessary details about that experience

1. Recall a recent incident in your life when you had

to make a decision. Narrate the situation. Indicate
what the decision was about, the factors that were
involved and how you arrived at your decision.

2. Which of the following did you consider in making

your decision: (a) Your satisfaction; (b) Practicality
or Benefits to you; or (c) Morality?
 How was it? Did you make decision based on your own satisfaction? If yes, then
you had decided using your id. Did you decide based on practicality or on possible
benefits which you may get? If yes, then that decision is based on your ego. If you decided
based on your moral values, then your superego took over.
Id, ego, and superego are the three components of personality according to Freud.
We are going to elaborate on these as we continue with our discussion.

Let’s now have the next activities.

Let’s Read!
Activity 2: What’s Latest?!
DIRECTIONS: Read the article below and then answer the guide questions at the end.

Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego

By Kendra Cherry

According to Sigmund Freud, human personality is complex and has more than
a single component. In his famous psychoanalytic theory, Freud states that personality
is composed of three elements known as the id, the ego, and the superego. These
elements work together to create complex human behaviors.
Each component adds its own unique contribution to personality and the three
interact in ways that have a powerful influence on an individual. Each element of
personality emerges at different points in life.
According to Freud's theory, certain aspects of your personality are more primal
and might pressure you to act upon your most basic urges. Other parts of your
personality work to counteract these urges and strive to make you conform to the
demands of reality.
According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the
primary component of personality. The id is the only component of personality that is
present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes
instinctive and primitive behaviors. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which
strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs.1 If these needs are
not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. For example, an
increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The
id is very important early in life because it ensures that an infant's needs are met. If the
infant is hungry or uncomfortable, they will cry until the demands of the id are satisfied.
Young infants are ruled entirely by the id, there is no reasoning with them when these
needs demand satisfaction.
According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses
of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego is the
component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. The ego operates
based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id's desires in realistic and
socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action
before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses. In many cases, the id's impulses can
be satisfied through a process of delayed gratification—the ego will eventually allow the
behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place.
The last component of personality to develop is the superego. According to Freud,
the superego begins to emerge at around age five. The superego holds the internalized
moral standards and ideals that we acquire from our parents and society (our sense of
right and wrong). The superego provides guidelines for making judgments.
The superego has two parts: (1) the conscience which includes information about
things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. These behaviors are often
forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments, or feelings of guilt and remorse.
(2) The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for behaviors that the ego aspires to.
The superego tries to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all
unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards
rather that upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious,
preconscious, and unconscious.
When talking about the id, the ego, and the superego, it is important to remember
that these are not three separate entities with clearly defined boundaries. These aspects
are dynamic and always interacting to influence an individual's overall personality and
behavior.
With many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise between
the id, ego, and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego's ability
to function despite these dueling forces. A person who has good ego strength can
effectively manage these pressures, while a person with too much or too little ego
strength can be unyielding or disruptive.
According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id,
the ego, and the superego. If the ego is able to adequately moderate between the
demands of reality, the id, and the superego, a healthy and well-adjusted personality
emerges. Freud believed that an imbalance between these elements would lead to a
maladaptive personality.
For example, an individual with an overly dominant id might become impulsive,
uncontrollable, or even criminal. Such an individual acts upon their most basic urges
with no concern for whether their behavior is appropriate, acceptable, or legal.
On the other hand, an overly dominant superego might lead to a personality that is
extremely moralistic and judgmental. A person ruled by the superego might not be able
to accept anything or anyone that they perceive to be "bad" or "immoral."

Source: Cherry, Kendra (2019). “Freud’s Id, Ego and Superego” Retrieved from: verywellmind.com on
September 11, 2021

Guide Questions:
1. What are the salient features of each component of personality according to
Freud?
2. According to the article, when does each personality develop in a human?
3. Does the development of one component lead to the extinction of the previous
component?
4. What could be the effects if a person is not able to balance three components of
his personality?
 Let’s Study!
Activity 3: Figments of Knowledge
DIRECTIONS: Read the contents below. This will help you strengthen what you have
learned in the previous activity. If you have books or sources related to the topic, you
can also read them so that you will be able to further explore this content.

Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) believed that personality develops during

early childhood. For Freud, childhood experiences shape our personalities and
behavior as adults. Freud viewed development as discontinuous; he believed that
each of us must pass through a serious of stages during childhood, and that if
we lack proper nurturance and parenting during a stage, we may become stuck,
or fixated, in that stage. Freud’s stages are called the stages of psychosexual
development. According to Freud, children’s pleasure-seeking urges are focused
on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five stages
of development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.
While most of Freud’s ideas have not found support in modern research,
we cannot discount the contributions that Freud has made to the field of
psychology. Psychologists today dispute Freud’s psychosexual stages as a
legitimate explanation for how one’s personality develops, but what we can take
away from Freud’s theory is that personality is shaped, in some part, by
experiences we have in childhood.

Stages of Psychosexual Development

Oral Stage

Age Range: Birth to 1 Year

Erogenous Zone: Mouth
During the oral stage, the infant's primary source of interaction occurs
through the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important. The
mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation
through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking.
Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are
responsible for feeding the child), the child also develops a sense of trust and
comfort through this oral stimulation.
The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process--the child must
become less dependent upon caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud
believed the individual would have issues with dependency or aggression. Oral
fixation can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail-biting.

Anal Stage

Age Range: 1 to 3 years

Erogenous Zone: Bowel and Bladder Control
During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of
the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict
at this stage is toilet training—the child has to learn to control their bodily needs.
Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
According to Freud, success at this stage is dependent upon the way in
which parents approach toilet training. Parents who utilize praise and rewards
for using the toilet at the appropriate time encourage positive outcomes and help
children feel capable and productive.
Freud believed that positive experiences during the toilet training stage
serve as the basis for people to become competent, productive,
and creative adults.
However, not all parents provide the support and encouragement that
children need during this stage. Some parents punish, ridicule, or shame a child
for accidents.
According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in
negative outcomes. If parents take an approach that is too lenient, Freud
suggested that an anal-expulsive personality could develop in which the
individual has a messy, wasteful, or destructive personality.
If parents are too strict or begin toilet training too early, Freud believed
that an anal-retentive personality develops in which the individual is stringent,
orderly, rigid, and obsessive.

Phallic Stage

Age Range: 3 to 6 Years

Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Freud suggested that during the phallic stage, the primary focus of the
libido is on the genitals. At this age, children also begin to discover the differences
between males and females.
Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival for the
mother’s affections. The Oedipus complex describes these feelings of wanting to
possess the mother and the desire to replace the father. However, the child also
fears that he will be punished by the father for these feelings, a fear Freud
termed castration anxiety.
The term Electra complex has been used to describe a similar set of
feelings experienced by young girls. Freud, however, believed that girls instead
experience penis envy.
Eventually, the child begins to identify with the same-sex parent as a
means of vicariously possessing the other parent. For girls, however, Freud
believed that penis envy was never fully resolved and that all women remain
somewhat fixated on this stage.
Psychologists such as Karen Horney disputed this theory, calling it both
inaccurate and demeaning to women. Instead, Horney proposed that men
experience feelings of inferiority because they cannot give birth to children, a
concept she referred to as womb envy.

Latent Period

Age Range: 6 to Puberty

Erogenous Zone: Sexual Feelings Are Inactive
 During this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id's energies
are suppressed. Children develop social skills, values and relationships with
peers and adults outside of the family.
The development of the ego and superego contribute to this period of calm.
The stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become
more concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.
The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy
repressed or dormant. This energy is still present, but it is sublimated into other
areas such as intellectual pursuits and social interactions. This stage is
important in the development of social and communication skills and self-
confidence.
As with the other psychosexual stages, Freud believed that it was possible
for children to become fixated or "stuck" in this phase. Fixation at this stage can
result in immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an adult.

Genital Stage

Age Range: Puberty to Death

Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual Interests
The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During
the final stage of psychosexual development, the individual develops a strong
sexual interest in the opposite sex. This stage begins during puberty but last
throughout the rest of a person's life.
Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on individual needs, interest
in the welfare of others grows during this stage. The goal of this stage is to
establish a balance between the various life areas.
If the other stages have been completed successfully, the individual should
now be well-balanced, warm, and caring.
Unlike the many of the earlier stages of development, Freud believed that
the ego and superego were fully formed and functioning at this point. Younger
children are ruled by the id, which demands immediate satisfaction of the most
basic needs and wants.
Teens in the genital stage of development are able to balance their most
basic urges against the need to conform to the demands of reality and social
norms.

Topographical Model

Freud (1900, 1905) developed a topographical model of the mind, whereby

he described the features of the mind’s structure and function. Freud used the
analogy of an iceberg to describe the three levels of the mind.
 Freud (1915) described the conscious mind, which consists of all the
mental processes of which we are aware, and this is seen as the tip of the iceberg.
For example, you may be feeling thirsty at this moment and decide to get a drink.
The preconscious contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not
currently aware of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness (1924). It
exists just below the level of consciousness, before the unconscious mind. The
preconscious is like a mental waiting room, in which thoughts remain until they
'succeed in attracting the eye of the conscious' (Freud, 1924, p. 306).
This is what we mean in our everyday usage of the word available memory.
For example, you are presently not thinking about your mobile telephone
number, but now it is mentioned you can recall it with ease.
Mild emotional experiences may be in the preconscious but sometimes
traumatic and powerful negative emotions are repressed and hence not available
in the preconscious.
Finally, the unconscious mind comprises mental processes that are
inaccessible to consciousness but that influence judgments, feelings, or behavior
(Wilson, 2002).
According to Freud (1915), the unconscious mind is the primary source of
human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the mind is the part
you cannot see.
Our feelings, motives and decisions are actually powerfully influenced by
our past experiences and stored in the unconscious.
Freud applied these three systems to his structure of the personality,
or psyche – the id, ego and superego. Here the id is regarded as entirely
unconscious whilst the ego and superego have conscious, preconscious, and
unconscious aspects.

I hope the previous activities have helped you understand the Sigmund Freud’s
Psychoanalytic Theory. Let’s now try making use of that knowledge.

Let’s Think About This!

Activity 4: Let’s Think Further!
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions below.
1. According to Zav (nd), psychoanalysis has explained the child’s resistance to
learning in terms of unfavourable environmental conditions, unsympathetic and
critical teachers and parents, lack of preparations and emotional blocking caused
by anxiety and aggression in the form of phobias or due to inharmonious parent-
child or intra-parental relationships. As a future teacher, what ways are you going
to implement to avoid having learners who resist learning?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Psychoanalysis has stressed the significance of play in the education of children.
Play along with other natural interests of children should determine the various
 curricular and cocurricular activities in the school. How would you plan your
lessons if you are to apply this concept of psychoanalysis?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

We’re almost done with the first lesson of the second module. This time, I want you to
organize what’s on your mind after doing the activities of this module.

Let’s Remember!
The following pictures summarize the stages of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
and the Three Personality Components.

Let’s now have the last activity.

How Much Have You Learned?

Activity 5: Assessment
DIRECTION: Write TRUE if the statemen is true. If false, modify the underlined word to
make it true.
1. In Freud’s Theory, if needs are not met along the specific erogenous zone,
personality imbalance occurs.
2. Fixation is a specific area that becomes the focus of pleasure needs. This may be
the mouth, anus, or the genitals.
3. Erogenous zone results from failure to satisfy the needs of a particular
psychosexual stage.
4. Fixation for oral stage is called oral aggressive, a strong tendency to smoke, drink
alcohol, or overeat.
5. Anal expulsive is a fixation under anal stage which is an obsession with
cleanliness, perfection, and control.
6. Under the Phallic stage, the pleasure or erogenous zone is the anus.
 7. Electra complex is the unconscious sexual desire of a child for his mother.
8. Phallic Stage is the psychoanalytic stage where children’s focus is on the
acquisition of physical and academic skills.
9. Latency Stage occurs from puberty onwards.
10. Id, ego and subconscious are the three components of personality according to
Freud.
11. Id is operating under the pleasure principle.
12. Ego is operating under pleasure principle.
13. Under Freud’s Topographical Model, The Conscious comprises mental processes
that are inaccessible to consciousness but that influence judgments, feelings, or
behavior.
14. The Subconscious contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently
aware of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness.
15. The Conscious mind, which consists of all the mental processes of which we are
aware

References:

McLeod, Saul (2018). “Sigmund Freud’s Theories”. Retrieved from:

simplypsychology.org on September 11, 2021.

Cherry, Kendra (2019). “Freud’s Id, Ego and Superego” Retrieved from:
verywellmind.com on September 11, 2021

Zav, Shivangi (nd). “How is Psychoanalysis Used in Education?”. Retrieved from:

psychologydiscussion.net on September 11, 2021.

Corpuz, Brenda B. et.al (2018). The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning
Principles. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.: Quezon City.