 Good day everyone!

Let’s talk about the Intellectual Revolution that

defined society: The Freudian Revolution by Sigmund Freud.

 Before we proceed to the discussion, let us know the man behind the
revolution. Sigmund Freud is an Austrian Neuro^logist, physiologist,
medical doctor, psychologist and influential thinker of the early 2oth
century. Freud was born in Frieberg, Moravia in 1856, but when he
was four years old, his family moved to Vienna. He is considered as
the father of Psychiatry.

 In 1900, after a protracted period of self-analysis, he published The

Interpretation of Dreams, which is generally regarded as his greatest
work. This was followed in 1901 by The Psychopathology of Everyday
Life; and in 1905 by Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality.

 In Freudian Intellectual Revolution Sigmund Freud believe that insanity

is caused by a psychological condition, not by physical factors. Nobody
took him seriously. As a result, during his time, more people thought
that if someone was not in their right mind, they were suffering from a
brain disease, whereas those who are not insane were physically well.

 All of these changed when he invented the “Psychoanalytic Theory of

Personality”. His theory became famous, and because of this,
psychologists and psychiatrists began to look into the psychological
and early childhood traumas that led to insanity.

 Now, let’s talk about the Psychoanalysis Theory. The Psychoanalysis

Theory explains human personality as a series of stages that is formed
through inner conflicts. It is a framework that to understand the
impact of the unconscious on thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

 According to Freud, there are three distinct parts of the mind- each
playing an important role in influencing behavior. Picture an iceberg,
above the water represents the conscious mind. Submerged just below
the water but still visible is the preconscious mind. the bulk of the
iceberg that lies unseen beneath the water line represents the
unconscious mind. The conscious mind contains all of the facts,
memories, feelings, and wishes we are aware of at any given moment.
It is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk
about rationally. This also includes our memory where not always part
of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into
awareness. The preconscious mind contains all information that you
are not currently aware of but that can be recalled. The unconscious
mind.  This enormous reservoir contains memories and feelings that
are too painful, embarrassing, shameful, or disturbing.
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 Now. we know that Psychoanalysis is the center of Freudian
Revolution. But what really is Psychoanalysis? Psychoanalysis is a
system of psychological theory and therapy, which aims to treat
mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and
unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and
conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques, such as dream
interpretation and free association.

 Remember the cartoons you used to watch as a child? The main

character is confronted with a choice. On his left shoulder is a little
devil pushing him toward a bad choice. On his right shoulder a little
angel is encouraging him to make a good choice. He is stuck in the
middle and forced to make a decision that will affect him. This scenario
is much like the three parts of the Psychoanalytic Theory of
Personality. These are the Id, Superego, and Ego.

 The Id is the unconscious part of your personality. it’s basically the

childish and impulsive part of you that just does what it wants. It’s like
the little devil sitting on that cartoon character’s shoulder that’s always
selfish and needy. It operates according to the pleasure principle. The
pleasure principle is the idea that all of your needs should be met
immediately.

 Then, there’s the Superego. It exists in all three levels of

consciousness. The Superego is like the little angel. It is always
concerned with what is socially acceptable. The superego pushes you
to obtain the ego ideal or your view of what is right. It also represents
your conscience.
 Finally, we have the ego. The ego operates in your preconscious in
conscious mind. It is part of the personality that makes your decisions.
This is like the cartoon character in the example. The ego is in the
middle, makes the decision and faces the consequences. It operates
according to the reality principle. The reality principle is the idea that
the desires of the id must be satisfied in a method that is both socially
appropriate and realistic.

 Let us now explore the Psychosexual Theory. Freud believed that

personality is developed through a series of childhood stages in which
the pleasure-seeking energies of the id become focused on certain
erogenous areas. Each stage of development is marked by conflicts
that can help build growth or stifle development, depending upon how
they are resolved. If these psychosexual stages are completed
successfully, a healthy personality is the result. If certain issues are
not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixations can occur. A fixation is
a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict
is resolved, the individual will remain "stuck" in this stage.
 According to Freud's theory of psychosexual development, people's
personalities and sexual identities go through five stages of
development. The oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latent stage,
and genital stage. 

 First is the Oral stage. This Psychosexual stage of development begins

at birth to 1-year-old. 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.
 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. 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.

 The Phallic stage. In this 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.

 The Oedipus complex describes these feelings of wanting to possess

the mother and the desire to replace the father.
 The term Electra complex has been used to describe a similar set of
feelings experienced by young girls: the girl desires the father, but
realizes that she does not have a penis. This leads to the development
of penis envy and the wish to be a boy.

 The Latent stage. During this stage, children develop social skills,
values and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.
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. It is possible for children to
become fixated or "stuck" in this phase.
 Finally, the Genital stage. 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 lasts throughout
the rest of a person's life. The goal of this stage is to establish a
balance between the various life areas.

 Criticisms of the Psychosexual Stages. The theory is too simple to ever

explain something as complex as a human mind, and that Freud
overemphasized sex and was unbalanced here (was sexist). The
theory is focused almost entirely on male development with little
mention of female psychosexual development. His theories are difficult
to test scientifically. Concepts such as the libido are impossible to
measure, and therefore cannot be tested. The research that has been
conducted tends to discredit Freud's theory. Future predictions are too
vague. How can we know that a current behavior was caused
specifically by a childhood experience? The length of time between the
cause and the effect is too long to assume that there is a relationship
between the two variables. Freud's theory is based upon case studies
and not empirical research. Also, Freud based his theory on the
recollections of his adult patients, not on actual observation and study
of children.

 After a life of remarkable vigor and creative productivity, Sigmund

Freud died of cancer while exiled in England in 1939. His theories and
work helped shaped our views of childhood, personality, memory,
sexuality and therapy. He is credited for initiating a 20th century
intellectual revolution named after him; The Freudian Revolution.

 And that brings up to the end of this video! I hope you learned
something. Thank you for listening!