Name___________________________________ Score ____________ Prefinals

DISS 12
Lesson1 Dominant Approaches and Ideas in the Social Science:
Critical Social Science: Psychoanalysis
According to American Psychoanalysis Association (APAsA), psychoanalysis can be described in two ways:
1. It is a comprehensive theory about human nature, drive, actions, growth, and experience.
2. It also refers to a method of treatment for psychological problems and challenges in living a successful life
Psychoanalysis, which traces its roots to psychologist Sigmund Freud, means “analysis of the mind.” It came from the
Greek word psyche, which means mental, plus German analyze, from Greek analysis. Freud used psychische analyse in 1894. It
began as Freud’s approach to counselling and psychotherapy and is considered a time-consuming approach which can involve 4
one-hour sessions each week over a period of several years.
Psychoanalysis as a social science approach liberates people by acquiring consciousness of the unconscious. By making
conscious, people will understand why they behave in a certain way or why they hold certain values and beliefs.

Historical Context
Psychoanalysis began with Sigmund Freud when he broadened his practice from medicine to psychiatry in 1882. He was
influenced by Joseph Breuer, a prominent Viennese physician who believed that a client with psychological disorder can be helped
by simply talking about his or her problem, also known as the “talking cure.” The said concept contributed to Freud’s free
association technique which helped in the evolution of the counselling profession.

Experiencing serious emotional problems himself such as exaggerated fear of dying, he engaged in extensive self-analysis
by studying his dreams. From his self-analysis he was able to develop theories such as:
 Oedipus Complex- refers to a male child’s sexual feelings for his mother as well as feelings of jealousy and anger towards
his father. The boy resolves his desire for his mother through fear of castration from his father.
 Electra Complex- refers to a girl’s feelings of desire for his father and jealousy of her mother.
 Penis envy- is the female counterpart to Freud’s castration complex. It refers to a girl’s distancing herself form her mother
and devoting attention to her father after realizing that she has no penis, concluding that she is in a disadvantageous
position, blaming her mother for her misfortune.
He was severely criticized for his theories but he continued working until in 1900, he was able to publish The Interpretation
of Dreams after which he was accepted in the intellectual community again. His book caught the interest of Austrian doctors,
psychotherapist, and the founder of– Carl Jung, and the founder of individual psychology- Alfred Adler.

Key Concepts in Psychoanalysis

In order to understand the psychodynamics analytical psychology of the person’s personality, it is important to discuss key
concepts in Freud’s theory of personality, central to which is the structure of the personality such as id, ego, and superego.
Id
 Serves as the original system of personality.
 It is considered as the pool psychic energy from which the energy from the ego and superego submerge.
 It is referred to as the self-gratifying branch of the personality in that is driven by the pleasure principle, which attempts to
reduce tension by satisfaction of sexual and aggressive impulses.
 Instincts
Ego
 It is referred to as the decision-making branch of the personality.
 It is ruled by the reality principle in that it attempts to exert sensible influence over the id and superego.
 Rational self
Superego
 It is referred to as the discriminating branch of the personality in the sense that it is concerned with moralitic issues
deciding what is right and wrong.
 Morality
Parts of the unconscious mind (the id and superego) are in constant conflict with conscious part of the mind (the ego). This
conflict, which is called endopyschic conflict, results in anxiety, which the ego tries to resolve using defense mechanisms, which
develop unconsciously when the ego feels threatened by an endopsychic conflict.
The conscious-unconsious continuum is the key to understanding behavior and problems within the personality which lies
in the unconscious dimension of the human mind.
Techniques in Psychoanalysis
Association- encourages the patient to discuss what comes to mind in order to overcome the patient’s tendencies to suppress or
censor information. Freud reported that his free-associating patients occasionally experienced such an emotionally intense and vivid
memory that they almost relived the experience.   This is like a "flashback" from a war or a rape experience.
Such a stressful memory, so real it feels like it is happening again, is called an abreaction.  If such a disturbing memory
occurred in therapy or with a supportive friend and one felt better--relieved or cleansed--later, it would be called a catharsis.
Frequently, these intensely emotional experiences provided Freud a valuable insight into the patient's problems.
Dream Analysis- analyze elements of dreams which contained symbolic meaning. According to Freud the analysis of dreams is "the
royal road to the unconscious." He argued that the conscious mind is like a censor, but it is less vigilant when we are asleep.
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As a result, repressed ideas come to the surface - though what we remember may well have been altered during the dream
process. The latter is what it really means. Freud believed that very often the real meaning of a dream had a sexual significance and
in his theory of sexual symbolism he speculates on the underlying meaning of common dream themes.

Freudian Slip- unconscious thoughts and feelings can transfer to the conscious mind in the form of parapraxes, popularly known as
Freudian slips or slips of the tongue. We reveal what is really on our mind by saying something we didn't mean to.
For example, a nutritionist giving a lecture intended to say we should always demand the best in bread, but instead said bed.
Another example is where a person may call a friend's new partner by the name of a previous one, whom we liked better.
Confrontation and clarification- feedback procedures to help the patient become aware of what is occurring and in need of further
analysis.

Interpretation- involves providing insight to the patient regarding inner conflicts reflected in resistance, transference, etc.
Interpretation is a method that group members and therapists use in analyzing cases of transference, dreams, feelings, and anxieties
(Corey, 1990). Therapists apply it in free-association. In the contemporary application of interpretation, the interpreters do not have
to give the true meaning of occurrences. They only attempt to give responses that are close to real meanings.

Strengths
 It made the case study method popular in social sciences.
 It is also credited for highlighting the importance of childhood in personality development.
 It also provides the foundation for the new psychotherapy techniques, and has stood the test of time and continues to be a
revolutionary theory.
 It is one of the social science approaches that can be applied in a practical way and its micro-level analysis of how human
behavior can be explained by the hidden forces in the unconscious provides an explanation on social behavior.
Criticisms
 Critics consider it as too subjective- focusing on individual experiences and therefore cannot generalize for a larger
population.
 It is also seen as being too deterministic, focusing on the hidden forces that dominate people to behave the way they do.
 Freud’s overemphasis on intrapsychic forces makes psychoanalysis limited in terms of a cross-cultural perspective and
downplays the role of socio-cultural forces in human functioning and does not take into consideration the role present
factors in personality development.
FT1. Write T if the statement is true, and FALSE if not.
_____1. The Oedipus complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a group of largely unconscious (dynamically repressed) ideas and
feelings which center around the desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex.
_____2. The ego is called the executive branch of personality because it uses reasoning to make decisions.
_____3. Ego defense mechanisms are often used by the ego when id behavior conflicts with reality and either society's morals,
norms,
and taboos or the individual's expectations as a result of the internalization of these morals, norms, and their taboos.
_____4. The ego strives to act in a socially appropriate manner, whereas the id just wants instant self-gratification.
_____5. The Preconscious Mind was described as a layer between conscious and unconscious thought; its contents could be
accessed
with a little effort.
_____6. Most personality theories focus on very limited aspects of human behavior.
_____7. Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis, which is a personality theory that stressed the influence of unconscious mental
processes, the importance of sexual and aggressive instincts, and the importance of early childhood experiences.
_____8. According to Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, repressed feelings, wishes, and drives are contained in the preconscious.
FT2. Identify what is being asked.
1. According to Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, repressed feelings, wishes, and drives are contained in the preconscious.
2. A hungry baby crying until he was fed is an example of what?
3. Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server would be back soon to refill her water glass, so she waited until
then to get a drink, even though she really just wanted to drink from Mr. Smith’s glass. What is this an example of?
4. Mary really wanted to borrow her mom’s necklace, but knew her mom would be angry if she took it without asking, so
she asked her mom if she could wear it. What is this an example of?
5. In line at the salad bar, Amy was so hungry that she shoved a handful of croutons in her mouth as she waited for the line
to move. This is an example of what?
6. Sarah knew that she could steal the supplies from work and no one would know about it. However, she knew that
stealing was wrong, so she decided not to take anything even though she would probably never get caught.
What is this an example of?
7. Even though Michael needed money, he decided not to steal the money from the cash register because he didn’t want to
get in trouble. What is this an example of?
FT3. Answer the given questions shortly but substantially.
1. How can psychoanalysis help people understand why they feel and behave in particular ways?
2. Think of scenario which will show how the id, ego, and superego form reactions based on their nature.
3. Why does the case study method of psychoanalysis make it hard to generalize for a larger population?
4. Why do feminists regard Freud’s psychoanalysis as misogynist?
5. What is the psychodynamics or the interrelationships of id, ego, and superego in a person’s personality as explained by
psychoanalysis.
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