The rational part of personality according to Freud. The structure of the human personality according to Freud. Psychosexual stages of personality development

Personality consists of three main systems: It, I and Super-I. * Although each of these areas of the personality has its own functions, properties, components, principles of action, dynamics and mechanisms, they interact so closely that it is difficult and even impossible to unravel their lines. influences and weigh their relative contribution to human behavior. Behavior almost always appears as a product of the interaction of these three systems; extremely rarely one of them works without the other two.

* In English translations from German and English-language psychoanalytic literature, the terms id, ego, and super-ego are used. - Note ed..

It (Eid)

It is the original system of the personality: it is the matrix in which the Self and the Super-Self are subsequently differentiated. It includes everything mental that is innate and present at birth, including instincts. It is a reservoir of psychic energy and provides energy for the other two systems. It is closely connected with bodily processes, from where it draws its energy. Freud called It "true psychic reality" because it reflects the inner world of subjective experiences and is unaware of objective reality. (For a discussion of Ono, see Schur, 1966).

When the energy builds up, It cannot stand it, which is experienced as an uncomfortable state of tension. Therefore, when the body's tension level rises - either as a result of external stimulation or internal arousal - It acts in such a way as to immediately release tension and return the body to a comfortable constant and low energy level. The principle of tension reduction on the basis of which the id operates is called the pleasure principle.

In order to fulfill its task - to avoid pain, to get pleasure - It has two processes. It is a reflex action and a primary process. Reflex actions are innate automatic responses such as sneezing and blinking; they usually relieve tension immediately. The body is equipped with a number of such reflexes in order to cope with relatively simple forms of excitation. The primary process involves a more complex reaction. He is trying to release energy by creating an image of the object, in connection with which the energy will move. For example, the primary process will give a hungry person a mental image of food. A hallucinatory experience in which the desired object is presented as a memory image is called wish fulfillment. The best example of a primary process in a healthy person is the dream, which, according to Freud, always represents the fulfillment or attempted fulfillment of a wish. The hallucinations and visions of psychotics are also examples of the primary process. Autistic thinking is brightly colored by the action of the primary process. These wish-fulfilling mental images are the only reality known to the id.

Obviously, the primary process alone is not capable of relieving tension. The hungry cannot eat the image of food. Consequently, a new, secondary mental process develops, and with its appearance, the second personality system begins to take shape - I.

I (ego)

I appears due to the fact that the needs of the organism require appropriate interactions with the world of objective reality. A hungry person must seek, find and eat food before the tension of hunger is reduced. This means that a person must learn to distinguish between the image of food that exists in memory and the actual perception of food that exists in the external world. When this differentiation is made, it is necessary to transform the image into perception, which is carried out as the location of food in the environment. In other words, a person correlates the image of food existing in memory with the sight or smell of food coming through the senses. The main difference between the id and the ego is that the id knows only subjective reality, while the ego distinguishes between the inner and the outer.

The Self is said to be subject to the reality principle and to operate through a secondary process. The purpose of the reality principle is to prevent the discharge of tension until an object suitable for satisfaction is found. The reality principle temporarily suspends the action of the pleasure principle, although, ultimately, when the desired object is found and the tension is reduced, it is the pleasure principle that is "served". The reality principle is concerned with the question of the truth or falsity of an experience—that is, whether it has an external existence—while the pleasure principle is concerned only with whether the experience brings suffering or vice versa.

The secondary process is realistic thinking. Through the secondary process, the self formulates a plan to meet the needs, and then puts it to the test - usually by some action - to see if it works. A hungry person thinks about where to find food, and then begins to look for it there. This is called a reality check. In order to play its part satisfactorily, the ego controls all cognitive and intellectual functions; these higher mental processes serve the secondary process.

The ego is called the executive organ of the personality, because it opens the door to action, selects from the environment what the action must correspond to, and decides which instincts must be satisfied and in what way. In carrying out these extremely important executive functions, the ego is compelled to try to integrate the often contradictory commands emanating from the id, the superego.and the outside world. This is not an easy task, often keeping the Self in suspense.

However, it should be borne in mind that the Self, this organized part of the It, appears in order to follow the goals of the It and not frustrate them, and that all its strength is drawn from the It. The ego has no existence separate from the id, and in an absolute sense is always dependent on it. Its main role is to be an intermediary between the instinctive demands of the organism and environmental conditions; its highest purpose is to keep the organism alive and see the species reproduce.

Super-I (Super-Ego)

The third and last developing system of personality is the Superego. It is an internal representation of the traditional values ​​and ideals of society as they are interpreted for the child by the parents and forcibly instilled through rewards and punishments applied to the child. The super-ego is the moral force of the personality, it is an ideal rather than a reality, and it serves more for improvement than for pleasure. Its main task is to evaluate the correctness or incorrectness of something, based on the moral standards sanctioned by society.

The superego as an internalized moral arbiter that accompanies a person develops inresponse to rewards and punishments coming from parents. In order to receive rewards and avoid punishment, the child learns to build his behavior in accordance with the requirements of the parents. What is considered wrong and for which the child is punished is incorporated into conscience - one of the subsystems of the Super-I. What they approve and reward the child for is included in his ideal Self - another subsystem of the Super-Self. The mechanism of both processes is called introjection.

The child accepts, or introjects, the moral norms of the parents. Conscience punishes a person, making him feel guilty, the ideal self rewards him, filling him with pride. With the formation of the Super-I, self-control takes the place of parental control.

The main functions of self-control: 1) to prevent the impulses of the id, in particular, the impulses of the sexual and aggressive plan, because their manifestations are condemned by society; 2) "persuade" me to change realistic goals to moral ones and 3) fight for perfection. Thus, the Super-I is in opposition to the Id and to the I and tries to build the world in its own image. However, the Super-I is like the Id in its irrationality and like the I in its desire to control instincts.* Unlike the I, the Super-I does not just delay the satisfaction of instinctive needs: it constantly blocks them. (Superego analysis given by Turiell, 1967).

* Freud's original term is translated as attraction, but translations from English traditionally use the calque "instinct", which corresponds to that accepted in English-language psychoanalytic literature.

In conclusion of this brief review, it should be said that the id, the ego and the superego should not be considered as some kind of little men that control our personality. These are nothing more than names for various mental processes that obey systemic principles. Under normal circumstances, these principles do not contradict or cancel each other out. On the contrary, they work as a single team under the direction of the I. The personality normally functions as a whole, and not as something tripartite. In a very general sense, the Id can be considered as the biological component of the personality, the Self as the psychological component, the Super-I as the social component.


The social nature of a person determines his ability to live in society and be part of it. The structure of the personality as such and the totality of the individual characteristics of the personality of a particular person provide him with the opportunity to be the subject of the socio-cultural life of society.

Psychologists differ in their views and ideas about the content of the concept of "personality" and about the structure of personality. However, there are many very interesting theories that allow a better understanding of the social nature of man and the features of the functioning of his psyche.

Personality and its properties

An individual is a single member of the human race. When an individual begins to act as a subject of the socio-cultural life of society, he becomes a personality. The structure of the personality, its features, properties and qualities "grow" on the features of the individual's psyche given at birth.

Personality is a set of stable psychological properties of an individual that determine his socially significant actions.

PERSONAL PROPERTIES:

  • Will is the ability to consciously control emotions and actions.
  • Abilities are various personality traits necessary for the implementation of a particular activity.
  • Motivation is a set of properties that determine and explain the direction of behavior.
  • Temperament is a set of psychophysiological properties associated with the dynamics of mental processes.
  • Character - a set of persistent properties that determine the characteristics of a person's relationships and his behavior.

The concept of "personality" is used in everyday life when they talk about a specific strong-willed, charismatic, respected person.

Various personality theories

One of the most controversial issues in scientific psychology is the question of the structure of personality.

In order to understand the many different theories and definitions of the personality structure, as well as to streamline this knowledge, a classification of personality theories has been adopted for several reasons:

  • According to the method of determining the causes of human behavior:
  1. psychodynamic,
  2. sociodynamic,
  3. interactionist,
  4. humanistic.
  • By emphasis on the structure or dynamics of properties and qualities:
  1. structural,
  2. dynamic.
  • According to the range of ages considered in theory:
  1. preschool and school age,
  2. all age periods.

There are other grounds for classifying personality theories. Such diversity is caused by the lack of agreement in the views of different psychological currents and schools, which sometimes do not have any common points of intersection.

The most interesting and famous theories of personality:

  • psychoanalytic theory of Z. Freud;
  • the theory of personality traits by G. Allport and R. Cattell;
  • E. Berne's theory of social roles;
  • A. Maslow's theory of personality;
  • E. Erickson's theory of personality.

Z. Freud is an outstanding scientist, the "father" of modern psychology, who turned people's ideas about themselves and their own "I". Before him, it was generally accepted that the human psyche is his self-consciousness and conscious activity.

Z. Freud introduced the concept of "Unconscious" and developed the structure of personality in the form of a three-component dynamic model. He formulated a psychodynamic theory, singled out the stages of personality formation and defined them as psychosexual stages of development.

Psychoanalytic personality theory of Z. Freud

The main emphasis and foundation of the theory of Z. Freud is his interpretation of unconscious mental processes and instincts as forces that move a person outside his will and consciousness.

Natural desires and needs, entering into confrontation with morality and morality, norms of behavior accepted in society, give rise to psychological and mental problems.

To solve such problems, Z. Freud began to conduct a psychological analysis of the personal qualities and behavior of his patients.

In psychoanalysis, the psychologist helps the client become aware of repressed desires and instincts through re-experiencing traumatic events from childhood or the recent past, using dream interpretation techniques and free association.

Freud's personality structure includes three components:

  • UNCONSCIOUS OR IT, Id (ID)

This component is present in a person from birth, as it includes instinctive, primitive forms of behavior. The unconscious is the source of psychic energy, the main defining component of the personality. Id pushes a person to the immediate satisfaction of desires and needs, guided by the principle of pleasure.

If the instincts are not satisfied, there is nervousness, anxiety, tension. If a person satisfies all his needs without taking into account the norms and rules adopted in society, his life activity is destructive. It is socially unacceptable to act instinctively, without thinking about the rationality and culture of one's behavior.

According to Freud, there are two basic human instincts: the life instinct and the death instinct. The life instinct includes forces that impel a person to preserve and continue life, his kind. The common name for these forces is Eros.

The death instinct is a group of forces for the manifestation of aggression, cruelty, the desire for the re-baptism of life, destruction, death - Tonatos.

Z. Freud considered the sexual instinct to be the main, basic and strongest. The powerful force of sexual instincts is Libido. The energy of the libido moves a person and finds relaxation in sex.

These instincts are not realized, but control the behavior of the individual.

  • SUPERCONSCIOUSNESS OR SUPER-I, SUPER-EGO (SUPER-EGO)

Superconsciousness is morality, a system of norms and values ​​of morality, ethical principles that were instilled in the process of education and self-education, in the course of socialization and adaptation in society. The super-ego is acquired, formed, begins to manifest itself from the age of three, when the child learns to understand what the “I” is, as well as what is “good” and “bad”.

Superconsciousness is a moral and ethical force. It includes conscience as the ability to critically perceive one's thoughts and actions, and the ego-ideal as the rules of good behavior, limitations, standards of due.

Parental guidance and control, growing into self-control, become idealistic ideas about "how it should be." The voice of the parent/teacher/mentor that the child heard in childhood is “transformed” into their own inner voice when the person grows up.

Superego stimulates a person to be conscientious, honest, sincere, strive for spiritual values, development, self-realization, feel guilty and ashamed of misbehavior.

  • CONSCIOUSNESS OR I, EGO (EGO)

Freud's personality structure suggests that the human ego is the decision-making part of the personality. The conscious ego seeks a compromise between the demands of the id and the limitations of the superego, which often act as opposing forces.

Consciousness ensures the safety and security of life by deciding to satisfy the instincts in a socially acceptable form. It is Consciousness that perceives, feels, remembers, imagines, and reasons. It uses willpower and reason, trying to understand how and when it is better and more expedient to satisfy desire.

The ego is governed by the reality principle. Ways to protect the Ego from both the excessive influence of the Unconscious and the Super-I are called the protective mechanisms of the psyche. They are designed to restrain the impulses of the Unconscious and the pressure from the Superconscious.

Defense mechanisms protect the Ego from psychological trauma, excessive feelings, anxieties, fears and other negative phenomena.

Z. Freud singled out such protective mechanisms:

  1. Repression is the transition of traumatic memories into the realm of the Unconscious.
  2. Projection is the attribution of unacceptable qualities, thoughts and feelings to other people.
  3. Rationalization is an attempt to rationally explain and justify undesirable actions, thoughts or behavior.
  4. Regression is a return to children's behavior patterns.
  5. Sublimation is the transformation of the sexual instinct into socially acceptable behavior, more often creativity.
  6. Denial - the inability to recognize the obvious, stubborn assertion of one's wrongness.
  7. Isolation is the repression of strong emotions that took place in a traumatic situation (the situation is recognized, but simply as a fact).
  8. Identification is a process of excessive getting used to a role or a traumatic situation, attributing non-existent qualities to oneself.
  9. Substitution is the unconscious replacement of a traumatic situation or action by other real or imagined events.
  10. Compensation and overcompensation - the desire to make shortcomings invisible through the development of virtues.

A person with a strong, developed ego successfully maintains a balance between the id and the superego, effectively resolves internal conflicts. A weak ego is either weak-willed, too subject to the influence of driving forces, or rigid, too unyielding.

Both in the first case and in the second, the personality structure is unbalanced, harmony is disturbed, and psychological well-being is threatened.

The correct structure of the personality according to Freud involves the balance of all its components, the harmony between the Ego, It and Super-I.

PSYCHOLOGY

STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

ACCORDING TO Z. FREUD.

THE CONCEPT OF ABILITIES. TYPES OF ABILITIES.

    Personality structure according to Z. Freud

Introduction

In the history of spiritual culture, scientific creativity, one can hardly find a doctrine that would cause such sharp differences in assessments than the teaching of the Austrian doctor - psychiatrist and psychologist Z. Freud. No direction has gained such loud fame outside of psychology as Freudianism, his ideas influenced art, literature, medicine and other areas of science related to man.

The creator of this doctrine is often compared with Aristotle, Copernicus, Columbus, Magellan, Newton, Goethe, Darwin, Marx, Einstein, he is called a scientist and visionary, Socrates of our time, one of the great founders of modern social science, a genius in action who took a decisive step towards true understanding of the inner nature of man.

He was the first to develop with almost artistic power the dramatic elements inherent in man - this convulsive play of flickering in the twilight light of the subconscious, where an insignificant impulse is given off with the most distant consequences and the past and the present are intertwined in the most amazing combinations - truly a whole world in the close circulation of the human body, boundless in its integrity and yet charming as a spectacle, in its incomprehensible patterns. And what is natural in man - this is the decisive re-setting of Freud's teaching - is in no way amenable to academic schematization, but can only be experienced, lived out together with him and known in the process of this living out, as the only characteristic of him.

The personality of a person is comprehended not with the help of frozen formulas, but exclusively on the basis of the imprints of experiences sent to him by fate; Therefore, any healing in the narrow sense of the word, any help in the moral sense, presupposes, according to Freud, the knowledge of the individual, but the knowledge is affirmative, sympathetic, and because of this, really

Therefore, respect for the individual, for this, in Goethe's sense, "revealed mystery" is for him the indispensable beginning of any psychology and any mental healing, and Freud, like no one else, taught us to keep this respect as a kind of moral law. It was only thanks to him that thousands and hundreds of thousands learned about the vulnerability of the soul, especially of a child, and in the face of the expressions he revealed, they began to understand that any rude touch, any unceremonious climb (often with the help of a single word!) matter can be destroyed by fate and that, consequently, all rash prohibitions, punishments, threats and coercive measures impose on the punisher a previously unknown responsibility.

He invariably introduced into the consciousness of modernity - schools, churches, courtrooms - respect for the individual, even on the paths of its deviation from the norm, and by this deeper penetration into the soul planted in the world more foresight and indulgence.

The art of mutual understanding, the most important art in human relations, which can contribute to the emergence of a higher humanity, owes its development to Freud's teaching on personality much more than to any other modern method; it is only thanks to him that the meaning of the individual, the unique value of every human soul, has become clear to our era, in a new and real understanding.

Personality as a trinity

Freud's views can be divided into three areas - this is a method of treating functional mental illness, a theory of personality and a theory of society, while the core of the whole system is his views on the development and structure of a person's personality. His works highlighted the fundamental issues of the structure of the inner world of the individual, her motives and experiences, the conflicts between her desires and a sense of duty, the causes of mental breakdowns, the illusory ideas of a person about himself and those around him.

The theory of personality developed by Z. Freud presented a person not as a rational being and aware of his behavior, but as a being in eternal conflict, the origins of which lie in another, wider sphere of the mental.

In general terms, the human psyche is represented by Freud as split into two opposing spheres of the conscious and the unconscious, which are essential characteristics of the personality.

But in the Freudian structure of the personality, these spheres are not represented equally: he considered the unconscious to be the central component that makes up the essence of the human psyche, and the conscious - only a special instance, built on top of the unconscious; the conscious owes its origin to the unconscious and crystallizes out of it in the process of the development of the psyche.

Although Freud's ideas about the structural levels of the human psyche changed throughout his theoretical activity, the fundamental division into the spheres of the conscious and the unconscious was preserved in one form or another in all the personality models he created.

However, in the early 1920s, Freud revised his conceptual model of mental life and introduced three basic structures into the anatomy of the personality. This has been called the structural model of personality, although Freud himself tended to regard them as processes rather than structures.

The personality model created by Freud appears as a combination of three elements that are in a certain subordination with each other: the conscious (“Super-I”), the preconscious (“I”) and the unconscious

(“It”), in which the main structures of the personality are located.

In the unconscious layer there is one of the personality structures - "It", which is actually the energy basis of the personality.

"It", in Freud's theory, means primitive, instinctive and innate aspects of the personality, such as sleep, food, defecation, copulation and fills our behavior with energy. "It" has its central meaning for the individual throughout life, it has no limits, it is chaotic. Being the initial structure of the psyche, "It" expresses the primary principle of all human life - the immediate discharge of psychic energy produced by primary biological impulses, the containment of which leads to tension in personal functioning.

Obeying this principle and not knowing fear or anxiety, "It", in its pure manifestation, can be a danger to the individual and society.

"It" - the unconscious (deep instinctive, mostly sexual and aggressive urges), plays a major role that determines the behavior and state of a person. The "It" contains innate unconscious instincts that strive for their satisfaction, for relaxation and thus determine the activity of the subject.

Freud believed that there are two basic innate unconscious instincts - the instinct of life and the instinct of death, which are in antagonistic relationship with each other creating the basis for a fundamental, biological internal conflict. The unconsciousness of this conflict is connected not only with the fact that the struggle between instincts usually occurs in the unconscious layer, but also with the fact that human behavior is usually caused by the simultaneous action of both of these forces.

From Freud's point of view, instincts are channels through which energy passes, shaping our activity. Libido, about which Freud himself and his students wrote so much, is that specific energy that is associated with the life instinct. For the energy associated with the instinct of death and aggression, Freud did not give his own name, but constantly talked about its existence. He also believed that the content of the unconscious is constantly expanding, since those aspirations and desires that a person could not realize in his activity for one reason or another are forced out by him into the unconscious, filling its content.

The second structure of the personality - "I", according to Freud, is also innate and is located both in the conscious layer and in the preconscious. In this way, we can always become aware of our Self, although this may not be easy for us. If the content of “It” expands, then the content of “I”, on the contrary, narrows, since, according to Freud, a child is born with an “oceanic feeling of I”, including the whole world around. Over time, he begins to realize the boundary between himself and the world around him, begins to localize his “I” to his body, thus narrowing the volume of the “I”. The ego was called by Freud a secondary process, the "executive organ" of the personality, the area of ​​intellectual problem-solving processes.

The third personality structure - "Super-I" is not innate, it is formed in the process of a child's life. The mechanism of its formation is identification with a close adult of the same sex, whose features and qualities become the content of the "Super-I". "Super-I" is the last component of the developing personality, functionally meaning a system of values, norms and ethics reasonably compatible with those accepted in the environment of the individual. Being the moral and ethical force of the individual, the "Super-I" is the result of prolonged dependence on parents.

Further, the function of development is taken by the society (school, peers, etc.). One can also consider the "Super-I" as an individual reflection of the "collective conscience" of society, although the values ​​of society can be distorted by the perception of the child.

Rationalization is associated with the desire of the "Super-I" to somehow control the situation, giving it a respectable appearance. Therefore, a person, not realizing the real motives of his behavior, covers them up and explains them with invented, but morally acceptable motives. During projection, a person attributes to others those desires and feelings that he himself experiences. In the event that the subject to whom a feeling was attributed confirms the projection made by his behavior, this defense mechanism operates quite successfully, since a person can recognize these feelings as real, valid, but external to him and not be afraid of them. .

The "logic" of unconscious conflict

The three-component model of personality made it possible to distinguish between the concept of
I and consciousness, to interpret the I as an original psychic reality and thus as a factor that plays its own role in the organization of behavior.

Freud emphasized that there is an unstable balance between these three personality structures, since not only their content, but also the directions of their development are opposite to each other.

The instincts contained in "It" strive for their satisfaction, dictating to a person such desires that are practically not feasible in any society. "Super-I", which content includes the conscience, self-observation and ideals of a person, warns him about the impossibility of fulfilling these desires and stands guard over the observance of the norms adopted in this society.

Thus, the “I” becomes, as it were, an arena for the struggle of contradictory tendencies that are dictated by the “It” and the “Super-I”. Such a state of internal conflict, in which a person is constantly located, makes him a potential neurotic. Therefore, Freud constantly emphasized that there is no clear line between the norm and pathology, and the constant stress experienced by people makes them potential neurotics. The ability to maintain one's mental health depends on psychological defense mechanisms that help a person, if not prevent (since this is actually impossible), then at least mitigate the conflict between the "It" and the "Super-I".

At first glance, it may even seem that it is the I, this conscious principle, that is the driving force that forces the Id to change the direction of its activity in accordance with the sanction-forming norms of social life.

However, in the Freudian structure of personality, the situation is different: it is not the I that controls the It, but, on the contrary, It gradually, imperiously dictates its conditions to the I.

As a humble servant of unconscious drives, the Freudian ego tries to maintain its good agreement with the id and the outside world. Since he does not always succeed, a new instance is formed in him - the Super-I or Ideal-I, which reigns over the I as a conscience or an unconscious sense of guilt.

In the Freudian model of personality, the Super-I is indicated as if by a higher being, reflecting the commandments, social prohibitions, the power of parents and authorities. If the I is mainly a representative of the external world, then the Super-I acts in relation to it as a defender of the interests of the It.

According to its position and functions in the human psyche, the Super-I is called upon to carry out the sublimation of unconscious drives, that is, the switching of a socially unapproved impulse of the Id into a socially acceptable impulse of the I, and in this sense it seems to be in solidarity with the I in curbing the drives of the It. But in terms of its content, the Freudian Superego turns out to be nevertheless close and related to the id, since it is the heir to the oedipal complex and, consequently, the expression of the most powerful movements of the id and its most important libidinal destinies.

The Super-I even opposes the I as an agent of the inner world of the It, which can lead to a conflict situation that is fraught with disturbances in the human psyche. Thus, the Freudian I appears as an unfortunate consciousness, which, like a locator, is forced to turn first in one direction, then in the other, in order to be in friendly agreement with both the Id and the Super-I.

Although Freud recognized the heredity and naturalness of the unconscious, subjectively he believed in the ability to realize the unconscious, which was most clearly expressed by him in the formula: Where there was It, there must be I.

However, the most effective mechanism is what Freud called sublimation. This mechanism helps to direct the energy that is associated with sexual or aggressive desires in a different direction, to realize it, in particular, in artistic activity. The mechanism of sublimation is treated as the main source of creativity.

In principle, Freud considered culture to be a product of sublimation, and from this point of view he considered works of art, scientific discoveries. This activity is the most successful because in it there is a complete realization of the accumulated energy, catharsis or purification of a person from it. The libidinal energy, which is associated with the life instinct, is also the basis for the development of the personality, the character of a person.

Thus, in his view of personality, Freud shows that a person is basically a biological being and all his activity is directed and organized by internal excitation to satisfy his instincts. But society, its interaction and organization is based on social norms, principles and rules, and in order to coexist in society, a person must replace the pleasure principle with the reality principle, which can subsequently lead to dissatisfaction and mental disorder. And knowing that energy does not disappear anywhere, but simply passes into its other forms, we can get a manifestation of aggression in exchange for a rejected feeling of love.

The structure of personality in the mirror of Freud's psychoanalysis

Freud discovered that behind the veil of consciousness there is a deep, “boiling” layer of powerful aspirations, desires, and desires that are not realized by the individual. As an attending physician, he was faced with the fact that these unconscious experiences and motives can seriously burden life and even become the cause of neuropsychiatric diseases. This led him to seek means to rid his patients of conflicts between what their minds were saying and hidden, blind, unconscious urges. Thus was born the Freudian method of healing the soul, called psychoanalysis.

Freud in his psychoanalysis uses the technical term "unconscious". In Freud's view, the conscious is not the exclusive category of psychic activity, and, accordingly, the unconscious does not seem to him to be a category entirely special or even subordinate; on the contrary, he emphatically emphasizes that all mental processes are at first unconscious acts; those of them that are conscious are not of any particular variety, but their passage into consciousness is a property that comes in from outside, like light in relation to some object.

The unconscious is by no means a waste of psychic life, but the original psychic substance, and only a tiny fraction of it floats to the surface of consciousness. However, the most important part that does not come to light, the so-called unconscious, is by no means dead and devoid of dynamism. In fact, it affects our thinking and our feeling just as vividly and actively; it is, perhaps, even the most vital part of our spiritual substance. Therefore, anyone who does not take into account the participation of the unconscious will in all our decisions looks erroneously, because he loses sight of the most essential factor of our inner tension.

Our life, in its entirety, does not develop freely on the basis of rationality, but is under constant pressure from the unconscious; every moment a new wave from the abyss of the supposedly forgotten past invades our living life. Not at all to the majestic extent, as we mistakenly believe, does our external behavior obey the waking will and calculations of the mind; our lightning-fast decisions, sudden earthquakes that shake our destiny, come from the dark clouds of the unconscious, from the depths of our instinctive life.

There, below, crowds blindly and disorderly what is delimited in the sphere of consciousness by clear categories of space and time; there roam furiously the desires of a long-dead childhood, which we consider long-buried, and from time to time break through, thirsty and hungry, into our lives; fear and horror, long forgotten by the consciousness, raise their cries aloft, along the wires of our nerves; the passions and desires of our barbarian ancestors are rooted there, in the depths of our being.

From there, from the depths, our most personal actions arise, from the region of the mysterious come sudden insights; our strength is determined by another, higher power. There, in the depths, unknown to us, lives our original "I", which our civilized "I" does not know anymore or does not want to know; but suddenly it rises to its full height and breaks through the thin shell of culture; and then its instincts, primal and indomitable, pierce menacingly into our blood, for the eternal will of the unconscious is to rise to the light, transform itself into consciousness and find a way out into action: "since I exist, I must be active."

Every moment, no matter what word we utter, no matter what deed we perform, we must suppress, or rather push back, our unconscious impulses; our ethical or cultural sense must tirelessly resist the barbaric desires of the instincts. And - a majestic picture, first brought to life by Freud - our entire mental life is presented as an unceasing and passionate, never coming to an end struggle between the conscious and unconscious will, between the responsibility of our actions and the irresponsibility of our instincts.

Freud is concerned with questions about the underlying mechanisms of the functioning of the individual. It is important for him to understand the basis of human existence, the structural elements of the human psyche, the principles of the deployment of the individual's life activity and the motive of human behavior in the world around him. Therefore, the psychoanalytic teaching focuses on the person himself, on that deep foundation of him, thanks to which the beingness of all his life manifestations, both natural and spiritual, is realized.

Freud in no way turns away from the ontological problem, he transfers it to the depths of the human being. The ontologization of human existence does not mean at all that, by putting the external world out of the brackets of psychoanalytic research, Freud thereby does not correlate it with human life in any way. He is not opposed to reasoning about the dependence of a human being on fate, on immutable necessity, on external reality. Moreover, Freud admits, for example, that "internal delays in ancient periods of human development arose from real external obstacles."

However, he is not inclined to absolutize the impact of external conditions on a person, to consider them as the only determinants that determine the direction of the development of the individual and the forms of his behavior in life. Agreeing with those who recognize vital necessity as an important factor in human development, Freud at the same time believes that this should not "induce us to deny the significance of internal developmental tendencies if their influence can be proved." According to him, “the life behavior of a person is explained by the interaction of organization and “destiny”, internal and external forces”.

Therefore, he proceeds from the fact that, firstly, the understanding of the external world is incomplete and insufficient if the nature of the internal organization is not previously disclosed, and, secondly, in its deepest dimensions, human existence is just as real as the external world, and, consequently, the study of the human psyche must be based on teaching methods, just as objective reality is studied by the means of science.

Conclusion

Structural and functional analysis of personality led Freud to recognize the tragedy of human existence: complex relationships between different layers of personality, the principles of the functioning of the human psyche, attraction to creation and destruction at the same time, the desire to continue life and disappear into oblivion - all this in Freud's interpretation of man served as confirmation of those irreconcilable antagonistic relations that allegedly exist from the moment of the birth of a human being until the very last years of his life between consciousness and the unconscious, reason and passions.

Trying to survey the cultural and social institutions of mankind through the prism of the flow of mental processes, Freud starts from the model of personality he created. He believes that the mechanisms of mental interaction between different instances of the individual find their counterpart in the social and cultural processes of society.

Since a person does not exist in isolation from other people, in his mental life there is always another with whom he comes into contact, insofar as the psychology of personality, in the understanding of the founder of psychoanalysis, is at the same time social psychology.

Hence his conclusion that the psychoanalytic method can be used not only in the study of individual personal, but also cultural and social problems, that is, this method is unjustifiably elevated by him to the rank of universal.

Freud considered the establishment of an expedient balance between the unconscious inclinations of a person and the moral requirements of culture, between the mental organization of the individual and the social organization of society, as the main and at the same time fatal problem of mankind.

    The concept of abilities. Ability types

Introduction

The theme of ability is still relevant today. The problem of abilities is constantly put before a person by life. It has always been as important as it is fascinating.

The concept of human abilities developed in connection with the general course of development of human thought and has long been the subject of philosophical consideration. Only in the second half of the XIX century. empirical studies of human abilities arise and unfold. However, having arisen in the era of capitalism, in many cases they served the interests of the ruling strata of capitalist society and substantiated the theory and practice of exploiting the working people. A person's abilities are not given directly in his self-observations or experiences. We only conclude about them, correlating the level of mastery of the activity by one person with the level of its mastery by other people. At the same time, it turns out to be a necessary condition for identifying abilities to analyze the conditions of a person’s life, his training and education, as well as his life experience in mastering this activity. In this regard, the problem of correlation in the abilities of innate and acquired, hereditarily fixed and formed in the process of individual development is of particular importance.

In solving the problem of abilities, it is necessary to proceed from the principle of the unity of man and the conditions of his life. A capable or incapable child should be considered not as a carrier of hidden mysterious possibilities that oppose the environment, but as a derivative of the unity of the individual and the conditions of his life and activity, the different influence of living conditions at different stages of the child's development.

Definition of abilities

When they talk about a person's abilities, they mean his capabilities in a particular activity. These opportunities lead both to significant success in mastering activities and to high labor rates. Other things being equal (level of preparedness, knowledge, skills, abilities, time spent, mental and physical efforts), a capable person receives maximum results compared to less capable people.

The high achievements of a capable person are the result of the compliance of the complex of his neuropsychic properties with the requirements of activity. Any activity is complex and multifaceted. It makes various demands on the mental and physical strength of a person. If the existing system of personality traits meets these requirements, then a person is able to successfully and at a high level carry out activities. If there is no such correspondence, then the individual is found to be incapable of this type of activity. That is why the ability cannot be reduced to any one property (good color discrimination, sense of proportion, ear for music, etc.). It is always a synthesis of the properties of the human personality.

Thus, ability can be defined as a synthesis of the properties of a human personality that meets the requirements of activity and ensures high achievements in it.

Observing schoolchildren, the teacher, not without reason, believes that some are more capable of learning, others are less capable. It happens that a student is capable of mathematics, but poorly expresses his thoughts in oral and written speech or shows abilities for languages, literature, and the humanities in general, but mathematics, physics, and the study of technology are difficult for him.

Abilities are called such mental qualities, thanks to which a person relatively easily acquires knowledge, skills and abilities and

successfully engaged in any activity.

Abilities are not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities, although they are manifested and developed on their basis. Therefore, one must be very careful and tactful in determining the abilities of students, so as not to mistake the child’s poor knowledge for his lack of abilities. Such mistakes were sometimes made even in relation to future great scientists who, for some reason, did not study well at school. For the same reason, conclusions about abilities are invalid only on the basis of certain properties that prove not low abilities, but a lack of knowledge.

Unlike character and all other personality traits, ability is a personality quality that exists only in relation to one or another, but necessarily certain activity.

Textbook of psychology K.K. Platonova gives the following formulation of the concept of "ability":

Abilities are a set of such personality traits that determine the success of learning any activity and improving in it.

A.V. Petrovsky, in his textbook on general psychology, gave such a definition of "ability".

Abilities are such psychological characteristics of a person on which the success of acquiring knowledge, skills, skills depends, but which themselves cannot be reduced to the presence of this knowledge, skills and abilities.

In relation to skills, abilities and knowledge, human abilities act as some kind of opportunity. Just as a seed thrown into the soil is only a possibility in relation to the ear that can grow from this grain, but only on condition that the structure, composition and moisture of the soil, weather, etc. turn out to be favorable, human abilities are only a possibility. to acquire knowledge and skills. And whether or not this knowledge and skills will be acquired, whether the possibility will turn into reality, depends on many conditions. The conditions include, for example, the following: will the surrounding people (in the family, school, work team) be interested in the person mastering this knowledge and skills; how he will be trained, how work will be organized, in which these skills and abilities will be needed and consolidated, etc.

Abilities are an opportunity, and the required level of skill in a particular business is a reality. The musical abilities revealed in a child are by no means a guarantee that the child will be a musician. In order for this to happen, special training, perseverance shown by the teacher and the child, good health, the presence of a musical instrument, notes and many other conditions are necessary, without which abilities can die out and not develop.

Psychology, denying the identity of abilities and essential components of activity - knowledge, skills and abilities, emphasizes their unity. Abilities are revealed only in activity, and, moreover, only in such activity that cannot be carried out without the presence of these abilities.

It is impossible to talk about a person's ability to draw if they did not try to teach him to draw, if he did not acquire any skills necessary for fine art. Only in the process of special training in drawing and painting can it be found out whether the student has abilities. This will be revealed in how quickly and easily he learns the methods of work, color relationships, learns to see the beauty in the world around him.

Abilities are found not in knowledge, skills and abilities, as such, but in the dynamics of their acquisition, i.e. in the extent to which, other things being equal, the process of mastering knowledge and skills that are essential for this activity is carried out quickly, deeply, easily and firmly.

And it is precisely here that the differences are revealed that give us the right to speak of abilities.

So, abilities are individual psychological characteristics of a person, which are the conditions for the successful implementation of this activity and reveal differences in the dynamics of mastering the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for it. If a certain set of personality traits meets the requirements of an activity that a person masters over time, pedagogically reasonably responds to its development, then this gives grounds to conclude that he has the ability for this activity. And if another person, ceteris paribus, does not cope with the requirements that the activity imposes on him, then this gives reason to assume that he does not have the corresponding psychological qualities, in other words, the lack of abilities.

Ability types

As well as character, abilities are not an independent substructure of the personality, side by side with others, but a certain combination of its various properties.

The difference between character and abilities lies in the fact that character is manifested in all types of activity, and abilities - only in one specific one. As long as a person has not begun a certain activity, he only has potential abilities for its implementation, which are properties of his personality, partially developed from his inclinations, but more formed by his experience. But as soon as he starts this activity, his potential abilities become actual abilities, not only manifested, but also formed in this activity.

Various activities, differing in their co, respectively

make different demands on the personality, on its abilities. The peculiarities of these requirements are not only that in order to perform certain types of activity, a quite definite development of some specific mental processes is necessary (for example, a certain type of sensations, sensorimotor coordination, emotional balance, richness of imagination, distribution of attention, more developed verbal and logical thinking etc.), but also their complexes. Educational activities, most types of skilled labor impose a complex of psychological requirements on the individual. The difference in the requirements imposed by activities on the individual is reflected in the classification of human abilities.

The most general classification of abilities is their division into two groups: general and special. Each of these groups is divided into elementary and complex, and within them specific types are already distinguished.

All human abilities as mental phenomena can be divided into four groups.

Allocate types of abilities according to their orientation, or specialization (general and special abilities).

General abilities are understood as such a system of individual-volitional properties of a person, which provides relative ease and productivity in mastering knowledge and performing various types of activities. General abilities are a consequence of both rich natural talent and the comprehensive development of the individual.

Special abilities are understood as such a system of personality traits that helps to achieve high results in any special field of activity, for example, literary, visual, musical, stage, etc. Elementary general abilities inherent in all people, although in varying degrees of their severity , are the main forms of mental reflection: the ability to feel, perceive, think, experience, make and implement decisions and remember. After all, each elementary manifestation of these abilities is a corresponding action performed with different success: sensory, mental, volitional, mnestic - and can even become a corresponding skill.

Special elementary abilities are abilities that are no longer inherent in all people, they suggest a certain severity of some qualitative aspects of mental processes.

The eye is the ability to perceive, evaluate and compare the magnitudes of visually perceived objects, the intervals between them and the distances to them with varying accuracy, i.e. this is a certain quality

visual perception.

Musical ear is a certain quality of auditory perception, manifested in the ability to distinguish musical sounds and accurately reproduce them. Musical ear is one of the components of musical abilities. Special elementary abilities are developed on the basis of inclinations in the learning process.

General complex abilities are the abilities for universal human activities: work, study, play, communication with each other. They are inherent to one degree or another in all people. Each of the abilities included in this group is a complex structure of personality traits.

Special complex abilities are already inherent not only to varying degrees, but in general not to all people. They are abilities for certain professional activities that have arisen in the process of the history of human culture. These abilities are commonly referred to as pro.

The combination of a number of abilities, which determines a particularly successful activity of a person in a certain area and distinguishes him from other people who study this activity or perform it under the same conditions, is called giftedness.

A person's abilities can be judged by observing the process of fulfilling new tasks by him in changed conditions, the course of mastering the activity. In practice, one can judge the student's abilities by a combination of such indicators as the speed of the student's progress in mastering the relevant activity, the qualitative level of his achievements, the propensity to engage in this activity, the ratio of progress and efforts expended to achieve these results. The last indicator is very important to take into account, since one student may, for example, not be in time because he does very little on his own in the subject, and another, who is doing well, may spend all his personal time approaching the subject. Studying the professional abilities of the student, the teacher must find out: firstly, how much the student has developed such character traits as diligence, organization, concentration, perseverance, endurance, self-criticism, self-control, which act as necessary conditions for achieving sustainable success in any mastered profession ; secondly, what are the professional interests and inclinations of the student (this is manifested in the desire for a thorough study of the profession in all details or, on the contrary, indifference to what is learned, to successes and failures in performing tasks in the profession); thirdly, how much the student has developed the special elementary abilities necessary for this profession, what needs to be done to develop them or to develop personality traits that compensate for some of these abilities.

The idea that “everyone is capable of anything” is wrong. The statement is correct that "every person is capable of something useful for society." So, a student who is not capable of being a high-altitude assembler, a driver or an adjuster of automatic lines, can be not only capable, but also a talented machine operator, operator or cook.

Incapacity for a certain type of work activity is much more difficult than lack of ability. Incapacity as a negative ability is also a certain personality structure, which includes traits that are negative for a given activity.

Conclusion

In this test, I consolidated and expanded the theoretical knowledge gained in the study of the course "Psychology".

I learned what is the peculiarity of psychology as a science, and what distinguishes it from other sciences. Psychology is both a very old and very young science. Having a thousand-year past, it is, nevertheless, all still in the future.

After analyzing the topic of abilities, I realized that the realization of an individual's abilities is a decisive criterion for the level and development of society. The problem of human abilities is one of the main theoretical problems of psychology and the most important practical problem.

I came to the conclusion that abilities exist only for certain activities, and therefore, while it is not clear what activity a person will engage in, nothing can be said about his abilities for this activity. Each person is individual and abilities reflect his character, inclination towards something or passion for something. But abilities depend on desire, constant training and improvement in any area. And if a person does not have a desire or passion for something, then abilities in this case cannot be developed.

It cannot be said that every person is capable of everything. If he has the ability to draw, it is not at all necessary that he has an ear for music.

Being engaged in the development of his abilities, a person should strive to ensure that this development is not an end in itself. The main task is to be a worthy person, a useful member of society. Therefore, it is necessary to work on the formation of personality, on the formation of its positive and, above all, moral qualities. Abilities are only one side of the personality, one of its mental properties. If a talented person is morally unstable, then he cannot be considered a positive person. On the contrary, gifted people, distinguished by a high moral level, adherence to principles, moral feelings and strong will, have brought and continue to bring great benefits to society.

List of used sources and literature

Literature

1. Bogoslovsky V.V., Kovalev A.G., Stepanov A.A. General psychology. Moscow: Education, 2008. 456 p.

2. Gonobolin F.N. Psychology - M: Education, 2006. 205 p.

3. Kazakov V.G., Kondratieva L.L. Psychology - M: Higher School, 2010. 320 p.

4. Platonov K.K., Golubev G.G. Psychology - M .: Higher School, 2010. 210 p.

5. Petrovsky A.V. General psychology. M.: Education, 2006. 565 p.

Internet sources

The great minds of our planet have been studying the structure of the human personality for many decades. But there are many different questions that scientists are unable to answer. Why does a person have dreams and what information do they carry? Why can the events of past years cause a certain emotional state and provoke rash actions? Why does a person try to save a hopeless marriage and does not let his half go? In order to answer questions from the topic concerning psychic reality, the technique of psychoanalysis is used. Freud's psychoanalytic theory is the main topic of this article.

The founder of psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud

The theory of psychoanalysis has made a real revolution in the field of psychology. This method was created and put into operation by the great scientist from Austria, doctor of psychiatry Sigmund Freud. Early in his career, Freud worked closely with many eminent scientists. Professor of physiology Ernst Brücke, founder of the cathartic method of psychotherapy Joseph Breuer, founder of the theory of the psychogenic nature of hysteria Jean-Mare Charcot - only a small part of the historical figures with whom Sigmund Freud worked together. According to Freud himself, the original basis of his method was born precisely at the moment of cooperation with the above people.

Being engaged in scientific activity, Freud came to the conclusion that some clinical manifestations of hysteria cannot be interpreted from the point of view of physiology. How to explain the fact that one part of the human body completely loses sensitivity, while neighboring areas still feel the influence of various stimuli? How to explain the behavior of people in a state of hypnosis? According to the scientist himself, the above questions are a kind of proof of the fact that only a part of mental processes is a manifestation of the reactions of the central nervous system.

Many of the people have heard that a person immersed in a hypnotic state can be given a psychological setting, which he will definitely fulfill. Quite interesting is the fact that if you ask such a person about the motives of his actions, he can easily find arguments explaining his behavior. Based on this fact, it can be said that the human consciousness independently selects arguments for committed actions, even in the case when there is no particular need for explanations.

During the life of Sigmund Freud, the fact that human behavior can depend on external factors and secret motives for consciousness was a real shock. It should be noted that it was Freud who introduced such concepts as "unconsciousness" and "subconsciousness". The observations of this outstanding scientist made it possible to create a theory about psychoanalysis. Briefly, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis can be described as an analysis of the human psyche in terms of the forces that move it. The term "power" should be understood as the motives, consequences and influence on the future fate, past life experience.


Freud was the first person who, using the method of psychoanalysis, was able to cure a patient with a semi-paralyzed body.

What is the basis of psychoanalysis

According to Freud, the mental nature of man is continuous and consistent.. The appearance of any thought, desires and actions performed have their own reasons, which are characterized by unconscious or conscious motives. Thus, all committed actions have a direct reflection in the future of the individual.

Even in those situations where emotional experiences seem unfounded, there is a hidden connection between various events in human life.

Based on the above facts, Freud came to the conclusion that the human psyche consists of three different areas:

  • consciousness;
  • the unconscious realm;
  • preconscious section.

The unconscious realm includes the basic instincts, which are an integral part of human nature. Ideas and emotions that are repressed from consciousness can also be attributed to this area. The reason for their repression may be the perception of such thoughts as forbidden, dirty and unworthy of existence. The unconscious realm has no time frame. In order to explain this fact, it should be said that childhood experiences that have entered the consciousness of an adult are perceived as intensely as they were for the first time.

The preconscious area includes a part of the unconscious area, which in certain life situations becomes available to consciousness. The area of ​​consciousness contains everything that is realized by a person throughout his life. According to Freud's idea, the human psyche is driven by instincts and incentives that make the individual perform various actions. Among all instincts, 2 stimuli should be distinguished that have a dominant role:

  1. Vital energy- libido.
  2. Aggressive Energy- death instinct.

The classical psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud is directed mainly to the study of libido, the basis of which is the sexual nature. Libido is a vital energy that is closely related to the behavior, experiences and emotions of a person. In addition, the characteristics of this energy can be interpreted as the cause of the development of a mental disorder.

The human personality contains three components:

  1. "Super-I"- Superego;
  2. "I"– Ego;
  3. "It"– Id.

“It” is inherent in every person from birth. This structure includes basic instincts and heredity. It cannot be described logically, because "It" is characterized as disorganized and chaotic. It is important to note that "It" has a limitless effect on the ego and superego.


The topical model of the mental apparatus consists of 2 components: conscious and unconscious

"I" is one of the structures of the human personality, which is in close contact with the surrounding people."I" comes from "It" and appears at the moment when the child begins to perceive himself as a person. "It" is a kind of nourishment for "I", and "I" acts as a protective shell of basic instincts. In order to better understand the relationship between

'It' and 'I' should consider the example of sexual needs. "It" is the basic instinct, that is, the need for sexual contact. "I" determines under what conditions and when this contact will be realized. This means that "I" has the ability to restrain and control "It", which is the key to internal psycho-emotional balance.

The "Super-I" originates in the "I" and is a kind of base where moral laws and rules are stored that limit the personality and prohibit certain actions. According to Freud, the task of the "Super-I" includes building ideals, self-observation and conscience.

All of the above structures have an important role in the development of the human personality. They maintain a delicate balance between the danger associated with displeasure and the desire that leads to satisfaction.

The energy originating in "It" is reflected in "It". The task of the "Super-I" is to determine the boundaries of the action of this energy. It should be noted that the requirements of external reality may differ from the requirements of the "Super-I" and "It". This contradiction is the cause of the development of internal conflicts. To resolve such conflicts, the following methods are used:

  • compensation;
  • sublimation;
  • protective mechanisms.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that dreams are a recreation of human desires that cannot be realized in reality. Recurring dreams clearly indicate the presence of unrealized stimuli. Unrealized incentives interfere with self-expression and psychological growth.

Sublimation is a mechanism for redirecting sexual energy to those goals that are approved in society. These goals include intellectual, social and creative activities. Sublimation is one of the protective mechanisms of the human psyche, and the energy created by it is the basis of civilization.

Anxiety caused by unsatisfied desires can be neutralized by direct appeal to the internal conflict. Since internal energy is unable to find a way out, it is necessary to redirect it to overcome existing obstacles. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the impact that these barriers can provide and compensate for unsatisfied incentives. An example of such compensation is perfect hearing, in people with visual impairments.

According to Freud, the human psyche is limitless.


Freud suggested that we are all driven by the pleasure principle.

A person suffering from a lack of certain skills, and who wants to succeed, can achieve his goal through assertiveness and unsurpassed performance. But there are examples when the resulting voltage can be distorted due to the work of special protective mechanisms. These mechanisms include:

  • insulation;
  • suppression;
  • hypercompensation;
  • negation;
  • projection;
  • regression.

An example of how these defense mechanisms work should be seen in situations with unrequited love. The suppression of these feelings can be expressed by the phrase "I don't remember this feeling", the mechanism of rejection is expressed as "There is no love, and there was not", and isolation can be described as "I do not need love."

Summarizing

Freud's theory of psychoanalysis was briefly and clearly presented in this article. Summing up, we can say that this method is one of the attempts to understand those features of the human psyche that were previously incomprehensible. In the modern world, the term "psychoanalysis" is used in the following areas:

  1. As the name of a scientific discipline.
  2. The collective name of the complex of events devoted to the study of the work of the psyche.
  3. As a method of treatment of neurotic disorders.

Many modern scientists often criticize the theory of Sigmund Freud. However, today, those concepts that were put into circulation by this scientist are a kind of base for the science of psychology.

CHAPTER 1.

PSYCHODYNAMIC DIRECTION IN THE THEORY OF PERSONALITY

PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY OF S. FREUD

Purpose: to teach understanding of the main provisions of the psychoanalytic theory of Z. Freud in terms of its influence on the psychodynamic direction in personality theory.

Tasks: form view

· about the main research in the field of the unconscious before the psychoanalytic theory of Z. Freud.

  • about the main facts of the biography of Z. Freud and about the stages of development of his scientific and practical activities.
  • about the structure of personality according to Z. Freud as a unity of three interrelated components: It (ID); I (EGO); Super-I (SUPER-EGO)
  • about the instincts of life and death (libido and mortido) in the theory of Z. Freud.
  • about the function of anxiety in the concept of psychoanalysis by Z. Freud.
  • about psychological defense mechanisms:

(repression, projection, substitution, rationalization, reactive formation, regression, denial, sublimation.)

  • about the stages of psychosexual development of personality:

1. Oral 0-18 months

2. Anal 1-3 years old,

3. phallic 3-6 years

4. latent -6-12 years

5. genital 12-22 years

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Freud Sigmund - Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst. Born May 6, 1856 in the small Austrian town of Freiberg, Moravia (on the territory of modern Czech Republic), lived most of his life in Vienna. Received a classical education. In 1873 he entered the medical faculty of the University of Vienna. During his studies, he was influenced by the famous psychologist Ernst Brücke, whose ideas were later developed in Freud's views on the dynamics of mental functioning. Freud was distinguished by extraordinary ambition, which pushed him to make some discovery that could bring him fame already in his student years.

After receiving his medical degree in 1881, Freud took a position at the Institute of Brain Anatomy, where he studied the morphophysiology of the central nervous system.

In 1885, Freud, thanks to a research scholarship received, trained in Paris with one of the most prominent neurologists of that time, Jean Charcot. Using suggestion and hypnosis, Charcot sought the appearance or, conversely, the disappearance of hysterical symptoms in his patients. These clinical demonstrations made a deep impression on Freud. He returned to Vienna and switched to research in the field of psychopathology.



Freud's first work appeared in 1895. It was devoted to the topic of the emergence of hysterical symptoms from repressed childhood traumatic experiences. This moment can be called the year of the foundation of psychoanalysis and the beginning of the formation of psychoanalytic theory.

Freud's claims that many mental disorders were rooted in sexual problems led to his expulsion from the University of Vienna. Between 1860 and 1900, Freud went into intense introspection, which resulted not only in personal growth, but also in the first and most revolutionary work based on his own experience. The book The Interpretation of Dreams was ignored by the conservative scientific community, but this did not stop Freud from further developing the psychoanalytic concept. The period 1901 - 1905 became especially creative. A number of works have been published on the study of sexuality, psychopathology and personality structure.

In 1909 he became a triumph for Freud. The series of lectures delivered in the USA was very well received and paved the way for international recognition of the psychoanalytic concept. Freud achieved great fame, his figure became truly iconic. Patients from almost all over the world signed up for his consultations. However, the death of his 26-year-old daughter and fear for the fate of his two sons who fought at the front overshadowed his triumphal procession. Partly influenced by the atmosphere of the First World War, the 64-year-old Freud supplements his theory with the existence of a universal human instinct - the desire for death. Books of that period are distributed in huge circulations around the world: "The Future of One Illusion", "Beyond the Pleasure Principle", "I and It". Freud was an exceptionally gifted writer, as evidenced by his award of the Goethe Prize for Literature in 1930.

The rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s also had a strong influence on his views on the social nature of man. Shortly after the invasion of Vienna by the Nazis, Freud flees to England.

The last years of Freud's life were difficult. Since 1923, he suffered from a cancerous tumor of the pharynx and jaw, but stubbornly refused any kind of medicine, at the same time, smoking up to 20 Cuban cigars a day.

Freud died on September 23, 1939 in London, leaving behind numerous students and one of the most revolutionary psychological theories.

STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY ACCORDING TO S. FREUD

For a long time, Freud applied a topographic model of personality, in which he identified three main components: conscious, subconscious, unconscious. Consciousness - sensations and experiences that are realized by a person at a given particular moment in time. The area of ​​the subconscious is a set of experiences that are not currently conscious, but potentially activated by conscious effort. Unconscious - a set of primitive instincts, emotions and memories, latently, unconsciously affecting human behavior.

In the early 1920s, Freud revised his conceptual model of mental life and introduced three main structures into the anatomy of personality: Id, Ego, Superego. Moreover, it is assumed that these three components are rather not structural units, but parallel processes.

Although each of these areas of the personality has its own functions, properties, components, principles of operation, dynamics and mechanisms, they interact so closely that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle their lines of influence and weigh their relative contribution to human behavior. Behavior almost always appears as a product of the interaction of these three systems; extremely rarely one of them works without the other two.

It (id)- a set of innate, primitive instincts (drives) that fill any behavior with energy. Freud considered the Id as an intermediary between somatic and mental processes in the body, drawing energy from bodily processes and feeding the psyche with this energy.

Here is the original system of the personality: it is the matrix in which the Ego and the Superego are subsequently differentiated. The id includes everything mental that is innate and present at birth, including instincts. The id is a reservoir of psychic energy and provides energy for the other two systems. Id is closely connected with bodily processes, from where it draws its energy. Freud called the id "true psychic reality" because it reflects the inner world of subjective experiences and is unaware of objective reality.

When the energy builds up, the id cannot stand it, which is experienced as an uncomfortable state of tension. Therefore, when the body's tension level rises - either as a result of external stimulation or internal arousal - the id acts in such a way as to immediately relieve tension and return the body to a comfortable constant and low energy level. The principle of stress reduction, on the basis of which Id operates, is called the pleasure principle.

In order to fulfill its task - to avoid pain, to get pleasure - the id has two processes. This reflex action and primary process. Reflex actions are innate automatic responses such as sneezing and blinking; they usually relieve tension immediately. The body is equipped with a number of such reflexes in order to cope with relatively simple forms of excitation. The primary process involves a more complex reaction. He is trying to release energy through the creation of an image of the object, in connection with which, the energy will move. For example, the primary process will give a hungry person a mental image of food. A hallucinatory experience in which the desired object is presented as a memory image is called wish fulfillment. The best example of a primary process in a healthy person is the dream, which, according to Freud, always represents the fulfillment or attempted fulfillment of a wish. The hallucinations and visions of psychotics are also examples of the primary process. Autistic thinking is brightly colored by the action of the primary process. These wish-fulfilling mental images are the only reality known to the id.

Obviously, the primary process alone is not capable of relieving tension. The hungry cannot eat the image of food. Consequently, a new, secondary mental process develops, and with its appearance, the second personality system, the Ego, begins to take shape.

Ego (I)- a component of the mental apparatus responsible for decision-making. The ego seeks to satisfy the needs of the organism in accordance with the restrictions imposed by the outside world. The ego obeys principle of reality the purpose of which is to preserve the integrity of the organism, by delaying the satisfaction of instincts until the moment when the possibility of achieving a discharge of tension in a suitable way is found. Freud called this process secondary process.

Ego appears due to the fact that the needs of the organism require appropriate interactions with the world of objective reality. A hungry person must seek, find and eat food before the tension of hunger is reduced. This means that a person must learn to distinguish between the image of food that exists in memory and the actual perception of food that exists in the external world. When this differentiation is done, it is necessary to transform the image into perception, which is carried out as the location of food in the environment. In other words, a person correlates the image of food existing in memory with the sight or smell of food coming through the senses. The main difference between the Id and the Ego is that the Id knows only subjective reality, while the Ego distinguishes between internal and external.

They say, that the ego obeys reality principle and operates through a secondary process. The purpose of the reality principle is to prevent the discharge of tension until an object suitable for satisfaction is found. The reality principle temporarily suspends the operation of the pleasure principle, although, ultimately, when the desired object is found and the tension is reduced, it is the pleasure principle that is “served”. The reality principle is concerned with the question of the truth or falsity of an experience—that is, whether it has external existence—while the pleasure principle is concerned only with whether the experience brings suffering or vice versa.

The secondary process is realistic thinking. Through a secondary process, the ego formulates a plan to meet the needs and then puts it to the test - usually by some action - to see if it works. Hungry man thinks about where food can be found, and then begins to look for it there. It is called reality check. In order to play its part satisfactorily, the ego controls all cognitive and intellectual functions; these higher mental processes serve the secondary process.

The ego is called the executive organ of the personality, because it opens the door to action, selects from the environment what the action must correspond to, and decides which instincts must be satisfied and how. In carrying out these extremely important executive functions, the ego has to try to integrate the often conflicting commands from the id, the superego, and the outside world. This is not an easy task, often keeping the ego on its toes.

However, it should be borne in mind that the Ego - this organized part of the id - appears in order to follow the goals of the id and not frustrate them, and that all its strength is drawn from the id. The ego has no existence separate from the id, and in an absolute sense is always dependent on it. Its main role is to be an intermediary between the instinctive demands of the organism and environmental conditions; its highest purpose is to keep the organism alive and see the species reproduce.

Superego (Super-I)- the third and last developing system of personality, an internalized model of social norms and standards of behavior. This is a moral - ethical structure that appears when a child begins to distinguish between "right" and "wrong", the result of upbringing and social training. Each act of a person is evaluated by this "internal censor".

The superego is an internal representation of the traditional values ​​and ideals of society as they are interpreted for the child by the parents and forcibly instilled through rewards and punishments applied to the child. The superego is the moral force of the individual, it represents an ideal rather than a reality, and serves improvement rather than pleasure. Its main task is to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of something, based on the moral standards sanctioned by society.

The superego, as the internalized moral arbiter that accompanies the individual, develops in response to parental rewards and punishments. In order to receive rewards and avoid punishment, the child learns to build his behavior in accordance with the requirements of the parents. What is considered wrong and for which the child is punished is incorporated into conscience - one of the subsystems of the superego. What they approve and reward the child for is included in his ego ideal - another subsystem of the Superego. The mechanism of both processes is called introjection. The child accepts, or introjects, the moral norms of the parents. Conscience punishes a person, making him feel guilty, the ego-ideal rewards him, filling him with pride. With the formation of the Superego, self-control takes the place of parental control.

The main functions of self-control are: 1) to prevent id impulses, in particular, sexual and aggressive impulses, because their manifestations are condemned by society; 2) "persuade" the Ego to change realistic goals to moral ones and 3) fight for perfection. Thus, the Superego is in opposition to the Id and to the Ego and tries to build the world in its own image. However, the Superego is like the Id in its irrationality and like the Ego in its desire to control instincts. Unlike the ego, the superego does not just delay the satisfaction of instinctive needs, it constantly blocks them.

In conclusion of this brief review, it should be said that the Id, Ego and Superego should not be considered as some little men that control our personality. These are nothing more than names for various mental processes that obey systemic principles. Under normal circumstances, these principles do not contradict or cancel each other out. On the contrary, they work as a single team under the direction of the Ego. Personality normally functions as a whole, and not as something tripartite.

In a general sense, the id can be considered as the biological component of the personality, the ego as the psychological component, the superego as the social component.

The father of a system called “Do you want to talk about it? Lie down on the couch, ”the person who provided the work for sexologists, considered all problems, was recognized by the whole world and miraculously escaped death at the hands of the Nazis, - Solomon Sigismund (Sigmund) Freud.

How it all started

Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939) - the founder Having received a higher medical education in Austria at the end of the 19th century, he wrote works on the topic of systemic speech disorders and diseases of the nervous system. However, he did not succeed in gaining success in this field, as anti-Semitism, which was gaining momentum in society at that time, interfered. Because of this, he turned his attention to psychiatry, which was less developed and not particularly interesting. This step was a turning point in this branch of medicine, since Freud first considered the appeal to the unconscious of a person, considering it to be the source of all mental and psychosomatic diseases. Psychology according to Freud is ambiguous, it causes a lot of controversy to this day. What is even the official attachment of Sigmund to cocaine worth! He used it himself and strongly shared with his surroundings, enthusiastically commenting on the effect of the drug, which expelled depression and promoted digestion. During the experiments, it was found that the "healing powder" can be used as anesthesia for eye surgery. Cocaine was elevated to the rank of a panacea in scientific writings by Freud, which, in turn, provoked a wave of drug addiction that did not subside until the 1920s. Because of this, the psychiatrist was universally reviled, as he became a kind of initiator of drug addiction among the inhabitants of Europe and the United States. In addition, due to the progress of Nazism and anti-Semitism, the life of the psychiatrist and his family was under constant threat, and it was only because of his popularity that the government allowed him to leave Austria and settle in London. accepted Freud with joy, included in the Royal Society and ensured honor until the end of his days.

Freud's personality: basics, structure

As mentioned above, Freud was an innovator in the field of psychiatry, as he appealed to the unconscious person, bypassing its conscious manifestations. His works are extensive and specific, but it is possible to single out the main provisions on which they are based.

The figure schematically depicts a personality according to Freud, let's consider all the elements in detail:

  • Id - "It". The animal component of a person, based solely on base desires and needs. "It" pursues one goal - getting pleasure.
  • Ego - "I". This is the person himself as he is from a social point of view. “I” reflects the awareness of what is happening, which means, according to Freud, the most complete interaction with the outside world, the ability to connect the past, present and future, to draw conclusions. Possesses protecting from "It".
  • Superego - "Super-I". This is what a person strives to become under the pressure of society. "Super-I" dictates to a person exactly how he should act, based on instilled morality and conscience.

Theory of substitution

Ideally, all these components of the personality coexist peacefully - “It” craves pleasures and gets them as far as possible, “Super-I” strives for an ideal imposed from the outside, and “I” balances these two extremes. In practice, the ideal according to Freud is unattainable, because everywhere one way or another there is an advantage. For example, in psychopaths, the “I” is suppressed by the “It”, the thirst for pleasure breaks free, crushing all the foundations. For neurasthenics, on the contrary, the role of the first violin is played by the "Super-I", eternal dissatisfaction with oneself and rejection of one's imperfection grows.

What does the treatment of mental disorders mean according to Freud? The main principle is the replacement of "It" or "Super-I" with "I" by the method of interpreting dreams and free associations.

personal development

The psychologist was not only the first to recognize human sexuality, but also emphasized it, claiming libido (thirst for sensual pleasures). According to Freud, development is tied to sexuality, and it appeared with a person, and did not appear only during puberty. Based on this, the following stages of personality formation were distinguished:

  • Oral (birth-1.5 years). All the pleasures of the world are concentrated in the mouth. The baby not only enjoys the process of feeding, but also explores the surrounding objects with the help of his mouth.
  • Anal (1-3 years). The anus area is the focus of pleasure, as the child is trained to relieve himself, is able to control the intestines and is not so completely dependent on parental care.
  • Phallic (3-5 years). Libido manifests itself in interest in the genitals, with which the child enjoys contact. At this stage, boys can form what Freud means to be attracted to their mother, while girls have an analogue - the Electra complex, or “penis envy”.
  • Latent (6-12 years). Libido subsides, social awareness of self comes to the fore.
  • Genital (from 12 years old). sexuality comes first.

Is there a conclusion?

The explanation of what Freud means a person is debatable. Considering a person only from the point of view of his sexuality is not worth it, because it is one-sided. However, the psychologist himself admitted that his judgments were not complete and should be challenged if new data appeared. And do not forget about the fact that the works of a psychologist serve as the basis for modern sexology, in which you can find a description and a method of treating any deviation.



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