Freudianism is what? Definition and direction

Psychology is a science that studies the human psyche. Researchers who study psychology, every year, make more and more new discoveries concerning the study of the human brain and the complex mental processes occurring in it. Consider one of the most famous theories in psychology, which is called Freudianism.

Definition of the concept of "Freudianism"

The term comes from the name of the famous scientist Sigmund Freud, who proposed his theory of human psychoanalysis. Freudianism is a theory of psychoanalysis that explains some of the mental processes occurring at the unconscious level. According to Freud, the whole psychic life of a person consists of three basic levels: the unconscious, the preconscious and the conscious.

Unconscious level Freud associates with sexual energy. Freud in his theory identifies such components of personality:

1. "Id" - the carrier of instincts.
2. "Ego", or in another way "I", which acts on the principle of reality.
3. "Super-Ego", or "Super-I", is responsible for the moral qualities of the individual.

If there is a conflict between these components, protective mechanisms begin to appear .

The role of Freudianism in psychology

Freudianism in psychology occupies a very important stage, because it is thanks to the teachings of Freud that one can talk about the treatment of neuroses and protracted depressions, but for this it is necessary first to identify the cause of these diseases. The main point to start treatment is primarily psychoanalysis. Experiments using hypnosis, which were conducted by Freud, proved that different feelings and the desire to achieve a goal can change the behavior of the researcher, even if he himself does not fully realize this.

The basis of Freudianism

Sigmund Freud, on the basis of his long clinical observations, was able to form a new, so far unknown, psychological concept. Freudianism is still a theory that relies on the concept of the triune personality structure :

1. "It" in this case means mental processes that occur on the unconscious level. This means that these mental processes were laid even before the birth of the child, for example, his role is played by heredity. "It" is aimed at enjoying any character, primarily sexual.
2. The second structure is called "I". It is aimed at, then to maintain balance, so the "I" is almost constantly in conflict with "It". Every person has his "I" living in reality, that is, mental processes begin to manifest themselves after a certain situation develops that requires an immediate solution. Freud refers this structure to the congenital, it is formed not only on the unconscious level, but also in the preconsciousness.

3. The third structure is called "Super-I". It is considered acquired over a lifetime and serves as a critic and conscience. Therefore, if the "I" can not cope with "It", then the "Super-I" comes into effect, which acts according to conscience. If a person can not find a way out for a long time to his "Super-I", Freud advises giving a way out of this energy with the help of a conversation or even manifest in creativity.

What is the essence of Freudianism?

The doctor can direct the energy of the person by conducting a psychoanalysis. Freudianism indicates that a person in some cases can cope on his own with his problem, but for this the psyche should include protection, but if this does not happen, then without the help of a specialist, it will not work. Here are the main types of protection:

1. Initially, protection is manifested in repression and suppression of thoughts that are considered unauthorized.
2. When there is a projection, then on the unconscious level the human psyche tries to get rid of obsessive desire and ideas.
3. Rationalization manifests itself when there is no possibility to abandon the idea, and then the person tries to justify himself.

The main directions in Freudianism

Freud distinguishes three main motives - anxiety, aggression and sensuality. It is they who consider Freudism as the basis of any human actions. The direction allocates five main phases of personality development:

1. The oral phase, which manifests itself when the child is born, for example, the child, when born, immediately tends to suck the mother's breast.

2. Anal phase is the praise of the child, who alone can already walk on the pot.

3. Phallic is manifested in a more mature age, when the child begins to communicate with his peers of different sexes and is able to compare himself and others.

4. Latent is manifested in a period when the interest in sexual characteristics is somewhat extinguished.

5. The genital comes when full sexual maturation occurs.

The tasks of psychoanalysis in Freudianism

If we describe briefly Freudianism, then the main tasks of this teaching and the conduct of psychoanalysis for the treatment of mental disorders, we can consider:

1. Recreating from all data collected as an anamnesis, symptoms that are pathological for a person.
2. Ability to reconstruct an event that has caused trauma, release the suppressed energy and give this energy the opportunity to choose a new direction.

Psychoanalysis is carried out so that later the person could not turn his excessive suffering into a neurosis. Thus, according to Freud, it is also possible to suppress a man's conflict.

Representatives of Freudianism

Freudianism is a theory that has been further developed in the future. Representatives of this theory later became the disciples of Freud himself. A. Adler somewhat altered his teacher's theory, pointing out that the main thing in psychoanalysis is not the drives that occur on the unconscious level, but the aspiration of every person to assert itself in society. According to Adler, all the processes described by Freud can manifest themselves only after the child feels his inferiority in comparison with adults.

Another vivid representative of the teachings of Freud is G. Young, who not only supported the theory of his teacher, but also actively began to develop it, arguing that psychoanalysis not only can affect one person, but also affects the behavior of the whole team. The ideas of Freudianism were actively supported by Otto Rank, who found the main factors of fear and anxiety. In his opinion, they are hidden in the birth of a man, his theory was called "trauma of birth."

The emergence of neo-Freudianism

Of course, Freud's theory has remained a key phenomenon in all cases, so we can say that Freudianism is the foundation that was laid down in neo-Freudianism. Freud's psychoanalysis was based exclusively on three levels that exist in the psyche of each person, but representatives of neo-Freudianism claimed that the leading role still remains behind the socio-cultural impact. It is the influence of society that can cause internal conflict in a person. For example, a feeling such as anxiety can originate in a child, only after it encounters a hostile world.

Despite the fact that the two theories, Freudianism and neo-Freudianism, have quite a lot of differences, the same unconscious processes were taken as a basis. Hatred and anxiety bring discomfort to the individual, so there is a struggle within the person himself, and this is the cause of the conflict within him, which requires immediate elimination, otherwise a mental illness may occur.

Representatives of neo-Freudianism

Representatives of neo-Freudianism were much more than Freud's own. The most striking are several scientists. So, H. Sullivan, asserts that the person of the person is not an innate phenomenon, but acquired, and it is formed exclusively with the help of the society that surrounds it. That is, the infant begins to repeat interpersonal relationships, which he has as a model. The personality of the child in childhood can be formed even during the game, when the kid communicates with peers.

E. Fromm in his works indicates that a person is a set of biological and social principles. In his opinion, the whole human psychology is based on the love of life and the desire for death.

Psychoanalysis shows that a person can be prone to neurosis if he could not find love and understanding in society. For each individual it is important to achieve complete harmony in society, to which he aspires throughout his life. According to many scientists, if an individual can be healed, then there is a possibility that a complete cure of society can occur.

It is worth noting that all the ideas of Freudians and neo-Freudians could influence the social life and the development of culture and ethics. As for the society itself, it is on the way to perfection.