THEORIES

Freud - Psychodynamic Theory

Freud saw all human motivation reduced to sex and aggression
Freud assumed that people have little or no choice in shaping their personality
Freud’s assumption that present behavior is caused by past experiences
Freud placed very heavy emphasis on unconscious components of behavior

Sigmund Freud - Psychoanalytic Theory

Sigmund Freud’s theory suggests that human behavior is influenced by unconscious
memories, thoughts, and urges. This theory also proposes that the psyche comprises three
aspects: the id, ego, and superego.
The id is entirely unconscious, while the ego operates in the conscious mind
The superego operates both unconsciously and consciously.

Freudian theory also divides human personality into three major components: the id, ego, and
superego.

 The id is the most primitive part of the personality that is the source of all our most
basic urges. The id is entirely unconscious and serves as the source of all libidinal
energy.
 The ego is the component of personality that deals with reality and helps ensure that
the demands of the id are satisfied in ways that are realistic, safe, and socially
acceptable.
 The superego is the part of the personality that holds all of the internalized morals
and standards that we acquire from our parents, family, and society at large.

Talk therapy – free association – talking about the problem will help to alleviate/ease them.

Freud also believed that much of human behavior was motivated by two driving instincts: life
instincts and death instincts

Life instincts (Eros) are those that relate to a basic need for survival, reproduction, and
pleasure. They include such things as the need for food, shelter, love, and sex.

Life instincts (Eros) are those that relate to a basic need for survival, reproduction, and
pleasure. They include such things as the need for food, shelter, love, and sex.
In Freudian theory, the human mind is structured into two main parts: the conscious and
unconscious mind. The conscious mind includes all the things we are aware of or can easily
bring into awareness. The unconscious mind, on the other hand, includes all of the things
outside of our awareness—all of the wishes, desires, hopes, urges, and memories that we
aren't aware of, yet continue to influence behavior.

Freudian psychology compares the mind to an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg that is actually
visible above the water represents just a tiny portion of the mind, while the huge expanse of
ice hidden underneath the water represents the much larger unconscious.

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development

Freudian theory suggests that as children develop, they progress through a series
of psychosexual stages. At each stage, the libido's pleasure-seeking energy is focused on a
different part of the body.

The five stages of psychosexual development are:7

1. The oral stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the mouth.
2. The anal stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the anus.
3. The phallic stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the penis or clitoris.
4. The latent stage: A period of calm in which little libidinal interest is present.
5. The genital stage: The libidinal energies are focused on the genital

Freud believed the content of dreams could be broken down into two different types:
 The manifest content of a dream included all the actual content of the dream—the
events, images, and thoughts contained within the dream. The manifest content is
essentially what the dreamer remembers upon waking.

 The latent content, on the other hand, is all the hidden and symbolic meanings within
the dream. Freud believed that dreams were essentially a form of wish fulfillment. By
taking unconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires and transforming them into less
threatening forms, people are able to reduce the ego's anxiety
George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory
Kelly believed that we start by first developing a set of personal constructs, which are
essentially mental representations that we use to interpret events. These constructs are based
on our experiences and observations
The way we interpret and explain events or environments predicts or anticipate the future or
how we will experience such an event in the future.
Our personal constructs can influence mental well-being in a variety of ways, such as shaping
our self-concept, influencing personal identity, and affecting how we cope with stressful
situations.
In therapy, mental health professionals work to better understand a person's constructs to see
where they are coming from. Culturally sensitive therapists, for example, consider how a
person's cultural background can influence their perceptions and experiences of the world.

Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology

 People are motivated mostly by social influences and the striving for superiority or
success
 Motivating force the striving for perfection
 Adler believed that people are largely responsible for who they are.
 Adler’s notion is that present behavior is shaped by people’s view of the future.
 Adler believed that psychologically healthy people are aware of what they are doing
and why they are doing it
 People's subjective perceptions shape their behavior
and personality
 Personality is unified and self-consistent
 The value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest
 The self-consistent personality structure develops into a person's style of life
 Style of life is molded by people's creative power.

Birth Order

The only Child

• Likes being the center of adult attention
• Often has difficulty sharing with siblings and peers
• Prefers adult company and uses adult language

Oldest Child
– May become authoritarian or strict
– be relatively solitary and more conservative than the other children in the family
– Feels power is his right
– Can become helpful if encouraged
– May turn to father after birth of next child
– Intensified feelings of power and superiority, high anxiety, and overprotective tendencies

Second Child
– Is more competitive, wants to overtake older child
– May become a rebel or try to outdo everyone

Middle Child
– May be even-tempered, “take it or leave it” attitude
– May have trouble finding a place or become a fighter of injustice

Youngest Child
– Wants to be bigger than the others
– May have huge plans that never work out
– Can stay the “baby”
– Frequently spoiled

Twin Child
– Can have identity problems
– Stronger one may become the leader

Adopted child
– Child may become very spoiled and demanding
– He may resent or idealize the biological parents

Erickson’s Personal Development Theory

Erik Erikson's theory is of the view that there is a specific psychological struggle that takes
place throughout the eight stages of a person’s life. These struggles, he believed, contribute to
our personality throughout our development.

Basic trust vs. mistrust (0-18 mo) – hope

Autonomy vs. shame & doubt (18-3 yr) – will
Initiative vs. guilty (3-6 yr) – sense of purpose
Industry vs. inferiority (6-11 yr) – competence
Identity vs. confusion (11-18 yr) – personal identity
Intimacy vs. isolation (young adulthood) – love
Generativity vs. stagnation (middle adulthood) – care
Integrity vs. despair (old age) – wisdom

Carl Rogers - Person-Centered Therapy

Person-centered therapy also referred to as non-directive, client-centered

In human beings, there is an actualizing tendency, a trust in a constructive directional flow

toward the realization of each individual’s full potential.

The idea that people are inherently motivated toward achieving positive psychological
functioning

Core Conditions

Rogers defined three attitudes on the therapist's part that are key to the success of person-
centered therapy. These core conditions consist of accurate empathy, congruence, and
unconditional positive regard

Empathy

The therapist engages in active listening, paying careful attention to the client's feelings and
thoughts. The therapist conveys an accurate understanding of the patient's private world
throughout the therapy session as if it were their own. One helpful technique to express
accurate empathy is reflection, which involves paraphrasing and/or summarizing the feeling
behind what the client says rather than the content. This also allows clients to process their
feelings after hearing them restated by someone else

Congruence

The therapist transparently conveys their feelings and thoughts to genuinely relate to the
client. Within the client-therapist relationship, the therapist is genuinely himself. The
therapist does not hide behind a professional façade or deceive the client. Therapists may
share their emotional reactions with their clients but should not share their personal problems
with clients or shift the focus to themselves in any way
Unconditional Positive Regard

The therapist creates a warm environment that conveys to clients that they are accepted
unconditionally. The therapist does not signal judgment, approval, or disapproval, no matter
how unconventional the client's views may be. This may allow the client to drop their natural
defenses, allowing them to freely express their feelings and direct their self-exploration as
they see fit.

Albert Bandura- Social Learning Theory

Theory of personality that says that one’s environment causes one’s behavior.
Man is the producer and product of his environment

Behavior is learned through experiences with the environment

Bandura said we are not only influenced by our surroundings; we can affect our environment.
Children learn from the experiences of others mainly through observation and imitations and
this behavior can be learned, unlearned, and relearned.
Bandura termed these phenomena observational learning and characterized the elements of
effective observational learning as attention, retention, reciprocation, and motivation

A person is said to be psychologically unhealthy when he/she is unable to - solve

his/her problem

 Self-regulation vs. uncontrolled behavior

Being unable to stop maladaptive behavior like phobias, smoking, drinking because of
the immediate gratification and not thinking about the consequences.

 Assertion vs. learned helplessness

This is when an individual is unable to influence the outcome of a particular situation
learning helpless