Psychoanalytic

Psychology is a vast field with several theories which can help us understand various topics. Sigmund Freud is known as one of the pioneers in the field of psychology who developed the theory of psychanalysis. Psychoanalysis can be described as the overall contribution of theories and methodologies developed by Sigmund Freud in psychology. Something common in all the theories and methods whilst discussing psychoanalysis is that all the individuals have some unconscious thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. One of the core ideas behind psychoanalysis is making the unconscious, which refers to the repressed feelings, into conscious, that is bringing the unconscious into consciousness, which can be described as awareness. 

Psychoanalytic Theory

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory gained a lot of popularity and it can be considered significant even today. According to the psychoanalytic theory, Freud said that the id, the ego, and the superego together form the personality of an individual. The id, the ego, and the superego, all three of them together can help us understand human behavior. The id can be described as the source of psychic energy which forms a core component of an individual’s personality. Id works on the pleasure principle. Now, the second component that is ego works on the reality principle. As per Freud, ego is developed from the id. Ego primarily plays a crucial role in the conscious mind, preconscious mind, and unconscious mind. As we move to the last component of the personality, which is the superego, we learn that it is mainly based upon the moral principle. It can be explained as that part of the personality that wants one to act as per the society’s guidelines suppress all those urges which may not be accepted by society. 

Basic Assumption in Psychoanalysis

There are certain basic assumptions behind psychoanalysis as a theory. These include the fact that psychoanalytic psychologists generally perceive psychological concerns mainly stemming from the unconscious mind. Certain common issues that can be a cause for unresolved concerns include repressed trauma such as sexual abuse during childhood, being a victim of domestic abuse etcetera. According to Freud, by bringing the unconscious into the conscious, that is by gaining insight, the concerns can be resolved. Thus, because of this belief, the treatment process according to this therapeutic model is majorly focused on bringing the repressed issues to the awareness of the client and helping them in gaining insight. This can be done through dream analysis, free association, and other relevant techniques that Freud developed.

Conclusion

As observed from the above points, it can be concluded that psychology is a vast field that aims to understand human behavior, personality, and many other relevant concepts. There are various theories developed in psychology and psychoanalysis is one such theory developed by Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, personality is composed of the id, which is based on the pleasure principle, the ego that is based on the reality principle, and the superego which is based on the moral principle. Freud also believed that bringing the unconscious into conscious can be a great way of helping the person heal from past trauma. After Freud, Neo-Freudians such as Karen Horney, Carl Jung, Erik Erikson also developed various theories which come under the heading of psychodynamic theories. The theories that were developed decades ago still form a significant part of psychology and help us learn more about the world that we are a part of.