Introduction
The psychoanalytic theory approach provides a framework describing human thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud, one of the most famous people in psychology, in the 1990s (Weiss, 2020). Although modern psychologists have rejected some of Freud’s ideas, the psychoanalytic theory was the foundation for many current psychodynamic theories. Sigmund Freud was the first person to discuss the unconscious mind and how it affects behavior (Pandit, 2020).
The psychoanalytic theory says that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influence behavior (Pandit, 2020). Therefore, human personality development has memories, beliefs, urges, drives, and instincts that people are unaware of, making up unconsciousness. Counselors use this theory, or a combination of other theories (affective, cognitive, and behavioral), to help clients overcome their issues.
Personality Development
The psychoanalytic theory is founded on the idea that unconscious thoughts and perceptions developed throughout childhood affect current behaviors and thoughts. Freud believed there are three parts of the mind, and each influences behavior (Feist et al., 2021):
- The conscious mind is aware of everything happening around you in the present moment, including your thoughts, feelings, and memories.
- The unconscious mind contains unacceptable or unpleasant thoughts and feelings, such as pain, conflict, and anxiety.
- The subconscious or preconscious mind contains all the information you are unaware of, which can be recalled.
Freud’s psychoanalytic approach to personality offers a distinctive way of examining the relationship between the body and mind. Personality means people have unique characteristics and patterns in their thinking, feeling, and behavior consistent across situations (Swartz et al., 2021).
Psychoanalytic theory describes a person’s personality by explaining the patterns of relatively enduring traits and distinctive qualities that provide behavior consistency and uniqueness. The traits are unique characteristics that influence individual behavior and set people apart (Swartz et al., 2021). For instance, you might identify as respectful or sincere, which would be an example of your personality. The psychoanalytic theory explains how the mechanisms of the mind that influence traits work and, by extension, personality development.
Characteristics of the Psychoanalytic Approach
According to the psychoanalytic theoretical approach, personality has three aspects: id, superego, and ego. People may not talk with or hear these personalities, but they all silently strive to influence behavior and decisions. These three elements (Id, superego, and ego) create complex human behavior.
Id
The Id is the first to develop, the ego second, and finally, the superego. According to Zhang (2020), the biological element of a person, including instinct and the desire for immediate fulfillment, is known as the Id. It operates in the unconscious human mind that follows the pleasure principle. According to the enjoyment principle, your needs should be addressed right away.
Superego
The superego concerns moral uprightness instincts and exists in all levels of consciousness. According to Mcleod (2023), the superego acts consciously to follow societal rules and keep the Id from causing long-term harm.
Ego
These two entities, the Id and superego, serve as the model for the ego. Therefore, the ego constantly works to strike a balance between the superego and Id to achieve pleasurable choices that do not cause much harm in the long term. Balance among the three elements leads to a healthy personality.
Value of Psychoanalytic Approach in Counselling
The psychoanalytic theoretical approach explores the idea that humans must explore more than what they experience on the surface to develop the root of their personality. Psychoanalytic therapy grew out of Freud’s theory, which involved questioning patients about their thoughts and experiences. Therapists applied this theory to interrogate patients about their childhood memories and possible events in the past that may have led to struggles between the Id and superego.
Freud believed that people repressed many emotions (Zhang, 2020). Freud’s therapy sessions aimed to awaken those unconscious sensations and emotions. It helps counselors identify defining moments that shaped a patient’s personality or events that could have changed their personality without them noticing.
Counseling Techniques
Techniques such as free association, dream analysis, and analysis of transference are essential derivations of Freud’s theory used by counselors during counseling sessions. Through these techniques, the counselor encourages the client to relate, relive, and walk through past unresolved experiences to gain insight into the scenes (Zhang, 2020). For instance, free association entails giving the client a word or image and asking them to say the first thing that pops into their head. The method is helpful as suppressed memory often emerges during the process.
Dream analysis involves the patient reporting dreams to a counselor regularly, who interprets the dreams to understand the workings of the unconscious mind. Transference happens when a patient projects feelings for someone, especially those they had as a child, onto the therapist. Therefore, this theoretical approach provides counselors with insightful information when forming a person’s personality.
Critiques of the Theoretical Approach
Feud has received criticism for his work because of the lack of empirical research or studies to support his theory, unlike other theorists. Mainly, his work has been criticized for using too few participants in the study, which is not a representative sample (Yeung, 2021). Freud worked solely with adults on a case-by-case basis to develop the theory. Critics argue that psychoanalysis interviewing exhibits preconceived notions and biases (Yeung, 2021).
Others have said definitions do not lend themselves to experimentation, where one personality is fixed and unchanging. Some critics have pointed out obsession with sex and aggregation as a study’s weakness (Yeung, 2021). For instance, his understanding of women is held as notoriously inadequate. The idea that sexual impulse mainly drives human desire is inaccurate and alarming to the modern audience. Nevertheless, some of his ideas have been expanded and adapted to more progressive schools of thought.
Conclusion
Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis theory in the 1990s, focusing on the unconscious and its role in human behavior. Freud believed that humans have a large portion of mental experiences that are inaccessible to them. His theory posits that there are three parts of the mind (conscious, unconscious, and subconscious), and each part impacts human behavior. The conscious, unconscious, and subconscious minds make people unique in their thinking, feeling, and behavioral patterns, which define individual personality.
Freud characterized these personalities into Id, superego, and ego. The Id is associated with the desire for immediate gratification, while the superego is linked to social and moral aspects. The ego is constantly striving to balance between the Id and superego. The theoretical approach has been applied to help counselors bring out unconscious emotions in patients and overcome their issues. However, the lack of a sufficient sample, preconceived notions and biases, and obsession with sex and aggression have invited much criticism to Freud’s study.
References
Feist, J., Feist, G. J., & Roberts, T.-A. (2021). Theories of personality (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Mcleod, S. (2023). Id, ego, and superego | simply psychology. Web.
Pandit, G. L. (2020). Freudian frontiers of psychoanalytic theory and therapy: A case of improvement of scientific knowledge? Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 35(2), 537–563. Web.
Swartz, L., de la Rey, C., & Duncan, N. (2021). Psychology: an introduction (5th ed.). Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Weiss, H. (2020). A brief history of the super-ego with an introduction to three papers. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 101(4), 724–734. Web.
Yeung, A. W. K. (2021). Is the influence of Freud declining in psychology and psychiatry? A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Web.
Zhang, S. (2020). Psychoanalysis: The influence of Freud’s theory in personality psychology. International Conference on Mental Health and Humanities Education (ICMHHE 2020), 433, 229232.