Freud in Psychology
Personality Theory and Ego Defense Mechanisms
Freud's Personality Theory
Perhaps Freud's most memorable contributions to psychology were his ideas on personality, both consciously and subconsciously. He claimed that everyone had three sections of the mind that develop gradually: the id, the superego and the ego. When one is born they have only the id. This is the fundamental, unconscious drive to get what you desire as so as possible while paying no heed to consequences. The superego, however, is one's moral. It is the drive to do what's right, and is in both the subconscious and conscious mind. Finally, it's the ego's job to rationalize and keep the id and superego in balance. Similar to superego, ego is both subconscious and conscious.
Ego Defense Mechanisms
The ego's job is arguably the biggest and most important because it has to keep the id and superego balanced, while keeping a rational look on the situation. When it can't satisfy both, it gets overwhelmed and employs defense mechanisms to maintain peace.
Denial
One of the most well know ego defense mechanisms is denial. This is the refusal to recognize an event or feeling, as if ignoring it means it doesn't exist.
Intellectual-ization
Intellectualization is when one analyzes an event rather than focus on the grief associated with it.
Rational-ization
When one defends their actions with often flawed or far-fetched logic, they are rationalizing.
Regression
The ego defense mechanism known as regression is when one reverts back to developmental habits such as crying in moments of physical or emotional stress.
Reaction Formation
The reaction formation mechanism is responding to a feeling by showing the polar opposite. For example, if one doesn't like one of their peers, they would react with positive emotions and enthusiasm.
Bibliography
- Chapter 3: Section 6: Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/defenses/
- Cherry, K. (n.d.). What Is Rationalization? - Defense Mechanisms. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/defensemech_9.htm
- Id Ego Superego | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html
APA formatting by BibMe.org.