AfterPsychoanalysis

Chapter 14

Splintered movement

Within 20 years of its founding Freud never again spoke to the rebels

Carl Jung: supposed to be Freud’s “heir” Alfred Adler Karen Horney

de-emphasize biological forces; emphasize social and psychological forces

minimize the import of infantile sexuality

more independent role for ego

Psychoanalysis after Freud

Anna Freud (1895-1982) Her life

The youngest of Freud’s six children; not a welcomed child

least preferred daughter, lonely and unhappy childhood

became her father’s favorite child early interest in her father’s work

attended meetings of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society from the age of 14

Contributions to psychoanalysis

pioneered psychoanalysis of children considered children's relative immaturity considered children’s lack of verbal skills innovative methods

the use of play materials the observation of the child in the home

responsible for elaborating defense mechanisms

Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Background Lonely childhood, filled with fantasy professional reputation established before he

met Freud 1906: began correspondence with Freud Supposed to be Freud’s successor and heir age 38: severe emotional problems for 3-year

period

Carl Jung autobiographical influences, particularly with

regard to views of about sex Oedipus complex not relevant to his childhood

experience no major adult sexual hang-ups preferred company of women had affairs isolation as child reflected in his theoretical focus on

inner growth rather than social relationships sex plays a minimal role in explaining human motivation

Forces that influence personality

Freud

Jung

Archetypes:

inherited tendencies within the collective unconscious

predispose one to behave in a manner like one’s ancestors

Examples: Shadow

Introversion and extraversion

Extravert

Introvert

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Alfred Adler (1870-1973)

Background Sickly as child, poor student

Closer to father than mother

Individual psychology

Some of his ideas: Social interest

Inferiority complex

Comment

So, how did Adler differ from freud? much more optomistic, sex not important social, not biological motivators emphasized conscious thoughts over

unconscious ones

The Evolution of Personality Theory: Humanistic Psychology

Some 15 to 20 theories represent were derived in some respect from Freudian psychoanalytic theory

Like Wundt, Freud presented a system of thought that both brought followers and motivated revolt

Freudian theory was a point of revolt, not a base, for humanistic psychology

The Zeitgeist: the 1960s

protest against Western mechanism and materialism

emphasis on the present hedonism and personal fulfillment belief in human perfectibility

tendency to self-disclose

In general, humanistic psychology…

intended to replace other two main “forces” in psychology

Behaviorism Psychoanalysis

Humanistic psychology

Not just a revision or adaptation of prior schools

The nature of humanistic psychology

Criticisms of behaviorism narrow, artificial, sterile too deterministic, no free will reduces humans to animal-like S-R

components, dehumanizing

Criticisms of Freudianism also deterministic and mechanistic minimization of consciousness exclusion of normals from study

The nature of humanistic psychology

basic themes of humanistic psychology emphasis on the positive rather than the

negative in human traits and goals focus on conscious experience belief in free will confidence in unity of human personality

The nature of humanistic psychology

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Overview spiritual father of humanistic psychology garnered academic respectability for the

movement goal:

to understand the highest achievements of which humans are capable

research: Identify characteristics of healthy people Wertheimer: prototype of healthy person

the hierarchy of needs physiological safety belonging and love esteem self-actualization

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Self-actualization: involves active use of all of one’s traits

and talents involves the growth and realization of

one’s potential peak experiences self-actualized persons: free of neurosis,

middle-aged or older

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Comment

criticism small sample sizes preclude generalizability subjects selected according to Maslow’s

subjective criteria terms are ambiguous and inconsistently

defined

rebuttal: no other way to study self-actualization; perceived work as preliminary

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Overview developed person-centered therapy

client is responsible for change assumes one can consciously and rationally

alter one’s thoughts and behavior

Self-actualization

a drive to make oneself better

unconditional positive regard: love and acceptance regardless of your

behavior leads to self-acceptance (healthy) rather

than conditions of worth (unhealthy) mother-child relationship: key to

actualization

Did not become a part of the mainstream of psychological thought

Why? Practitioners in private practice rather than

academia Comparatively little research and few

publications No graduate training programs Ill-timed attacks on the psychoanalytic and

behaviorism, schools already in decline

Humanistic psychology

The changing zeitgeist in physics

Rejection of the mechanistic model of the universe

Shift of focus of scientific investigation From an independent and objectively knowable

universe To one’s own subjective observation of that

universe I.E., objective knowledge is really subjective

Scientific psychology resisted the new physics for at least 50 years

The founding of cognitive psychology

No single founder Two scholars contributed groundbreaking

work: George Miller Ulric Neisser

George Miller (1920- )

His life Behaviorism

Miller accepted it as the primary school (had no choice)

Mid-1950s: determined behaviorism was inadequate

1956: classic article “the magical number seven, plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information”

The nature of cognitive psychology

Differs from behaviorism Focus on the process of knowing Interest in how the mind structures or

organizes experience The person actively and creatively

arranges the stimuli received from the environment

Unconscious cognition

The new unconscious or nonconscious Not the same as Freud's concept More rational than emotional Is involved in the first stage of human cognition

The response to a stimulus An integral part of information processing

Subliminal perception We can be influenced by stimuli that we are not

aware of Process of acquiring knowledge

Occurs at both conscious and nonconscious levels, but mostly at the nonconscious level

Nonconscious information processing is faster and more complicated

Current status

Cognitive psychology is a success Its impact is felt by most areas of

psychology It has influenced psychology in Europe and

Russia It has influenced areas outside psychology

Criticisms Opposed by behaviorists Considerable confusion about

terminology and definitions Overemphasis on cognition

Ignored other influences such motivation and emotion

Became fixated on thought processes

Schools of Thought in Perspective

All earlier schools (except psychoanalysis) absorbed into mainstream

How did each school of thought contribute to the science of psychology?

Wundt’s psychology & Structuralism Functionalism Behaviorism Gestalt psychology Psychoanalysis Humanistic psychology Cognitive psychology