Freud life

Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856, in what is now the Czech Republic. His family moved
to Vienna when he was four, and he spent most of his life there. Freud’s father was strict, and his
mother was loving and protective. Freud developed a close, sometimes intense attachment to his
mother, which influenced his later theories, like the Oedipus complex.

Freud was very intelligent and excelled in school, learning multiple languages and showing
strong academic abilities. His parents supported his studies, and he was given special attention to
help him succeed. He eventually decided to study medicine at the University of Vienna, hoping it
would lead to a career in scientific research and fame.

Freud’s early experiences with his family and his strong drive for success shaped his later work
and ideas.

Cocaine episode

While in medical school, Freud experimented with cocaine, which was legal at the time and not
known to be addictive. He believed it was a miracle drug and encouraged his fiancée, family, and
friends to try it. In 1884, Freud published an article praising cocaine’s benefits. However, this led
to a widespread cocaine epidemic, and Freud faced strong criticism for promoting it. Later, he
tried to distance himself from his earlier support, removing references to it from his work.
Despite this, it was revealed that he continued using cocaine into middle age.

Sexual basis of neurosis

Freud originally wanted to pursue scientific research, but was advised against it because it would
take too long to earn a stable income. Needing to support himself, especially after becoming
engaged to Martha Bernays, Freud began practicing as a clinical neurologist in 1881.

While studying in Paris with psychiatrist Jean Martin Charcot, Freud learned about the possible
link between sexual issues and emotional problems. Charcot suggested that many mental
disorders were related to sexual issues, especially involving the genitals.

When Freud returned to Vienna, he encountered similar cases, such as a woman whose anxiety
seemed to stem from her husband's impotence. These experiences, along with Freud's own
personal struggles, led him to explore the idea that sexual issues could be at the root of some
emotional disorders.

Childhood Sexual Abuse: Fact or Fantasy?

In 1896, Freud believed that childhood sexual abuse was the main cause of neuroses, with many
of his female patients reporting traumatic experiences involving older male relatives. However, a
year later, Freud changed his view, claiming that these experiences were not real but were
fantasies his patients believed to be true. He still believed sexual issues were at the root of
neurotic behavior, but now he saw the reports as fantasies rather than actual events.
Later, in 1984, psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson suggested that Freud had covered up the truth,
claiming that many of his patients had indeed experienced sexual abuse, but Freud dismissed
their accounts to make his theory more socially acceptable. Most Freud scholars rejected this
idea, arguing there was little evidence to support Masson’s claim.

Today, we know childhood sexual abuse is more common than previously thought, and some
suggest that Freud’s original theory may have been closer to the truth. Freud later admitted in
private that some of his patients' experiences of abuse were real, though he still publicly denied
it. The debate continues about whether Freud was trying to protect his theory or if he genuinely
believed his patients’ reports were fantasies.

Freud sex life

Freud had a complicated relationship with sex, which is strange because he believed it was
crucial to emotional health. He was shy around women and didn’t have a romantic relationship
until he married at age 30. His views on sex were negative, even warning about its dangers, and
he stopped being sexually active at age 41. He blamed his wife, Martha, for their lack of sex, and
was resentful about her pregnancies and illness. Freud had periods of impotence and sometimes
avoided sex due to birth control methods he disliked.

His sexual struggles affected his mental health, leading to neurotic episodes, physical symptoms
like migraines and digestive problems, and anxiety. He believed these issues were linked to
sexual tension and abnormal sexual practices. Despite his issues, Freud was fascinated by
attractive women, and his theory of personality was influenced by his own struggles, especially
through his dream analysis. He saw his personal life as a key to understanding his theories.

The pinnacle of success

Freud’s success grew as he developed his psychoanalytic theory, initially based on his own
experiences and later expanded through work with patients. His theory gained recognition,
especially in the U.S., where psychoanalysis became widely popular. Freud’s disciples, including
Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, eventually disagreed with him, but he never forgave them.

Despite his professional success, Freud led a disciplined personal life. In 1909, he was invited to
lecture in America and received an honorary degree. However, he disliked the country. By the
1920s, Freud’s work was highly influential, with psychoanalysis spreading across the U.S.

Throughout his fame, Freud’s health declined. He endured 33 surgeries for mouth cancer, caused
by his cigar smoking, and suffered constant pain. In 1933, when the Nazis came to power, they
burned his books. Freud eventually fled Vienna after his daughter was arrested, but his health
continued to worsen. In 1939, he asked his doctor to end his suffering, which he did with
morphine injections, ending Freud's pain and life.

Instincts: The Propelling Forces of the Personality

Instincts are the driving forces behind our behavior, pushing us to satisfy our needs. Freud called
these instincts Trieb, which means a driving force or impulse. These instincts are energy that
connects the body’s needs (like hunger or thirst) with the mind's desires.

When we feel a physical need, like hunger, it creates a sense of tension or pressure in the body.
The mind then transforms this tension into a wish to satisfy the need, like searching for food
when hungry. The goal of an instinct is to reduce this tension by fulfilling the need, restoring
balance in the body.

Freud believed that we always experience some level of instinctual tension and must act to
reduce it. People might satisfy the same need in different ways, like the sex drive, which can be
expressed through various behaviors. Freud thought that this energy could be displaced into other
activities, shaping our personality and explaining the variety in human behavior.

Types

Freud divided instincts into two types: life instincts and death instincts. Life instincts focus on
survival and growth, seeking to satisfy basic needs like food, water, air, and sex. The energy
behind life instincts is called libido, which can be directed toward people or objects (cathexis).
Freud believed that sex, in a broad sense, was the most important life instinct and included not
just erotic desires but also affectionate behaviors.

In contrast, death instincts are destructive forces. Freud suggested that living things have an
unconscious desire to return to an inanimate state. The aggressive drive, part of the death
instincts, leads to destructive behavior like violence and domination. Freud developed this
concept later in life, influenced by his personal struggles, cancer, and the effects of World War I.
Despite his focus on these instincts, the idea of death instincts was controversial and not widely
accepted by his followers.

Level of personality

Freud divided personality into three levels: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious.

 Conscious: This is everything we are aware of right now, like what we see, feel, or think
at any moment. It’s like the tip of an iceberg, a small part of the whole mind.
 Preconscious: This contains memories and thoughts we’re not aware of at the moment
but can easily bring to mind, like recalling what you did yesterday when you think about
it.
 Unconscious: The largest part, hidden below the surface, holds instincts, desires, and
memories we cannot access directly. It’s the driving force behind much of our behavior.

Freud described personality as having three structures: the id, the ego, and the superego.

 Id: The id is the unconscious part of the personality, driven by instincts and needs. It
seeks immediate satisfaction of desires, following the pleasure principle, which aims to
reduce tension and increase pleasure. The id is selfish, primitive, and acts without regard
 for reality or other people. It’s like a baby who wants something right away but doesn’t
know how to get it, relying on reflexes or fantasies to fulfill its needs.

The ego is the rational part of our personality. It helps us deal with reality and find
practical ways to satisfy the id's desires. While the id wants instant pleasure, the ego
delays or redirects those impulses to fit social rules and reality. It uses secondary-
process thinking like reasoning and judgment to make decisions about when and how to
meet the id's needs.The ego balances the demands of the id (which wants immediate
satisfaction) and the reality principle (which focuses on what’s socially acceptable).
Freud compared the ego to a rider on a horse, guiding the powerful id. The ego is
constantly mediating between these two forces to prevent the id from taking control. It is
also responsible for managing responsibilities and societal expectations, like working at a
job you may not enjoy for the sake of your needs. If the ego doesn't keep the id in check,
the id could overwhelm it, so the ego must be vigilant.

The superego is the moral part of our personality, representing our ideas of right and wrong. It
develops in childhood, usually by age 5 or 6, based on the rules and values taught by parents.
The superego has two parts: the conscience, which makes us feel guilty when we do wrong, and
the ego-ideal, which makes us feel proud when we do good.

The superego pushes us toward moral perfection, unlike the id, which seeks pleasure, or the ego,
which tries to deal with reality. The superego doesn't allow compromises and demands strict
moral behavior, especially around issues like sex and aggression. It can be very strict, leading to
guilt and shame when we don’t meet its standards.

The ego has to balance the demands of the id, reality, and superego, which can cause anxiety
when these forces conflict.

Anxiety: A Threat to the Ego

Anxiety, according to Freud, is a feeling of fear without a clear source, like fear but without
knowing what exactly we are afraid of. Freud believed that anxiety is key to understanding
neurotic and psychotic behaviors. He suggested that the first experience of anxiety is the birth
trauma—the shock and fear a newborn feels when it’s suddenly thrust into the outside world,
having to adapt to reality and meet its needs.

This early anxiety shapes how we react to future threats. When we can't handle anxiety, it
becomes traumatic, making us feel helpless, like we did as infants. As adults, when the ego
feels threatened, we may experience a similar helplessness.
Reality Anxiety, Neurotic Anxiety, and Moral Anxiety

Freud identified three types of anxiety:

1. Reality Anxiety: This is the fear of real dangers in the world, like fires or wild animals.
It helps us protect ourselves from actual threats. However, if this fear becomes too
extreme (like avoiding leaving home), it can be problematic.
2. Neurotic Anxiety: This stems from childhood, where there's a conflict between wanting
to act on instincts (like sexual or aggressive impulses) and the fear of punishment. It's the
unconscious fear of consequences for acting on these impulses.
3. Moral Anxiety: This arises from a conflict between the id and the superego, which is our
conscience. It's the fear of guilt or shame when we want to act in ways that go against our
moral code.

Defense mechanism

o protect ourselves from anxiety, the ego uses defense mechanisms. These are unconscious
strategies to reduce conflict between the id’s desires and the demands of reality or the superego.
Here are some common defense mechanisms:

1. Repression: Blocking out uncomfortable thoughts or memories from conscious

awareness.
2. Denial: Refusing to acknowledge a painful reality or traumatic event.
3. Reaction Formation: Expressing the opposite of disturbing impulses. For example,
becoming overly nice when angry.
4. Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable impulses to others, like accusing
someone else of hating you when you actually hate them.
5. Regression: Returning to behaviors from an earlier stage of development for comfort,
like acting childish when stressed.
6. Rationalization: Justifying behavior or decisions with logical but false explanations, like
saying a bad job wasn’t worth keeping after being fired.
7. Displacement: Redirecting an impulse from its original target to a safer one, like yelling
at a pet instead of a boss.
8. Sublimation: Channeling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities, like
turning aggressive energy into sports or art.

Freud believed that our personalities are shaped early in childhood through experiences with
parents and others. He argued that by the age of five, a person’s adult personality is already
mostly formed. These early years are crucial because they determine how we handle the id’s
desires and society’s demands.

Freud introduced the idea of psychosexual stages of development, where each stage focuses on
a different part of the body that becomes the center of pleasure and conflict. The stages are:

1. Oral Stage (0-1 years): Pleasure centers around the mouth (sucking, biting). Conflict:
Weaning.
 2. Anal Stage (1-3 years): Pleasure focuses on controlling bladder and bowel movements.
Conflict: Toilet training.
3. Phallic Stage (3-6 years): Focus is on the genitals. Conflict: Oedipus complex (desire for
the opposite-sex parent, rivalry with the same-sex parent).
4. Latency Stage (6-puberty): Sexual feelings are dormant while focus shifts to school and
friendships.
5. Genital Stage (puberty onward): Mature sexual interests and relationships develop.

The oral stage is the first stage of Freud’s psychosexual development, lasting from birth until
about the second year of life. During this stage, the infant's main source of pleasure is through
the mouth, like sucking, biting, and swallowing.

The infant depends on the mother or caregiver, learning to trust them for needs. How the
caregiver responds shapes the infant’s world as either safe or frustrating.

There are two types of behaviors during this stage:

1. Oral incorporative behavior (taking in): This involves pleasure from things like
sucking and eating. Adults fixated at this stage might be overly dependent, trusting others
too much, and focused on oral activities like smoking or eating.
2. Oral aggressive behavior (biting or spitting): This happens when the infant experiences
the pain of teething. It can lead to feelings of anger and resentment toward the caregiver.
Adults who are fixated may show aggression, sarcasm, and pessimism.

The anal stage occurs around 18 months when children begin toilet training. This stage is
important for personality development because the child must learn to delay the pleasure of
defecation. Parents regulate when and where the child can go to the bathroom, creating a conflict
for the child.

There are two possible reactions:

1. Anal aggressive personality: If the child resists and defies parents by soiling at
inappropriate times, they may develop a hostile, destructive, and disorganized
personality.
2. Anal retentive personality: If the child holds back bowel movements to get attention,
they may develop a personality that is stubborn, neat, and overly controlling.

The phallic stage begins around ages 4 to 5, when the focus shifts to the genitals. Children
become curious about their bodies and those of others. They may develop fantasies about
marrying the opposite-sex parent. This stage involves complex feelings, including unconscious
desires, that can be difficult to accept.

The Oedipus complex is primarily associated with boys, but there is a counterpart for girls
called the Electra complex.
For boys:

 The boy develops an unconscious desire for his mother and sees his father as a rival. He
wants to replace his father and gain his mother’s affection. However, the boy also fears
that his father will punish him (castration anxiety). To resolve this conflict, the boy
represses his desire for the mother and starts to identify with his father, imitating his
behavior and adopting his values.

For girls:

 Freud suggested that girls go through a similar phase, but with a focus on their father.
The girl unconsciously desires her father and competes with her mother for his attention.
Freud called this the Electra complex, though it’s less fully developed in his theories.
The girl eventually resolves the conflict by identifying with her mother, which helps her
develop her sense of self and superego.

The Latency Period:

 This stage happens after the earlier, more intense psychosexual stages (oral, anal, and
phallic). It lasts from about age 6 to puberty. During this period, sexual urges are
dormant, and children focus on school, hobbies, and friendships with the same sex. It’s a
time of calm and consolidation, as the id, ego, and superego are already developing.

The Genital Stage:

 This final stage begins at puberty when sexual urges resurface. The individual becomes
more capable of mature sexual relationships and emotional connections. If earlier stages
were resolved well, the person can form healthy relationships and focus on work and
personal growth. Sexual energy is expressed in socially acceptable ways, and the person
seeks satisfaction through love and work.

Freud believed that the first 5 years of life are crucial in shaping our adult personality. He focused mainly
on early childhood development, suggesting that the conflicts we face as young children determine how
we behave, think, and feel as adults. Freud paid less attention to later childhood or adulthood in his
theory.

Question about human nature

Freud had a rather pessimistic view of human nature. He believed that we are constantly
struggling with inner conflicts and tensions, particularly between the id (our primal desires) and
the ego and superego (which try to control these impulses). According to Freud, the ultimate goal
in life is to reduce tension, but this is often impossible, leaving us in a constant battle.

Freud saw human behavior as largely determined by early childhood experiences, with little
room for free will. He thought that much of our adult personality is shaped by events before the
age of five. However, he also believed that psychoanalysis could help people gain more control
over their lives by bringing unconscious thoughts into consciousness. Despite this, Freud had a
rather negative outlook on humanity, famously stating that most people were "trash."