Psychodynamix

There are four main Neo-Freudian psychologists: Erikson, Jung, Horney, and Adler. They all agreed with Freud’s basic concepts of id, ego, and superego, the importance of the unconscious, that our childhood shapes our personality, dynamic anxiety and the use of defense mechanisms. However, all these Neo-Freudian psychologists varied slightly from Freud’s path, each with their own ideas and principles. They tended to focus more on the conscious rather than unconscious and doubted Freud’s heavy concentration on sexual motives. These neo-Freudian psychologists all had different areas of concentration and their ideas and emphasis varied from each other considerably.

Erikson focused more on the influence of the physical and social environment on personality, as well as the individual’s personal history. He found that the ego can function independently and is the most important.

Unlike other neo-Freudians, Jung focused on the unconscious, coming up with analytical psychology, his own theories on the unconscious. He came up with a variation of Freud’s ideas of human psyche, ego, consciousness and unconsciousness. Jung also came up with describing our personality as a whole, the concept of the self.

Horney was one of the few female psychologists at the time. She focuses o the development of the child as being greatly influenced by their parents and the theory of self. She came up with three strategies go deal with neurosis. Horney had a strong disagreement with Freud’s Oedipus complex and her theory that girls do not only have penis envy, but guys have womb envy.

Lastly, Adler focused on childhood and social interactions. He had a strong focus on inferiority complexes, their causes, and ways people deal with them. He also developed the idea of ideal self and the real self. He further stressed the significance of when a child is born into a family.

I think that the neo-Freudian ideas were a lot more mundane and moderate compared to Freud’s theories. They seemed to take Freud down a notch, making his ideas more plausible and applicable. I really found Alder’s theories interesting, with his focus on inferiority. I do find that this is something that truly seems to strike the majority of people and is something that we must deal with daily, our self-esteem and negativity. Maybe I am exemplifying the false consensus effect, but I truly feel that everyone has at least a slight inferiority complex and try to suppress or rid themselves of these feelings by ways suggested by Alder.