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Sigmund Freud

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Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud’s theories included the conscious and unconscious mind, the id, ego, and superego, life and death instincts, psychosexual development, and defense mechanisms.
According to Freud, the mind is divided into two parts: the conscious and the unconscious mind. The conscious mind includes everything we are aware of. We are able to think and talk about these things rationally. Our memory is a part of this, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time. This ordinary memory is called the preconscious. The unconscious mind is full of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside our conscious awareness. Most of these things are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences (Krapp, 2005).
The id is driven by the pleasure principle. This principle strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not met immediately, we may become anxious or tense. The ego develops from the id and helps express the feelings of the id in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego operates based on the reality principle. The superego helps give us a sense of right and wrong. It provides guidelines for making judgments
The 5 stages of psychosexual development are the oral (infancy to about 18 months), anal (about 18 months to 2 years), phallic (about ages 2 to 6), latency (about ages 6 to 12), and genital (about ages 12 to 18) stages. If these stages are completed successfully, a person will have a healthy personality. Fixation can occur if certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage. Until this conflict is resolved, a person may remain in this particular stage (Krapp, 2005).
In the video a young girl is interviewed. The girl seems to be 3-4 years old. She is being asked questions about her feelings and the



Cited: Krapp, K. (2005). Freud, Sigmund Schlomo. Psychologists and their theories for students, 1, 145. doi: Gale Virtual Reference Library. Downey, J. A., Garry, S. E., & McDevitt, T. M. (2006). Observing children and adolescents (three volume CD set): Guided interactive practice in understanding development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall (9780131397958).

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