23rd November 2023

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud’s account of moral development is closely related to other aspects of his psychoanalytic theory. In particular, the structural theory of the mind and the stages of psychosexual development.

Structural theory of the mind

Freud believed the mind or psychic apparatus comprises three parts: id, ego and superego. (Please note this is different from Freud’s topographical model of the mind, which is divided into three regions: the conscious system, the preconscious system and the unconscious system – Illustrated in the Interpretation of Dreams).

The id: ‘contains everything that is inherited, that is present at birth, that is laid down in the constitution, and above all, therefore, the instincts’ (Freud, 1923). The two major id instincts are sexuality and aggression. The id is governed by the pleasure principle.

The ego: can be thought of as the ‘executive’ part of the personality, the planning, decision-making, rational and logical part of us. It is governed by the reality principle. While the id demands immediate gratification of our needs and impulses, the ego will postpone satisfaction until the appropriate time and place. The ego spans all three topographical dimensions – conscious, preconscious and unconscious. Logical and abstract thinking and verbal expression are associated with the conscious and preconscious function of the ego, whereas the defence mechanisms reside in the unconscious part of the ego. ‘The ego represents reason and common sense, in contrast to the id, which contains the passions’ (Freud, 1923).

The superego: the third component of the tripartite structural model, the superego, establishes and maintains an individual’s moral conscience on the basis of a complex system of ideals and values internalised from parents. The components of the superego are the ego-ideal and the conscience. The ego-ideal promises the ego rewards (pride and high self-esteem) for good behaviour, whereas the conscience threatens the ego with punishment (in the form of guilt) for bad behaviour. These correspond to the rewarding and punishing parents, respectively. Freud viewed the superego as the heir to the Oedipus complex (discussed later in this chapter). Children internalise parental values and standards at about the ages of 5 or 6 years. The superego then acts as an agency that provides ongoing scrutiny of a person’s behaviour, thoughts and feelings.

Freud’s stages of psychosexual development

• Oral Stage (0 to 18 months) – Earliest stage of development where infants’ needs, perception and modes of expression are primarily centred in the mouth, lips, tongue and other organs related to the oral zone and around the sucking reflex. Two substages– incorporative and aggressive. Envy and jealousy are often associated with oral traits. Successful resolution provides a sense of self reliance and self-trust. The ego develops at this stage.
• Anal stage (1 ½ to 3 years) – Anal cavity and sphincter muscles are the main source of pleasure. Two substages– expulsion and retention. Anal characteristics are defences are typically seen in obsessive-compulsive neuroses. Also, ambivalence and sadomasochistic tendencies are associated. Successful resolution provides the basis for the development of personal autonomy.
• Phallic stage (3 to 5 yrs) – Genitals become organs of interest; masturbation-like activity noted. Children become aware of anatomical sex differences. Which marks the onset of the Oedipus complex. The name derives from the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, in which Oedipus kills his father to marry his mother. Both boys and girls experience conflicting emotions in relation to their parents. How successfully these conflicts are resolved is crucial for future personality development. Several important concepts related to this stage are discussed later in this chapter. Abraham divided this into early partial genital (true phallic phase) and later mature genital phase.
• Latency stage (5 to puberty approx. 11yrs) – The sexual preoccupation of earlier stages are repressed. Socialisation and interest in peers are seen. Sexual energy sublimated towards school work, hobbies and friends. Superego develops in this stage, and the balance between the id, ego and superego is greater than at any other time in a child’s life.
• Genital stage (puberty onwards) – Latency represents the calm before the storm of puberty. The relative harmony within the child’s personality is disrupted by the id’s powerful new demands in the form of heterosexual desires; genital sexuality is born.

The Oedipus complex, identification and the superego

A boy, like a girl, takes his mother as his first love-object. Starting at about three, a boy’s love for his mother becomes increasingly passionate. The boy is also jealous of his father, who already ‘possesses’ her, and wants him out of the way so that he can have his mother all to himself. However, his father is bigger and more powerful, and he eventually becomes afraid that his father will punish him by cutting off his penis (fear of castration/castration anxiety). He reaches this conclusion partly from the observation that females don’t have a penis. To resolve the dilemma, the boy represses his desire for his mother and his hostility towards his father and identifies with his father (identification with the aggressor). With this, the boy acquires his superego and male role.

As for a girl, the Oedipus complex (sometimes referred to as the Electra complex) begins with the belief that she has already been castrated. She blames her mother for the loss and wants what males have (penis envy). Of note, the idea of penis envy was interpreted by later researchers as a girl’s yearning for a boy’s social status. Freud was less sure about how the girl internalised her mother and acquired identification and superego. He suggested the girl may fear the loss of her mother’s love. To keep the mother alive in her, she internalises her and becomes the nice girl she wants her to be (anaclitic identification). Freud said the motive being less powerful in the girl, she develops a weaker superego.

His claim that females have a weaker superego and their identity as separate independent persons is less developed in Freud’s study, which was criticised by later researchers.

Case study on Oedipus complex

Freud cited his case study involving Little Hans (1909) in support of his theory of the Oedipus complex. The 5-year-old developed a phobia of being bitten by a horse, which Freud interpreted as a fear of castration. The case of Little Hans was particularly important because he was Freud’s only child patient. Though his particular claim regarding ‘Little Hans’ was not well supported with evidence, later research suggested attachment studies, such as by Bolwby (1973), provided a good deal of support for the basic psychoanalytic hypothesis that the quality of a child’s earliest relationships affect the whole course of later development (Bee, 2000) remain as a lasting legacy of Freud’s moral developmental study.

References

• Gross, R. (2020). Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour (8th ed.). Hodder.
• Freud, S. (1989). The ego and the id. TACD Journal, 17(1), 5–22. The translation of the classic text was originally published in German in 1923.
• Freud, S. The Interpretation of Dreams. Translated by A.A. Brill, Wordsworth Editions, 1997. Edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. (2007). Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. New York: Chelsea House