-By Timothy Lyons
The life’s work of Sigmund Freud forms the basis of Freudian Psychology or Freudian Psychotherapy. Freud is credited as the founder of talk therapy. He was a trained neurologist who became famous for his theories. These theories included transference and counter transference, psycho-sexual stages of development, the psyche and structure of unconscious thought and defense mechanisms. His work was instrumental in the beginnings of talk therapy and the use of analysis to bring about catharsis. He is the founding father of psychoanalysis which is a methodology in the treatment of mental illness. Psychoanalysis is sometimes called the talking cure. It probably came about because he used to have his patients sit for long periods on his couch, so they could talk about anything that came to their mind.
The popularity of his work is evident in today’s society. Terms that he presented to society through his Freudian Psychology are now used in everyday language. These terms are often cited such as the Freudian slip, denial and repression.
What is Freudian Psychology?
Freudian psychology was known for its views about the structure of the mind. Freud categorized the structure of the mind in three parts. First there is the conscious mind, this is the area that is in the here and now and focus of current attention. Next, Freud looked at the pre-conscious mind. In addition, this is the area that can be readily retrieved in the conscious state. Last, is the area known as the subconscious mind. This is the area of most interest because it is the deepest part of the mind that was inaccessible and needed to be seen in order for a person to overcome their neuroses. In the area of the subconscious mind, all of the most painful memories awaited to be explored. In Freudian Psychology, the idea is to bring the subconscious out to the conscious level through talk.
The Psyche – id, ego, superego
In his later work Freud brought together his theories and refined them. He coined the terms Id, Ego, and Superego. These were the terms that he now used to describe the minds structure… These were Freudian Psychology terms for the actual structure of the mind.
The id is the area of the mind that is unorganized and contains the basic human needs and instinctual drives. It is present from birth. This area contains the body’s wants, desires and impulses especially in the area of sexual needs. From this area Freud coined the term pleasure principal. This is the forces of the mind that seeks instant gratification.
The ego is the area that mediates between reality and the primitive impulses of the id. It is defined by the external world. The ego is the rational or executive function of the mind that regulates the ids impulse. It can be said that when the id cries for something it is the ego that finds a way to satisfy that urge prosocially. The conscious processes that occur in the mind are contained in the ego. The ego is the area of the mind that struggle between reality and the id and super-ego.
The super-ego is the area of the mind that develops when we are young. It is the area of the brain that attempts to make us act in a moral and prosocial manner. It is the area of the brain that makes a person feel guilt for not acting ethically, morally and legally.
In conclusion, Freud was a forerunner in the psychotherapy community. His work has formed the basis for many current theories. Whether the theory agrees with Freudian Psychology or not, or whether they theories attempt to prove or disprove Freud’s ideas, the importance of his work cannot be minimized