Impact of Freud
and the Unconscious

by Kelly Alford



“the Father of Psychoanalysis”

• Proposed that the thought of free will is a delusion, we act according to repressed motives and not from consciousness. Iceburg theory: 90% is underneath the surface, not even aware of.

• Theory of the ego, id, and superego: each operate in a different level of consciousness
• Id- most primitive, motivated purely by fulfilling pleasure, demanding satisfaction now.
• Ego- balances between id and super-ego, more reality based.
• Superego- acts as the moral code, ultimate right and wrong.
• Dream Analysis: Freud believed to be an insight into the subconscious, the “royal road”.
• The Interpretation of Dreams (1899)
• Dream symbolism: the recurring themes in all people’s dreams, mostly pertaining to sexual orientation of some kind.
• Psychosexual Development: What Freud was known for and most criticized for.
• Stages of development including the Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital stages.
• Odeipus Complex/ Electra Complex: the jealousy between and child and his like-sex parent and competition in gaining attention from the opposite sex parent.
• Unconscious phallus desires (penis)- males fear of castration or loss of masculinity and females’ penis envy.
• Hypnosis
• Repression: the unconscious mind not being able to remember certain events. Mind’s defense mechanism, not allowing you to remember because your mind couldn’t handle it.
• Free Association: asking a patient to say whatever first comes to their mind.
• Transference: a patient interacting with their counselor as if they were someone else from their past or important in their life. Allows patient to reenact and resolve past conflicts.
• More defense mechanisms include: denial, isolation, displacement, projection, regression, rationalization, and sublimination.

Works Cited