Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalysis Theory

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed the Psychoanalysis theory when he was a practitioner. He believed that our mental problems and behavior could be traced beyond our conscious self control. There are three structures in our mind; ID, ego, and superego. ID creates the demands in our minds, which operates our unconscious level and the source of our emotions. Ego tries to satisfy the ID’s needs, but they compete with each other over control and our behavior. The ego also tries to put the demands caused by ID into larger context using reality.

Moving on to superego, it tries to suppress the ID and make the ego behave. Superego is the feeling of emotion and guilt. There are stages in our lives that ID, ego and superego control our behavior. Freud believed we were born with ID. An example, a newborn baby needing food. If we don’t feed a baby right away they begin to cry. They cry because they have no patience, which is where the ID comes into play demanding what it wants immediately.

The next stage is the anal stage. Our ego is now in the picture.

We develop this stage when we become a toddler, 18 months to 3 years old. We are now able to be a little more patient, when we need to go to the bathroom, we are able to hold it until we get there. Next is the Phallic stage. The Phallic stage is the recognition of sexuality. The superego is now in effect and we receive this between the ages of 3 to 6 years old.

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Kids are now aware of the difference of males and females. Around the age of 6 is when we get into the latent stage. During this stage there is little or no sexual motivation. Freud believed that some kids could get stuck in this phase and it could potentially result in inability to fulfill relationships in the future as an adult. Lastly, the genital stage. This stage comes when you hit puberty until the day of death. We now are interested in the opposite sex and develop sexual interests. Once older and more mature, we notice that we can control some of these effects. Although, unconscious thoughts can also go to the conscious mind and we can say things that we don’t mean. That is known as the Freudian slips. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis is still being used today in psychology, although not everyone is on board with his theories.