UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA

SEMESTER 2024/2025 A241

SSYAK1013 (GROUP A)
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

TITLE :
Psychoanalytic Theory

PREPARED BY :
56. SITI NOOR FATIMAH BINTI SHAMSUL
NO. MATRIC : 303961

PREPARED FOR :
DR SANA ANWAR LASHARI
INTRODUCTION
According to libby (2023), psychoanalytic theory is to emphasizes the
significance of childhood development to understanding your present self. This theory
also help you understand your behaviours, relationships, and motivations.
Psychoanalytic theory is all about the unconscious mind and this will effect the
everyday behaviour when you find yourself drawn to certain activities or people.
These will make you discover your hidden desires and fears that drive your choice.
This theory makes you understanding defences mechanisms and help you manage the
uncomfortable emotions and thoughts.

In addition, this theory have tons of public figure that founded and develop
this theory to match with the modern sciences and this theory still used at the moment.
The one who founded this theory is Sigmund Freud or known as the Father of
Psychoanalysis. There were many important figure in this theory such as Carl jung,
Erik Erikson, Alfred Adler, and etc. For example, Erik Erikson introduced that in this
theory,he introduced and described the characteristics of adolescent identity crisis
and the adult’s mid-life crisis.

Since this theory focuses on unconscious mind and the influence of early
childhood experience on personality and behaviour. I would like to explained more
about the unconscious mind because it is very interesting how humans have
something that they are not aware of and sometimes make decision after reconsidering
the unconscious mind and conscious mind without they knowing it.

What is Psychoanalytic Theory ?

Psychoanalysis is a talking therapy that aims to treat a range of mental health

issues by investigating the relationship between the unconscious and conscious
elements of psychological experience using clinical techniques like free association
and dream interpretation (Pick, 2015). However, according to Jo Nash (2018),
psychoanalysis is much more than quirky approach to understanding the human mind.
It’s a specific form of talking therapy, grounded in complex theory of human
development and psychological functioning.
 Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis. He was born in Austria
and spent most of his life in Vienna (Gay,2006). Sigmund entered medical school and
studying to become neurologist eventually earning medical degree in 1881. After his
graduation, he build a private practises and began to treat his patients with
psychological problems. Sigmund interested in unconscious mind after his colleague
[Link] Breuer treating his patients, Anna O. She experiences a range of physical
symptoms with no apparent cause drew his attention (Breuer & Freud, 1895/2001).
According to Dr. Breuer, he found Anna o symptoms decrease when he helped her
recovering memories from traumatic experiences that she had in her unconscious
mind.
In 1899 Freud published a new work called the Interpretation of Dreams. In
this work, he described that dreams as a form of wish-fulfilment. By his formulations,
dreams were the results of the unconscious trying to resolve conflicts or express
desires that were not allowed and acknowledge by our conscious mind. Freud said
that he saw the preconscious mind as a kind of bodyguard because only non-
threatening thoughts were allowed in conscious mind.
Furthermore, in 1923 Freud published his important paper, 'The Ego and
the Id'. this work is the process when he further developed and elucidated his model
of the human mind, introducing his ‘Superego-Ego-Id’ formulation to supersede the
'conscious-preconscious-unconscious' structure described in The Interpretation of
Dreams ( Burton, 2015).

In addition, Sigmund Freud said that mind was divided into three layers or
regions like conscious, preconscious or subconscious, and unconscious. In conscious
state, its explained that we have all the thoughts, and memories of which we already
aware. This can make us think and talk rationally. In addition, preconscious consists
of anything that could possibly be brought into the concious mind. The unconscious
mind is a lot of feelings, thoughts, urge and memories that are outside of conscious
mind. Mostly, the unconscious minds contents are pain, anxiety and conflict.
Eventually Sigmund Freud made a clear structure model of mind that
explained his original ideas about conscious and unconscious processes (Gaztambide,
2021). According to this model, there is three components to the mind which is called
Id, Ego, and Superego. The id operates at an unconscious level as the two main
instinctive are Eros, or known as the survival instinct and Thanatos or death instinct
that make you violent and aggressive. The id is the basic primal part of personality
when we are born. It it the part of us that we desire we want to immediately fulfils a
need or desire. Later in the life it will becomes the deepest and unacceptable desires.
For an infant is all id.
Furthermore, the ego acts as the filter that works as both a conduit for and
check on our conscious drives. This is oriented to navigate reality and develop in
infancy. The ego begins to develop during the first three years of a child’s life.
Meanwhile the last component if personality develop start to emerge around the age
of five when the child do more interaction with others , and starts to learn the social
rules for right and wrong. Superego is the term that Freud give to conscious. This is
where morality and higher principle reside, encouraging us to act in socially and
morally acceptable ways (Pick, 2015).
Contrast to id and superego, the ego is the rational part of our personality.
This is the part that seen as our self and our personality that have seen by other. The
ego functioning by balancing the demands of id and superego in the context of reality.
The ego helps the id to satisfy its desire in a realistic way. There is always a conflict
between the id and superego because the id always wants the instant gratification no
matter what, but the superego tells that we must behave in a acceptable ways. Thus,
the ego jobs to find the solution in the middle.
Sigmund Freud said that someone who have strong ego, that can balance id
and superego has a healthy personality. If our is is dominated, we might become
narcissistic and impulsive but when your superego is strong, might always be
controlled by feelings like guilt. Conversel y if the superego weak, that person might
become a psychopath.

Furthermore, when you applying the psychoanalytic theory in everyday life it

helps you with self-reflection. Eventually you will contemplating your thoughts,
feelings and behaviours. This can open to our own self awareness and personal
growth. By then you can make concious or rational choices by align what is your true
desires and values. Moreover, knowing your unconscious mind, defences mechanisms
and childhood experiences helps you to navigate your life with awareness. This
explains the concepts of this theory in everyday life.
APPLICATION THEORY IN MY EXPERIENCE

At the end of my twelve years old, the age to attend examination for secondary
school, my parents both past away. My dad past away in 2014 even though I’m a
child at that time, I know what is happening and the grieve and sadness I felt is never
gone until suddenly in 2016 my mother past away too. I fell that my world crumbling
down and I’m nothing without them. What is in my head is all about dying, failing
and regretfulness. I’m also feels that it’s my fault that my mother dying because I
sleep with her at the night before he passed away in the morning. But I never
attempted to kill my self or let my self down because I know the feelings of losing
someone precious so I don’t want my siblings to feel it once more. That’s why I
pursue academic seriously and get flying colours to let my parents know that i’m fine
without them. This shows that the balance between my superego and id is a healthy
balance and my ego is strong enough to suppress both of the desire. My id wants me
to end my life and my superego feels with regretfulness and guilt because I’m not
noticing the moves of my mother or the sound of my mother before her takes her last
breath.
Another experience is when I thirteen years old, the first year going to the
school with the title of an orphan. People laughing, cat calling me whenever I walk
near their classroom, and make fun of me since i don’t have parents. My best friend
did that, she is the mastermind, she told people my situation and make fun on me on
my back. I endure that mental bullying but deep inside I actually struggle with
thoughts like should I just quit or is it really my fault they passed away. Every time I
went to school my thoughts full with quitting, regretfulness and shame. That moment,
there is a day my id and superego will be strong but before I take any action, my ego
rationalize all the thoughts.
REFERENCE

Breuer, J., & Freud, S. (2001). Studies on hysteria. In J. Strachey (Trans., Ed),
Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, Vol. 11 (1893-95).
Vintage. (Original work published 1895)

Burton, E. S. (2015). Sigmund Freud | Institute of Psychoanalysis.

[Link]; British Psychoanalytical Society.
[Link]

Gay, P. (2006). Freud: A life for our time. W.W. Nortan.

Gaztambide, D. J. (2021). A people’s history of psychoanalysis: from Freud to
liberation pschology. Lexington Books

libby. (2023, August 21). Applying psychoanalytic concepts in everyday life.

American Institute of Psychoanalysis: AIP.
[Link]
Ph.D, J. N. (2018, May 7). Psychoanalysis: A History of Freud’s Psychoanalytic
[Link].
[Link]
psychoanalytic-therapy
Pick, D. (2015). Psychoanalysis. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Traylor, J., Overstreet, L., & Lang, D. (2022). Psychodynamic Theory:
[Link],1(1).
[Link]
psychodynamic-theory/