Personality as a psychophysiological being. Z. Freud's theory of personality.

Concepts of personality in Western psychology.

SOME CONCEPTS OF PERSONALITY IN PSYCHOLOGY.

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5. For what purpose could reforms be carried out in Russia?

SECTION 3. THEORIES OF PERSONALITY IN PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY.

The purpose of this section is to give a clearer idea of ​​the difference between the psychological and sociological approaches to describing a person. It gives a brief description of a number of concepts of personality in psychology, built on fundamentally different basic ideas, and also describes the role concept of personality (as a sociological one in its own right).

The largest number of different theories of personality put forward in psychology. At the same time, a number of approaches to the description of this phenomenon fundamentally differ from each other. Thus, J. Piaget describes a personality primarily as a spiritual and intellectual being, highlighting the stages of development of its cognitive abilities. Z. Freud considers it as a psycho-physiological being, correlating the process of personality development with the stages of pleasure received by the individual in the process of ontogenesis. L. Kolberg analyzes it as a moral being (coming closer in this sense to I. Kant), highlighting the stages understanding and experience good and evil. There are attempts to describe structure personalities (for example, the models of Russian researchers K.K. Platonov and V.A. Bogdanov) or reveal mechanisms of formation of personal structures(the concept of "mirror self" J. G. Mead or the stage of formation of personal identity E. Erickson).

Western psychology contains a whole arsenal of different theories of personality. Let us consider some of them in more detail, noting that their main content is taken from the works of L. Hjell and D. Ziegler [Hjell, Ziegler. 1997], N. Smelzer [Smelzer. 1994], L.F. Obukhova [Obukhov. 1995], as well as some others.

Freud's views on personality structure changed over the course of his life. In the early period of his scientific and practical activity, Freud, acting as a psychoanalyst, applied the so-called topographic model personal structure. It is based on the idea that the functioning of the psyche can proceed at different levels of awareness. Depending on the level, three areas of the psyche can be distinguished: consciousness, preconscious and unconscious.



In the field consciousness there are those of our thoughts, experiences, sensations and perceptions that we are able to realize in a given period of time. So, in the field of our consciousness, there can be simultaneously the thoughts of the author of the book we are reading, the itching of the skin after a mosquito bite, feelings of cold or thirst that bother us. According to Freud, a very small part of mental activity can be in the sphere of consciousness. Consciousness selectively retains the information that the psyche produces, and attention switches from one object of the psyche to another, obeying to a large extent the influence of external signals.

In the area of preconscious there is that experience which, although not realized at the moment, can easily become the object of consciousness, either as a result of a small effort of the will, or spontaneously. This is the "available memory" area. A person can quite easily remember people who are significant to him (friends, loved ones), poems learned in childhood, food eaten at today's breakfast, etc. Freud believed that the preconscious provides a link between the conscious and the unconscious in the human psyche.

Region unconscious- the deepest side of the human psyche. It stores primitive and powerful instinctual urges, as well as feelings and memories that threaten consciousness. That is why they were repressed and forced into the sphere of the unconscious. It removed traumatic childhood memories, unfulfilled sexual desires, hostile feelings towards loved ones.

In the early 1920s, Freud revised this conceptual model and proposed a different one, which is known as structural model mental activity, introducing three main elements into the personality structure - Id, Ego and Superego. It is this model that is usually meant when talking about the structure of the personality according to Freud, although he himself was inclined to consider these three elements rather as some kind of mental processes than structural parts of the personality.

The levels of the psyche in the topographic model and the named elements of the structural model do not coincide with each other. Only the id functions entirely in the realm of the unconscious. As for the Ego and Superego, they operate at all levels of the psyche, i.e. conscious, preconscious and unconscious. In literature in Russian, Id is often denoted by the word "It", Ego - "I", Superego - "Super-I", since they are formed from the corresponding Latin roots.

Id. According to Freud, Id means the most original, instinctive, innate aspects of the psyche, acts entirely in the unconscious and is associated with natural needs (food, sleep, defecation, copulation). Id is an intermediary between bodily and mental processes in the body and draws its energy directly from bodily processes. Need-driven urges of the id give energy to human behavior. The id is free from any prohibitions and rules and, being the oldest, primitive structure of the psyche, expresses the very first principle of human life - the immediate discharge of psychic energy produced by biologically determined impulses. The latter, if for some reason they do not find relaxation and are restrained, create tension in mental functioning. And the discharge of tension causes a feeling of pleasure. The id seeks pleasure and functions on the basis of pleasure principle. The id does not know fear, anxiety, and therefore does not resort to precautions in achieving the goal, which, according to Freud, can be dangerous both for the individual and for society.

According to Freud, the id releases tension from the personality through two mechanisms: reflex action and primary processes. The first mechanism means an automatic response of the id to the action of an excitation signal, as a result of which the tension caused by the stimulus is relieved. Examples of such reflex mechanisms are sneezing or tears in case of mechanical irritation of the nose or eyes, yawning in case of lack of oxygen in the body, etc. But reflex actions do not always reduce the level of tension. Reflex sucking on a pacifier cannot satisfy a child's hunger. In such cases, it is possible to launch another mechanism - the primary processes of representation, when the id forms a mental image of an object associated with the satisfaction of a basic need. A hungry child may have an image of the mother's breast or a bottle of milk. At

adults have all sorts of hallucinations, dream pictures.

But the primary processes by themselves are also unable to satisfy the real need. With their help, it is impossible to distinguish between real objects and their images (for example, water and its mirage by a traveler in the desert). Mixing real objects and their images can be deadly. Therefore, a mental structure is needed that allows the infant to distinguish between the real and the imaginary, and on this basis to restrain the satisfaction of primary needs until the right moment (the appearance of real objects). Gradually, young children learn that in addition to their own needs and desires, there is an outside world. As this knowledge emerges, a second structure of the personality arises - the Ego.

Ego- the structure of the psyche responsible for decision-making. The ego seeks to satisfy the requirements of the id in accordance with the limitations imposed by reality. Unlike the id, which operates on the basis of the pleasure principle, the ego functions on the basis of reality principle, the meaning of which is the self-preservation of the organism by postponing the satisfaction of needs until the right moment (finding an object, the presence of appropriate conditions in the outside world, as well as the proper method). The ego is a product of the Id, from the latter it receives its structure and functions and borrows from it part of the energy for its own activities.

The need to correlate their instinctive needs with the realities of the outside world encourages a person to remember, learn, think, reason, make decisions. The reality principle introduces a measure of reasonableness into human behavior. The ego, unlike the id, distinguishes between fantasy and reality, changes depending on new experience, is engaged in cognitive activity, and is able to withstand moderate stress. With the help of logical thinking (or secondary process, as Freud called it) The ego directs behavior in a direction that is safe for the individual and others.

However, security is not the only condition for a normal life in society. In order for a person to "fit" into the world around him, he needs to coordinate his behavior with the norms and values ​​of society. Therefore, one more, higher level of the psyche is required, the presence of which allows the individual to combine himself with the real society. This component, according to Freud, is called the superego.

Superego- the version of social norms and principles of behavior learned by the individual, which also reflects the values ​​accepted in society. Norms, principles and values ​​are acquired in the process of "socialization", as a result of which the Superego is formed. It appears when children begin to be interested in the problem of “what is good and what is bad” and learn to gradually distinguish good deeds from bad and right from wrong (approximate age is from 3 to 5 years).

At the very beginning, the Superego reflects only parental demands and expectations regarding good and bad behavior. The child learns to evaluate his actions in accordance with these requirements and to coordinate his behavior with them. As the social world of the child expands (kindergarten, school, peer groups), the norms and requirements of various social groups, and ultimately society as a whole, fall into the sphere of the Superego. The superego is something like the "collective conscience" of society, although the child may perceive social values ​​in a distorted way.

According to Freud, the superego has two subsystems: conscience and ego-ideal. Conscience arises as a result of parental punishment for "bad behavior". It includes the ability for critical self-assessment, the presence of moral prohibitions and a sense of guilt if the child did not do what he should have done. The ego-ideal is a consequence of the child's perception of what parents approve or highly value. It contributes to the fact that the individual sets high standards of behavior for himself. Achieving a high goal gives the child a sense of self-respect and pride.

The superego is fully formed by the time parental control is completely replaced by self-control. But the principle of self-control does not serve the reality principle at all. Superego directs a person to absolute perfection in thoughts and actions, inhibiting any id impulses that are contrary to the interests of society. In general, it tries to convince the ego of the superiority of idealistic goals over realistic ones.

Stages of personality development.

According to Freud, personality in its development goes through four successive stages: oral, anal, phallic and genital. In addition, he introduced into the general scheme of development the so-called latency period, which fills the time gap between the phallic and genital stages. The names of the stages are given in accordance with the main erogenous zones, i.e. parts of the body, which are the main sources of pleasure in a given period of development. The latent period is remarkable in that it does not have its own erogenous zone.

oral stage. It lasts from the moment the baby is born until about 18 months. During this period, the mouth is the main source of pleasure for the baby, the main erogenous zone. This is due to the fact that the satisfaction of the most important biological need - the need for food - is carried out through the mouth by sucking. The baby enjoys both satiation and sucking movements in and of themselves. Therefore, the mouth and the structures included in it become the main subject of interest and activity of the infant.

The oral stage ends when breastfeeding or tube feeding stops. At the same time, weaning is associated with some difficulties, since it deprives the child of the main and habitual pleasure.

anal stage. It lasts from about one and a half to three years. The anus (anus) becomes the main erogenous zone, which is associated with the development of the child's ability to control the excretion processes. This ability is basically a natural result of the neuro-somatic development of the child, but parents also play an important role in its formation, accustoming the child to the potty. Children can enhance the pleasure of defecation by delaying bowel movements. At this stage, the child must learn to harmonize the requirements of the Id (the pleasure of defecation) with the restrictions emanating from the parents (the choice of a suitable place and time, the requirements of neatness, and, ultimately, self-control of the excretion processes). According to Freud, a person's further ability to control and self-control originates in the anal stage.

phallic stage. At the age of three to six, a child, according to Freud, has a new erogenous zone - the genital area. During phallic stage children show interest in issues related to childbearing and sexual relations, they can explore the genitals, masturbate. The main source of pleasure is the penis or clitoris.

At this time, the boys are experiencing a conflict, which is called Oedipus complex. Freud borrowed the structure of this complex from the tragedy of Sophocles "Oedipus Rex", in which Oedipus first unintentionally kills his father, and then marries his mother, entering into an incestuous relationship with her, and becomes the king of Thebes. Upon learning of the monstrous sin he had committed, Oedipus blinded himself. The ancient Greek myth described in the tragedy, Freud considered a symbolic reflection of one of the greatest mental conflicts in human life. The myth symbolizes the subconscious desire of every child to have a parent of the opposite sex and at the same time eliminate the parent of the same sex with him. A similar conflict experienced by girls is called Elektra complex. Elektra, a character from one of the Greek myths, persuades her brother Orestes to kill their mother along with her lover in order to avenge the death of their father.

The Oedipus complex in boys proceeds approximately as follows. From the moment of birth, the mother is the main source of satisfaction for the boy. Later, he transfers his sexual aspirations to her, wants to possess her. He perceives his father as a competitor, preventing him from getting genital satisfaction, therefore, his father becomes his main rival or enemy. Rivalry entails fear, because the boy "knows" that he occupies a lower position compared to his father and cannot compete with him on equal terms. The boy is afraid that his father will deprive him of his penis. Freud called the fear of imaginary retribution fear of castration.

Between five and seven years of age, the Oedipus complex is resolved by the fact that the boy suppresses(forces out of consciousness) his sexual aspirations in relation to his mother and begins identify(identify) with his father. As a result of the identification process, the boy learns values, norms, attitudes. male behavior, as well as the basic moral norms and locked, coming from the parents, which paves the way for the formation of the Superego, which turns out to be a consequence of the resolution of the oedipal complex.

A similar mental conflict proceeds in girls in a significantly different way. Initially, the mother is the first object of love for a girl in the same way as for a boy. But later, in the phallic stage, she realizes that she does not have a penis like her father or brother. She wants to have this organ, and according to Freud, she develops penis envy. She may feel inferior in some way compared to the boy and show hostility towards her mother for giving birth to her without a penis (or depriving her of it as punishment for some wrongdoing). She seeks to possess her father precisely because he has such an enviable organ. The absence of a penis focuses the girl's attention on the clitoris, which in fantasy replaces her penis, and clitoral masturbation brings sexual satisfaction.

According to Freud, the successful or unsuccessful resolution of both variants of the Oedipus complex (the Electra complex can be considered as a version of the Oedipus complex in girls) is of great importance for the appearance (or absence) of neuroses associated with impotence and frigidity.

Latent period. This is a period of sexual calm. It takes place in the interval from 6-7 years to the onset of puberty and is characterized by the fact that the libido energy is directed through sublimation into various activities that are not related to obtaining sexual pleasure - sports, study, communication with peers. Freud explained the decrease in sexual desire at this time partly by physiological changes in the body, partly by the appearance of the Ego and Superego in the structure of the psyche. New erogenous zones do not appear during this period, the sexual instinct is dormant, so it should not be considered a special stage of psychosexual development.

genital stage. It lasts from the onset of puberty until death. With the onset of it in adolescents, in addition to biochemical, physiological and somatic changes in the body, sexual and aggressive urges begin to appear again. Interest in the opposite sex is growing, awareness of this interest is growing. In the normal course of this stage, the individual experiences youthful passions, culminating in the choice of a marriage partner and the creation of a family. The main source of pleasure for a person becomes sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex, although the pleasures received from the former erogenous zones are preserved to some extent.

Notes on the concept. This concept is still one of the most popular both among the "educated public" and in the field of scientific psychology, which, I must say, is somewhat surprising. After all, even not too close attention to it shows the narrowness, if not poverty, of the principles on which it is built. And the following critical remarks arise.

First, it is doubtful that pleasure may be taken as foundations of all personality development. For example, since the time of Nietzsche, it has been known that a person can withstand any "How" if he has a "Why". In other words, a person needs sense its existence is no less than in the pleasure derived from life. This issue has been sufficiently studied by V. Frankl, who directly pointed out the fallacy of the Freudian concept. Indeed, according to Freud, under difficult conditions, the surface layer of culture would have to be “erased” from people, the differences between them, due to the difference in the assimilation of culture, should be destroyed, and the notorious lustful principle would come out. People would have to turn into a gray monotonous mass. However, in the conditions of the fascist concentration camp, everything happened exactly the opposite. Indeed, cultural differences were largely eliminated, but there was a sharp differentiation of some people from others, due to their personal beginning. Not only villains and sinners appeared, but also saints [Frankl. 1990].

Secondly, the idea that a person gets pleasure only on the bodily plane, only through the erogenous zones, is even somewhat ridiculous. Even Plato, touching upon the problem of pleasure, noted that it can be obtained through various types of activities and with the help of various phenomena (philosophers-rulers from intellectual pursuits, guards-warriors from honor, and representatives of the productive class from owning things and gaining benefits (“money lovers” M.Polani talks about the incredible delight that seized I.Kepler after he discovered his laws of motion of celestial bodies [Polani, 1985, p.26]. indignant and defeat the enemy "[see: Kychanov. 1995, p. 19], and for him there is no image of the Miserly Knight, enjoying the accumulated treasures. In theoretical terms, Freud takes a step back compared to Plato, from whom he probably borrowed idea of ​​the Id (Plato's "lustful beginning"), but did not try to include the Platonic "furious beginning" in the theoretical construction, probably because he was unknown or misunderstood tna ancient wisdom that "devoid of anger" cannot "be considered a man" (Mahabharata. 1976, p. 261). In general, if we are talking about choosing a single beginning or principle for constructing a theoretical model of personality, then pleasure can hardly become this principle. Indeed, in this case, a person is likened to an animal. In addition, pleasure is just an element of the life process. And in order to "capture" this process in a holistic way, one should probably proceed from the idea that any living being, any subject must, first of all, establish itself in the world, somehow realize itself in it, and everything else - after.

Thirdly, if we touch on some essential particulars, then the idea that the Superego is just the result of the successful resolution of the Oedipus complex is also doubtful (even if we agree that this complex really exists). If we remember that in a herd of animals (including a herd of higher primates), the leader often takes on the protection of females and cubs, and this is associated with self-sacrifice, then it is logical to assume the presence of some “innate nobility”. For it is hard to believe that some kind of primal superego arose in the leader as a result of the resolution of the primordial oedipal complex in the young male. In general, the very word “noble” carries in itself precisely that shade of meaning that the person to whom it refers, precisely in the way of thinking, in the structure of the soul, is higher than the majority. Moreover, this “height of the spirit” is an innate quality.

Perhaps the Freudian conception of personality somehow “captures” certain flawed aspects of the human psyche. But, obviously, it cannot serve as a reflection of the normal development of the individual. In general, the reliability of the scientific data on which Freud based his concept is doubtful, since, as they say, Freud offered drugs to his patients [Dolphin. 2000, p5]. On the whole, it is generally inapplicable in sociology, since it does not even contain a hint of a person as a being participating in an activity exchange.

CHAPTER 1.

PSYCHODYNAMIC DIRECTION IN THE THEORY OF PERSONALITY

PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY OF S. FREUD

Purpose: to teach understanding of the main provisions of the psychoanalytic theory of Z. Freud in terms of its influence on the psychodynamic direction in personality theory.

Tasks: form view

· about the main research in the field of the unconscious before the psychoanalytic theory of Z. Freud.

  • about the main facts of the biography of Z. Freud and about the stages of development of his scientific and practical activities.
  • about the structure of personality according to Z. Freud as a unity of three interrelated components: It (ID); I (EGO); Super-I (SUPER-EGO)
  • about the instincts of life and death (libido and mortido) in the theory of Z. Freud.
  • about the function of anxiety in the concept of psychoanalysis by Z. Freud.
  • about psychological defense mechanisms:

(repression, projection, substitution, rationalization, reactive formation, regression, denial, sublimation.)

  • about the stages of psychosexual development of personality:

1. Oral 0-18 months

2. Anal 1-3 years old,

3. phallic 3-6 years

4. latent -6-12 years

5. genital 12-22 years

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Freud Sigmund - Austrian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst. Born May 6, 1856 in the small Austrian town of Freiberg, Moravia (on the territory of modern Czech Republic), lived most of his life in Vienna. Received a classical education. In 1873 he entered the medical faculty of the University of Vienna. During his studies, he was influenced by the famous psychologist Ernst Brücke, whose ideas were later developed in Freud's views on the dynamics of mental functioning. Freud was distinguished by extraordinary ambition, which pushed him to make some discovery that could bring him fame already in his student years.

After receiving his medical degree in 1881, Freud took a position at the Institute of Brain Anatomy, where he studied the morphophysiology of the central nervous system.

In 1885, Freud, thanks to a research scholarship received, trained in Paris with one of the most prominent neurologists of that time, Jean Charcot. Using suggestion and hypnosis, Charcot sought the appearance or, conversely, the disappearance of hysterical symptoms in his patients. These clinical demonstrations made a deep impression on Freud. He returned to Vienna and switched to research in the field of psychopathology.



Freud's first work appeared in 1895. It was devoted to the topic of the emergence of hysterical symptoms from repressed childhood traumatic experiences. This moment can be called the year of the foundation of psychoanalysis and the beginning of the formation of psychoanalytic theory.

Freud's claims that many mental disorders were rooted in sexual problems led to his expulsion from the University of Vienna. Between 1860 and 1900, Freud went into intense introspection, which resulted not only in personal growth, but also in the first and most revolutionary work based on his own experience. The book The Interpretation of Dreams was ignored by the conservative scientific community, but this did not stop Freud from further developing the psychoanalytic concept. The period 1901 - 1905 became especially creative. A number of works have been published on the study of sexuality, psychopathology and personality structure.

In 1909 he became a triumph for Freud. The series of lectures delivered in the USA was very well received and paved the way for international recognition of the psychoanalytic concept. Freud achieved great fame, his figure became truly iconic. Patients from almost all over the world signed up for his consultations. However, the death of his 26-year-old daughter and fear for the fate of his two sons who fought at the front overshadowed his triumphal procession. Partly influenced by the atmosphere of the First World War, the 64-year-old Freud supplements his theory with the existence of a universal human instinct - the desire for death. Books of that period are distributed in huge circulations around the world: "The Future of One Illusion", "Beyond the Pleasure Principle", "I and It". Freud was an exceptionally gifted writer, as evidenced by his award of the Goethe Prize for Literature in 1930.

The rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s also had a strong influence on his views on the social nature of man. Shortly after the invasion of Vienna by the Nazis, Freud flees to England.

The last years of Freud's life were difficult. Since 1923, he suffered from a cancerous tumor of the pharynx and jaw, but stubbornly refused any kind of medicine, at the same time, smoking up to 20 Cuban cigars a day.

Freud died on September 23, 1939 in London, leaving behind numerous students and one of the most revolutionary psychological theories.

STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY ACCORDING TO S. FREUD

For a long time, Freud applied a topographic model of personality, in which he identified three main components: conscious, subconscious, unconscious. Consciousness - sensations and experiences that are realized by a person at a given particular moment in time. The area of ​​the subconscious is a set of experiences that are not currently conscious, but potentially activated by conscious effort. Unconscious - a set of primitive instincts, emotions and memories, latently, unconsciously affecting human behavior.

In the early 1920s, Freud revised his conceptual model of mental life and introduced three main structures into the anatomy of personality: Id, Ego, Superego. Moreover, it is assumed that these three components are rather not structural units, but parallel processes.

Although each of these areas of the personality has its own functions, properties, components, principles of operation, dynamics and mechanisms, they interact so closely that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle their lines of influence and weigh their relative contribution to human behavior. Behavior almost always appears as a product of the interaction of these three systems; extremely rarely one of them works without the other two.

It (id)- a set of innate, primitive instincts (drives) that fill any behavior with energy. Freud considered the Id as an intermediary between somatic and mental processes in the body, drawing energy from bodily processes and feeding the psyche with this energy.

Here is the original system of the personality: it is the matrix in which the Ego and the Superego are subsequently differentiated. The id includes everything mental that is innate and present at birth, including instincts. The id is a reservoir of psychic energy and provides energy for the other two systems. Id is closely connected with bodily processes, from where it draws its energy. Freud called the id "true psychic reality" because it reflects the inner world of subjective experiences and is unaware of objective reality.

When the energy builds up, the id cannot stand it, which is experienced as an uncomfortable state of tension. Therefore, when the body's tension level rises - either as a result of external stimulation or internal arousal - the id acts in such a way as to immediately relieve tension and return the body to a comfortable constant and low energy level. The principle of stress reduction, on the basis of which Id operates, is called the pleasure principle.

In order to fulfill its task - to avoid pain, to get pleasure - the id has two processes. it reflex action and primary process. Reflex actions are innate automatic responses such as sneezing and blinking; they usually relieve tension immediately. The body is equipped with a number of such reflexes in order to cope with relatively simple forms of excitation. The primary process involves a more complex reaction. He is trying to release energy through the creation of an image of the object, in connection with which, the energy will move. For example, the primary process will give a hungry person a mental image of food. A hallucinatory experience in which the desired object is presented as a memory image is called wish fulfillment. The best example of a primary process in a healthy person is the dream, which, according to Freud, always represents the fulfillment or attempted fulfillment of a wish. The hallucinations and visions of psychotics are also examples of the primary process. Autistic thinking is brightly colored by the action of the primary process. These wish-fulfilling mental images are the only reality known to the id.

Obviously, the primary process alone is not capable of relieving tension. The hungry cannot eat the image of food. Consequently, a new, secondary mental process develops, and with its appearance, the second personality system, the Ego, begins to take shape.

Ego (I)- a component of the mental apparatus responsible for decision-making. The ego seeks to satisfy the needs of the organism in accordance with the restrictions imposed by the outside world. The ego obeys principle of reality the purpose of which is to preserve the integrity of the organism, by delaying the satisfaction of instincts until the moment when the possibility of achieving a discharge of tension in a suitable way is found. Freud called this process secondary process.

Ego appears due to the fact that the needs of the organism require appropriate interactions with the world of objective reality. A hungry person must seek, find and eat food before the tension of hunger is reduced. This means that a person must learn to distinguish between the image of food that exists in memory and the actual perception of food that exists in the external world. When this differentiation is done, it is necessary to transform the image into perception, which is carried out as the location of food in the environment. In other words, a person correlates the image of food existing in memory with the sight or smell of food coming through the senses. The main difference between the Id and the Ego is that the Id knows only subjective reality, while the Ego distinguishes between internal and external.

They say, that the ego obeys reality principle and operates through a secondary process. The purpose of the reality principle is to prevent the discharge of tension until an object suitable for satisfaction is found. The reality principle temporarily suspends the operation of the pleasure principle, although, ultimately, when the desired object is found and the tension is reduced, it is the pleasure principle that is “served”. The reality principle is concerned with the question of the truth or falsity of an experience—that is, whether it has external existence—while the pleasure principle is concerned only with whether the experience brings suffering or vice versa.

The secondary process is realistic thinking. Through a secondary process, the ego formulates a plan to meet the needs and then puts it to the test - usually by some action - to see if it works. Hungry man thinks about where food can be found, and then begins to look for it there. It is called reality check. In order to play its part satisfactorily, the ego controls all cognitive and intellectual functions; these higher mental processes serve the secondary process.

The ego is called the executive organ of the personality, because it opens the door to action, selects from the environment what the action must correspond to, and decides which instincts must be satisfied and how. In carrying out these extremely important executive functions, the ego has to try to integrate the often conflicting commands from the id, the superego, and the outside world. This is not an easy task, often keeping the ego on its toes.

However, it should be borne in mind that the Ego - this organized part of the id - appears in order to follow the goals of the id and not frustrate them, and that all its strength is drawn from the id. The ego has no existence separate from the id, and in an absolute sense is always dependent on it. Its main role is to be an intermediary between the instinctive demands of the organism and environmental conditions; its highest purpose is to keep the organism alive and see the species reproduce.

Superego (Super-I)- the third and last developing system of personality, an internalized model of social norms and standards of behavior. This is a moral - ethical structure that appears when a child begins to distinguish between "right" and "wrong", the result of upbringing and social training. Each act of a person is evaluated by this "internal censor".

The superego is an internal representation of the traditional values ​​and ideals of society as they are interpreted for the child by the parents and forcibly instilled through rewards and punishments applied to the child. The superego is the moral force of the individual, it represents an ideal rather than a reality, and serves improvement rather than pleasure. Its main task is to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of something, based on the moral standards sanctioned by society.

The superego, as the internalized moral arbiter that accompanies the individual, develops in response to parental rewards and punishments. In order to receive rewards and avoid punishment, the child learns to build his behavior in accordance with the requirements of the parents. What is considered wrong and for which the child is punished is incorporated into conscience - one of the subsystems of the superego. What they approve and reward the child for is included in his ego ideal - another subsystem of the Superego. The mechanism of both processes is called introjection. The child accepts, or introjects, the moral norms of the parents. Conscience punishes a person, making him feel guilty, the ego-ideal rewards him, filling him with pride. With the formation of the Superego, self-control takes the place of parental control.

The main functions of self-control: 1) to prevent id impulses, in particular, sexual and aggressive impulses, because their manifestations are condemned by society; 2) "persuade" the Ego to change realistic goals to moral ones and 3) fight for perfection. Thus, the Superego is in opposition to the Id and to the Ego and tries to build the world in its own image. However, the Superego is like the Id in its irrationality and like the Ego in its desire to control instincts. Unlike the ego, the superego does not just delay the satisfaction of instinctive needs, it constantly blocks them.

In conclusion of this brief review, it should be said that the Id, Ego and Superego should not be considered as some little men that control our personality. These are nothing more than names for various mental processes that obey systemic principles. Under normal circumstances, these principles do not contradict or cancel each other out. On the contrary, they work as a single team under the direction of the Ego. Personality normally functions as a whole, and not as something tripartite.

In a general sense, the id can be considered as the biological component of the personality, the ego as the psychological component, and the superego as the social component.

It is safe to say that the views of the outstanding Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud are at the origins of modern psychology. He is rightly called the "father" of modern psychology. Central to the early description of personality in the views of Z. Freud was the concept of unconscious mental processes. However, in the early 1920s, Freud revised his conceptual model of mental life and introduced three structures into the anatomy of personality: id, ego and superego.

eid

Id. The word "id" comes from the Latin "it" and, according to Freud, means exclusively primitive, instinctive and innate aspects of the personality. The id functions entirely in the unconscious and is closely related to the primary needs (food, sleep, defecation) that energize our behavior. According to Freud, the id is something dark, biological, chaotic, not knowing the laws, not obeying the rules. The id retains its central meaning for the individual throughout his life. Being the oldest initial structure of the psyche, the id expresses the primary principle of all human life - an immediate outburst of psychic energy produced by biologically determined impulses (especially sexual and aggressive ones). The immediate discharge of voltage is called pleasure principle. The id follows from this principle, expressing itself in an impulsive, selfish manner, with no regard for the consequences for others and in defiance of self-preservation. In other words, the id can be compared to a blind king, whose brutal power and authority make people obey, but in order to exercise power, he is forced to rely on his subjects.

Freud described two mechanisms by which the id relieves tension in the personality: reflex actions and primary processes. In the first case, the id responds automatically to excitation signals and thus immediately relieves the tension caused by the stimulus. Examples of such innate reflex mechanisms are coughing in response to irritation of the upper respiratory tract and tears when a mote enters the eye. However, it must be recognized that reflex actions do not always reduce the level of irritation or tension. So, not a single reflex movement will allow a hungry child to get food. When the reflex action fails to reduce the tension, another function of the id, called the primary representational process, comes into play. The id forms the mental image of an object originally associated with the satisfaction of a basic need. In the example of the hungry child, this process may evoke the image of a mother's breast or a bottle of milk. Other examples of the primary representational process are found in dreams, hallucinations, or psychoses.

Primary Processes- an illogical, irrational and fantasy form of human representations, characterized by an inability to suppress impulses and distinguish between real and unreal, “self” and “non-self”. The complexity of behavior in accordance with the primary process lies in the fact that the individual cannot distinguish between the actual object that can satisfy the need, and its image. For example, between water and a mirage of water for a person wandering through the desert. Therefore, Freud argued, it is an impossible task for an infant to learn to delay the satisfaction of its primary needs. The capacity for delayed gratification first occurs when young children realize that there is an outside world in addition to their own needs and desires. With the advent of this knowledge, the second structure of the personality, the ego, arises.

Ego

Ego (from the Latin “ego” - “I”) is a component of the mental apparatus responsible for making decisions. The ego seeks to express and satisfy the desires of the id in accordance with the restrictions imposed by the external world. The ego receives its structure and function from the id, evolves from it, and borrows some of the energy of the id for its own needs in order to meet the demands of social reality. Thus, the ego helps to ensure the safety and self-preservation of the organism. For example, a hungry person in search of food must distinguish between the image of food that appears in the representation and the image of food in reality. That is, a person must learn to get and consume food before the tension decreases. This goal makes a person learn, think, reason, perceive, decide, remember, etc. Accordingly, the ego uses cognitive and perceptual processes in its quest to satisfy the desires and needs of the id. Unlike the id, whose nature is to seek pleasure, the ego is subject to reality principle, the purpose of which is to preserve the integrity of the organism by postponing the satisfaction of instincts until the moment when the opportunity to achieve discharge in a suitable way is found or the appropriate conditions are found in the external environment.

Superego

In order for a person to function effectively in society, he must have a system of values, norms and ethics that are reasonably compatible with those accepted in his environment. All this is acquired in the process of “socialization”; in the language of the structural model of psychoanalysis - through the formation of a superego (from the Latin "super" - "over" and "ego" - "I").

The superego is the last component of the developing personality. From Freud's point of view, an organism is not born with a superego. Rather, children should acquire it through interaction with parents, teachers, and other "shaping" figures. Being a moral and ethical force, the superego is the result of a child's long-term dependence on their parents. It begins to appear when the child begins to distinguish between “right” and “wrong” (around the age of 3 to 5 years).

Freud divided the superego into two subsystems: conscience and ego-ideal. Conscience is acquired through parental discipline. It has to do with what parents call "naughty behavior" and for which the child is reprimanded. Conscience includes the ability for critical self-assessment, the presence of moral prohibitions and the emergence of guilt. The rewarding aspect of the superego is the ego-ideal. It is formed from what significant people approve or highly value. And, if the goal is achieved, it causes a feeling of self-respect and pride.

The superego is said to be fully formed when parental control is replaced by self-control. The superego, trying to completely inhibit any socially condemned impulses from the id, tries to direct a person to absolute perfection in thoughts, words and deeds. That is, it tries to convince the ego of the superiority of idealistic goals over realistic ones.

Psychosexual stages of personality development

Psychoanalytic developmental theory rests on two premises. first, or genetic The premise emphasizes that early childhood experiences play a critical role in shaping the adult personality. Freud was convinced that the basic foundation of an individual's personality is laid at a very early age, before the age of five. The second premise is that a person is born with a certain amount of sexual energy (libido), which then passes in its development through several stages. psychosexual stage rooted in the instinctive processes of the organism.

Freud came up with the hypothesis of four successive stages of personality development: oral, anal, phallic and genital. In the general scheme of development, Freud also included a latent period, which falls on the interval between approximately 6-7 years of a child's life and the onset of puberty. But strictly speaking, latency is not a stage. The first three stages of development cover the age from birth to five years and are called pregenital stages, since the genital area has not yet acquired a dominant role in the development of personality. The fourth stage coincides with the onset of puberty. The names of the stages are based on the names of the areas of the body, the stimulation of which leads to the discharge of libido energy. The table gives a description of the stages of psychosexual development according to Freud.

Freud's stages of psychosexual development

Age period

libido focus area

Tasks and experience appropriate for this level of development

oral

0 -18 months

Mouth (sucking, chewing, biting)

Weaning (from breast). Separation of self from mother's body

anal

Anus (holding or expelling feces)

Toilet training (self-control)

phallic

Sex organs (masturbation)

Identification with adults of the same sex acting as role models

Latent

Absent (sexual inactivity)

Expansion of social contacts with peers

Genital

Puberty (puberty)

Genital organs (ability to have heterosexual relationships)

Establishing intimate relationships or falling in love; making a contribution to society

Since Freud's main emphasis was on biological factors, all stages are closely related to erogenous zones, that is, sensitive areas of the body that function as loci for the expression of libido impulses. Erogenous zones include the ears, eyes, mouth (lips), mammary glands, anus, and genitals.

The term “psychosexual” emphasizes that the main factor determining the development of personality is sexual instinct, progressing from one erogenous zone to another during a person's life. According to Freud's theory, at each stage of development, a certain area of ​​the body tends to a certain object or action in order to cause pleasant tension. The social experience of the individual, as a rule, brings to each stage a certain long-term contribution in the form of acquired attitudes, traits and values.

The logic of Freud's theoretical constructions is based on two factors: frustration and overprotectiveness. In cases of frustration, the child's psychosexual needs (eg, sucking, biting, and chewing) are suppressed by the parents or caregivers and therefore do not find optimal satisfaction. With overprotectiveness on the part of the parents, the child is given few opportunities (or none at all) to control his own internal functions (for example, to exercise control over excretory functions). For this reason, the child develops a sense of dependence and incompetence. In any case, as Freud believed, the result is an excessive accumulation of libido, which later, in adulthood, can be expressed in the form of “residual” behavior (character traits, values, attitudes) associated with the psychosexual stage at which frustration or over-care occurred. .

Basic instincts of human behavior

Psychoanalytic theory is based on the notion that people are complex energy systems. In accordance with the achievements of physics and physiology of the 19th century, Freud believed that human behavior is activated by a single energy, according to the law of conservation of energy (that is, it can go from one state to another, but its quality remains the same). Freud took this general principle of nature, translated it into psychological terms, and concluded that the source of psychic energy is the neurophysiological state of arousal. He further postulated: each person has a certain limited amount of energy that feeds mental activity. According to Freud, mental images bodily needs, expressed in the form of desires, are called instincts. Freud argued that any human activity (thinking, perception, memory and imagination) is determined by instincts.

Although the number of instincts can be unlimited, Freud recognized the existence of two main groups: life and death instincts. The first group (under the general name Eros) includes all the forces that serve the purpose of maintaining vital processes and ensuring the reproduction of the human race. Recognizing the great importance of the life instincts, Freud considered the sexual instincts to be the most essential for the development of the personality. The energy of sexual instincts is called libido (from Latin “want” or “desire”).

Libido- this is a certain amount of psychic energy, which finds discharge exclusively in sexual behavior.

The second group are the death instincts, called Thanatos, - underlies all manifestations of cruelty, aggression, suicide and murder. In contrast to the energy of the libido, as the energy of the life instincts, the energy of the death instincts has not received a special name. He believed that the death instincts obey the principle of entropy (that is, the law of thermodynamics, according to which any energy system tends to maintain dynamic equilibrium). Referring to Schopenhauer, Freud stated: "The purpose of life is death."

Personality consists of three main systems: It, I and Super-I. * Although each of these areas of the personality has its own functions, properties, components, principles of action, dynamics and mechanisms, they interact so closely that it is difficult and even impossible to unravel their lines. influences and weigh their relative contribution to human behavior. Behavior almost always appears as a product of the interaction of these three systems; extremely rarely one of them works without the other two.

* In English translations from German and English-language psychoanalytic literature, the terms id, ego, and super-ego are used. - Note ed..

It (Eid)

It is the original system of the personality: it is the matrix in which the Self and the Super-Self are subsequently differentiated. It includes everything mental that is innate and present at birth, including instincts. It is a reservoir of psychic energy and provides energy for the other two systems. It is closely connected with bodily processes, from where it draws its energy. Freud called It "true psychic reality" because it reflects the inner world of subjective experiences and is unaware of objective reality. (For a discussion of Ono, see Schur, 1966).

When the energy builds up, It cannot stand it, which is experienced as an uncomfortable state of tension. Therefore, when the body's tension level rises - either as a result of external stimulation or internal arousal - It acts in such a way as to immediately release tension and return the body to a comfortable constant and low energy level. The principle of tension reduction on the basis of which the id operates is called the pleasure principle.

In order to fulfill its task - to avoid pain, to get pleasure - It has two processes. It is a reflex action and a primary process. Reflex actions are innate automatic responses such as sneezing and blinking; they usually relieve tension immediately. The body is equipped with a number of such reflexes in order to cope with relatively simple forms of excitation. The primary process involves a more complex reaction. He is trying to release energy by creating an image of the object, in connection with which the energy will move. For example, the primary process will give a hungry person a mental image of food. A hallucinatory experience in which the desired object is presented as a memory image is called wish fulfillment. The best example of a primary process in a healthy person is the dream, which, according to Freud, always represents the fulfillment or attempted fulfillment of a wish. The hallucinations and visions of psychotics are also examples of the primary process. Autistic thinking is brightly colored by the action of the primary process. These wish-fulfilling mental images are the only reality known to the id.

Obviously, the primary process alone is not capable of relieving tension. The hungry cannot eat the image of food. Consequently, a new, secondary mental process develops, and with its appearance, the second personality system begins to take shape - I.

I (ego)

I appears due to the fact that the needs of the organism require appropriate interactions with the world of objective reality. A hungry person must seek, find and eat food before the tension of hunger is reduced. This means that a person must learn to distinguish between the image of food that exists in memory and the actual perception of food that exists in the external world. When this differentiation is made, it is necessary to transform the image into perception, which is carried out as the location of food in the environment. In other words, a person correlates the image of food existing in memory with the sight or smell of food coming through the senses. The main difference between the id and the ego is that the id knows only subjective reality, while the ego distinguishes between the inner and the outer.

The Self is said to be subject to the reality principle and to operate through a secondary process. The purpose of the reality principle is to prevent the discharge of tension until an object suitable for satisfaction is found. The reality principle temporarily suspends the action of the pleasure principle, although, ultimately, when the desired object is found and the tension is reduced, it is the pleasure principle that is "served". The reality principle is concerned with the question of the truth or falsity of an experience—that is, whether it has an external existence—while the pleasure principle is concerned only with whether the experience brings suffering or vice versa.

The secondary process is realistic thinking. Through the secondary process, the self formulates a plan to meet the needs, and then puts it to the test - usually by some action - to see if it works. A hungry person thinks about where to find food, and then begins to look for it there. This is called a reality check. In order to play its part satisfactorily, the ego controls all cognitive and intellectual functions; these higher mental processes serve the secondary process.

The ego is called the executive organ of the personality, because it opens the door to action, selects from the environment what the action must correspond to, and decides which instincts must be satisfied and in what way. In carrying out these extremely important executive functions, the ego is compelled to try to integrate the often contradictory commands emanating from the id, the superego.and the outside world. This is not an easy task, often keeping the Self in suspense.

However, it should be borne in mind that the Self, this organized part of the It, appears in order to follow the goals of the It and not frustrate them, and that all its strength is drawn from the It. The ego has no existence separate from the id, and in an absolute sense is always dependent on it. Its main role is to be an intermediary between the instinctive demands of the organism and environmental conditions; its highest purpose is to keep the organism alive and see the species reproduce.

Super-I (Super-Ego)

The third and last developing system of personality is the Superego. It is an internal representation of the traditional values ​​and ideals of society as they are interpreted for the child by the parents and forcibly instilled through rewards and punishments applied to the child. The super-ego is the moral force of the personality, it is an ideal rather than a reality, and it serves more for improvement than for pleasure. Its main task is to evaluate the correctness or incorrectness of something, based on the moral standards sanctioned by society.

The superego as an internalized moral arbiter that accompanies a person develops inresponse to rewards and punishments coming from parents. In order to receive rewards and avoid punishment, the child learns to build his behavior in accordance with the requirements of the parents. What is considered wrong and for which the child is punished is incorporated into conscience - one of the subsystems of the Super-I. What they approve and reward the child for is included in his ideal Self - another subsystem of the Super-Self. The mechanism of both processes is called introjection.

The child accepts, or introjects, the moral norms of the parents. Conscience punishes a person, making him feel guilty, the ideal self rewards him, filling him with pride. With the formation of the Super-I, self-control takes the place of parental control.

The main functions of self-control: 1) to prevent the impulses of the id, in particular, the impulses of the sexual and aggressive plan, because their manifestations are condemned by society; 2) "persuade" me to change realistic goals to moral ones and 3) fight for perfection. Thus, the Super-I is in opposition to the Id and to the I and tries to build the world in its own image. However, the Super-I is like the Id in its irrationality and like the I in its desire to control instincts.* Unlike the I, the Super-I does not just delay the satisfaction of instinctive needs: it constantly blocks them. (Superego analysis given by Turiell, 1967).

* Freud's original term is translated as attraction, but translations from English traditionally use the calque "instinct", which corresponds to that accepted in English-language psychoanalytic literature.

In conclusion of this brief review, it should be said that the id, the ego and the superego should not be considered as some kind of little men that control our personality. These are nothing more than names for various mental processes that obey systemic principles. Under normal circumstances, these principles do not contradict or cancel each other out. On the contrary, they work as a single team under the direction of the I. The personality normally functions as a whole, and not as something tripartite. In a very general sense, the Id can be considered as the biological component of the personality, the Self as the psychological component, the Super-I as the social component.


1. Introduction

One of the leading ideological, theoretical and methodological foundations of Western sociology of the classical period, and in particular its psychological direction, was a set of Freudian doctrines that had a significant impact on all social thought.

Having originally created a new psychotherapeutic method for the treatment of psycho-nervous diseases - psychoanalysis, the Austrian doctor and psychologist, Professor Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed his ideas, in particular, in such works as “Totem and Taboo. Psychology of primitive culture and religion" (1913), "Psychology of the masses and analysis of the human "I" (1921), "Anxiety in culture" (1929) and others, and brought them to the level of a kind of psycho-sociological doctrine of human existence in normal and pathological .

The philosophical and sociological doctrine of Freud (Freudianism, "depth psychology") significantly transformed the dominant traditions of the psychological direction of Western sociology, contributed to a certain synthesis of its various currents, their modernization.

The most significant part of Freud's psychoanalytic sociology is the doctrine of man, which is a set of different order concepts about the nature and essence of man, his psyche, the formation, development and structure of personality, the causes and mechanisms of human activity and behavior in various social communities.

One of the distinguishing features of Freud's teachings was the assertion of the principle of universal determination of mental activity, which led to a significant expansion of research horizons and a multidimensional interpretation of the motives of human behavior.

2. The main ideas in the views of Z. Freud on a person and his personality

According to Freud, the beginning and basis of human mental life are various instincts, drives and desires, originally inherent in the human body.

Underestimating the consciousness and social environment in the process of formation and being of a person. Freud argued that the leading role in the organization of human life is played by various kinds of biological mechanisms. In particular, he believed that every person from birth has incest (incest), cannibalism (cannibalism) and a thirst for murder, which have a great influence on all mental activity of a person and his behavior.

Having formulated a psychoanalytic paraphrase of Haeckel-Müller's phylogenetic law, Freud insisted that. that the spiritual development of the individual briefly repeats the course of the development of mankind, due to which in their mental structures each person bears the burden of the experiences of distant ancestors.

According to Freud, the dominant role in the organization of human behavior belongs to the instincts. Freud's speculative theory of instincts was based on the understanding and interpretation of instincts as a "mental reflection" of the needs of the human body and as a kind of biological and mental indivisible stereotype of human behavior.

Freud argued that two universal cosmic instincts play a particularly important role in shaping a person and his life: Eros (sexual instinct, life instinct, self-preservation instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct, aggression instinct, destruction instinct, destruction instinct).

Representing human life as the result of the struggle of the two eternal forces of Eros and Thanatos, Freud believed that these instincts are the main engines of progress. The unity and struggle of Eros and Thanatos, according to Freud, not only determine the finiteness of the individual's existence, but also very significantly determine the activities of various social groups, peoples and states.

Being engaged in the therapy of psychoneuroses and the study of the causes that give rise to them, Freud discovered neuroses, the possible cause of which was the conflict between sexual drives and desires, on the one hand, and moral-volitional restrictions, on the other. In this regard, he suggested that neuroses (and other neurotic states) may arise as a result of the suppression of erotic desire. Taking this assumption as a proven fact, he put forward the hypothesis that the disorder of the human psyche (inevitably leading to a change in his personality) is due either to direct erotic experiences, or these same experiences inherited by the individual from previous generations, or a combination of direct and inherited experiences.

Inappropriately extending the private conclusions of his clinical practice to humanity as a whole (according to Freud, the difference between a neurotic and a healthy person is of no fundamental importance), he raised these conclusions to the dogma of his metapsychology and proclaimed the sexual instinct as the main determinant of human activity.

According to Freud, the suppression and realization of the sexual instinct, consisting of partial instincts arising from various organic sources, form the basis of all manifestations of mental activity, as well as the formation of the personality, the motivation of its behavior and the folding of the most essential features of a person.

Trying to substantiate these views, Freud put forward several more hypotheses designed to explain the mechanisms of the sexual instinct and the reasons for its exceptional influence on the formation and functioning of the personality,

According to Freud, the bearer of the sexual instinct is the universal mental energy that has a sexual coloration (libido), which he sometimes interpreted as the energy of sexual desire or sexual hunger.

In Freud's theory, the concept of libido plays a very important role. Considering this, it should be noted that Freud failed to develop an unambiguous interpretation of libido and, depending on certain turns of theoretical research, he interpreted libido in one sense or another.

In some cases, Freud spoke of libido as a quantitatively changing force and declared that we distinguish this libido from energy, which should generally be taken as the basis of mental processes. In others, he argued that the libido, in its deepest basis and in the final result, is only a product of the differentiation of energy that acts in general in the psyche. He defined libido as sexual hunger, reflecting the sexual needs of man and animals, as a universal sexually colored psychic energy. (Later, Freud also suggested the existence of another important moment of mental life - mortido - the drive to death, the aggressive drive.)

Freud interpreted libido as an exceptionally powerful motivational principle that has a decisive influence on human behavior. He believed that the energy of sexual attraction can be sublimated (transformed and transferred) to various objects and find an outlet in a variety of human activities acceptable to the individual and society. At the same time, Freud attributed an exceptionally wide range to the forms of manifestation of libido - from elementary physiological acts to scientific and artistic creativity. Subsequently, the energy of sexual desire and the mechanism of sublimation were proclaimed by Freud as the basis and engine of human life.

This position predetermined the nature of his teaching, one of the distinguishing features of which was pansexualism - the explanation of the phenomena of human existence mainly or exclusively by the sexual aspirations of individuals.

An essential part of Freud's teachings was his theory of complexes. Having borrowed from C. Jung the idea of ​​a complex as a group of representations connected by one affect, Freud developed the concept of complexes as a set of unconscious emotionally colored representations that affect human behavior and health.

Considering that the peculiarities of experiencing and suppressing erotic desire are the source of psychoneuroses, Freud paid considerable attention to the development of Oedipus complexes, castration and inferiority.

According to Freud, the Oedipus complex plays the most important role in the formation and life of a person. While examining the dreams of his patients, Freud drew attention to the fact that a significant part of them reported to him with indignation and indignation about dreams, the main motive of which was sexual intercourse with their mother.

Seeing a certain tendency in this, 3. Freud suggested that such dreams give certain grounds for believing that the first social impulse of a person is directed to the mother, while the first violent desire and hatred are directed to the father.

This alleged unconscious attitude, the main content of which was considered the erotic attraction of the child to the mother and the aggressive feeling towards the father associated with it. Freud called the Oedipus complex (Oedipus complex). The name given by Freud to this complex is not accidental. It is associated with his psychoanaistic interpretation of the Greek myth of King Oedipus in the tragedy of the same name by Sophocles, when the Theban king Oedipus, against his will and without knowing it, kills his father (Laia), marries his mother (Jocaste) and becomes the father of children who at the same time time are his brothers on the maternal side.

The basic idea of ​​Freud's interpretation of the Oedipus situation is extremely simple: the actions of King Oedipus represent only the fulfillment of the desires of our childhood. According to Freud, the Oedipus complex has always gravitated over all men - every boy is sexually attracted to his mother, perceiving his father as a sexual rival, whom he fears and hates. At the same time, it must be emphasized that these tendencies and drives are subliminal in nature, that is, they are not recognized by their carriers.

Thus, as Freud believed, in the human psyche there are diametrically opposed conscious and unconscious feelings directed at the same object, which in itself explains the well-known inconsistency of the human mental organization.