Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud’s structural id-ego-superego model of the mind. An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical construct called the ego to explain how that is done through various ego functions. Proponents of ego psychology focus
Object relations theory is a psychodynamic theory within psychoanalytic psychology. The theory describes the process of developing a mind as one grows in relation to others in the environment. The “objects” of the theory are both real others in one’s world, and one’s internalized image of others. Object relationships are initially formed during early interactions
Self Psychology is a school of psychoanalytic theory and therapy created by Heinz Kohut and developed in the United States at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. Self psychology explains psychopathology as being the result of disrupted or unmet developmental needs. Essential to understanding Self psychology are the concepts of empathy, self-object, mirroring, idealising, alter ego/twinship
Self-objects are external objects that function as part of the “self machinery” – ‘i.e., objects which are not experienced as separate and independent from the self.’ They are persons, objects or activities that “complete” the self, and which are necessary for normal functioning. ‘Kohut describes early interactions between the infant and his caretakers as involving
True self and false self are terms introduced into psychoanalysis by D. W. Winnicott in 1960. Winnicott ‘contrasts a basic True Self with a False Self, the latter a self-protective mechanism….The true self feeling involves a sense of all out personal aliveness…feeling real’. ‘Winnicott conceives of a “false self” that an infant develops in despairing
Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (April 13, 1901 – September 9, 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis and philosophy, and has been called “the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud”. Giving yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, Lacan influenced France’s intellectuals in the 1960s and the 1970s, especially
Anyone who wants to know the human psyche will learn next to nothing from experimental psychology. He would be better advised to abandon exact science, put away his scholar’s gown, bid farewell to his study, and wander with human heart throught the world. There in the horrors of prisons, lunatic asylums and hospitals, in drab
Alfred Adler Alfred Adler (February 7, 1870 – May 28, 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. In collaboration with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freud’s colleagues, Adler was among the co-founders of the psychoanalytic movement as a core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic
Individual psychology is a term used specifically to refer to the psychological method or science founded by the Viennese psychiatrist Alfred Adler (Fall, Holden, & Marquis, 2002). The English edition of Adler’s work on the subject (1925) is a collection of papers and lectures given mainly in 1912-1914, and covers the whole range of human
Classical Adlerian psychology is a values-based, fully integrated theory of personality, model of psychopathology, philosophy of living, strategy for preventative education, and technique of psychotherapy. Its mission is to encourage the development of psychologically healthy and cooperative individuals, couples, and families in order to effectively pursue the ideals of social equality and democratic living. A
An inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. It is often subconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or
Superiority complex refers to an exaggerated feeling of being superior to others. Background and Adler’s childhood The term was coined by Alfred Adler (February 7, 1870 – May 28, 1937), as part of his School of Individual psychology. It was introduced in his series of books, including “Understanding Human Nature” and “Social Interest”. Adler’s
Birth order can affect human psychology, though many supposedly formative effects of birth order are instead related to other factors. Birth order is defined as a person’s rank by age among his or her siblings. Birth order is often believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development. This assertion has been repeatedly
Since the 1970s, one of the most influential theories to explain why firstborns frequently score higher on intelligence and achievement tests than other children is the confluence model of Robert Zajonc. This model states that because firstborns mainly have adult influences around them in their early years, they will spend their initial years of life
The term style of life was used by psychiatrist Alfred Adler as one of several constructs describing the dynamics of the personality. It reflects the individual’s unique, unconscious, and repetitive way of responding to (or avoiding) the main tasks of living: friendship, love, and work. This style, rooted in a childhood prototype, remains consistent throughout
I would like to introduce Alfred Adler by talking about someone Adler never knew: Theodore Roosevelt. Born to Martha and Theodore Senior in Manhattan on October 27, 1858, he was said to be a particularly beautiful baby who needed no help entering his new world. His parents were strong, intelligent, handsome, and quite well-to-do. It
Erich Seligmann Fromm Erich Seligmann Fromm (March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German-American Jewish social psychologist, psychoanalyst, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with what became known as the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Life Erich Fromm was born on 23 March 1900, at Frankfurt am Main, the
The Fear of Freedom, as it is known in Britain and elsewhere in the English-speaking world – published in North America as Escape from Freedom – is a book by the Frankfurt-born psychologist and social theorist Erich Fromm. First published in Britain by Routledge and Kegan Paul in 1942, the book explores over a few
The Art of Loving is a book written by psychologist and social philosopher Erich Fromm (1900–80). In this work, Fromm recapitulated and complemented the theoretical principles of human nature found in Fromm’s Escape from Freedom and Man for Himself – principles which were revisited in many of his other major works. Fromm presents love as
The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book entitled Biophilia. Love of living systems The term “biophilia” literally means “love of life or living systems.” It was first used by Erich Fromm to describe
Erich Fromm was born in 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany. His father was a business man and, according to Erich, rather moody. His mother was frequently depressed. In other words, like quite a few of the people we’ve looked at, his childhood wasn’t very happy. Like Jung, Erich came from a very religious family, in his
Karen Horney Karen Horney born Danielsen (16 September 1885 – 4 December 1952) was a German-American psychoanalyst. Her theories questioned some traditional Freudian views, particularly his theory of sexuality, as well as the instinct orientation of psychoanalysis and its genetic psychology. As such, she is often classified as Neo-Freudian. Career and works In
Basic Anxiety is a term used by the psychologist Karen Horney to explain the ramifications of poor parenting. Basic anxiety is deep insecurity and fear that have developed in the child because of the way they were treated by their parents. It is developed because of the conflict with dependency and hostility towards mom, dad
Basic Hostility is a psychological concept first described by psychoanalyst Karen Horney. It is an effect of Basic Evil which is also known as parental abuse. Horney described it as a bad attitude which develops in the child as a result of Basic Evil, such as parental abuse. The child is mistreated and becomes angry