4: The subconscious

[ 1: What is psychology? ] [ 2: Different views on humans ] [ 3: Can humans be trained? ] [ 4: The subconscious ] [ 5: Erik H. Erikson ] [ 6: Humanistic psychology ] [ 7: Human activity theory ]

When the subconscious rules
The task is to learn about the psychological school “psychoanalysis”, founded by Sigmund Freud who developed the psychoanalysis through his treatment of nervous Victorian ladies with sexual frustrations. Learn about Freud's views upon human beings as consisting of “ego”, “id” and “super ego” and the implications this creates.

Psychoanlysis Primer
Method of treating mental disorders that emphasizes the probing of unconscious mental processes.

	It is based on the psychoanalytic theory devised by Sigmund Freud in Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th century.
	It calls for patients to engage in free association of ideas, speaking to therapists about anything that comes to mind.
	Dreams and slips of the tongue are examined as a key to the workings of the unconscious mind, and the “work” of therapy is to uncover the tensions existing between the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego.
	Careful attention is paid to early childhood experiences (especially those with a sexual dimension), the memory of which may have been repressed because of guilt or trauma; recalling and analyzing these experiences is thought to help free patients from the anxiety and neuroses caused by repression as well as from more serious illnesses known as psychoses.
	Some of Freud's early associates, notably Carl Gustav Jung and Alfred Adler, rejected his theories on many points and devised alternative methods of analysis. Other important figures in psychoanalysis, including Erik Erikson, Karen Horney, and Erich Fromm, accepted the basic Freudian framework but contributed their own additions or modifications.

1. Read the chapter “Underbevisthedspsykologi” page 14 - 22 in the book “Psykologier” af Carsten Nejst Jensen.

2. Read the article under the entry “psychoanalysis” in Britannica.com

3. Read the article “Pscychoanalytic theories, Freud” which you find under the entry “personality” in Britannica.com.

4. Read different chapters of the article about Sigmund Freud in Britannica.com. Choose the entry “Freud” and then choose “Freud, Sigmund”. This will give you a short introduction followed by some chapters you can choose from. Required reading:
- The interpretations of dreams (notice here Freud's concept “Libido”)
- Sexuality and development (notice here the different stages in our development as Freud see them.

5. Write a page where you describe the key points in psychoanalysis. Do you find these useful in your everyday life? Give some examples where you think it can be used or misused.

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Psychology curriculum
for
DNS international teacher training college
Alternative teacher training with a learning by doing approach

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