It is not new to encounter the common streams of comments when Sigmund Freud is

mentioned. His theories, approaches, and comments were considered controversial. One is
towards his understanding of the inner and outer workings of women and his status as a scientist.
However, one cannot dismiss how he opened new lines of questioning and shaped our path in
understanding personalities. What we have today has resonated with what he shared in his time;
he is not called the “Father of Psychoanalysis” for nothing. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory has
directed our perception on how a human behavior could work. In this theory, he shared that our
behavior is not always governed by consciousness and instead by unconscious desires with
includes aggression and sexual experiences-which is difficult for everyone to admit. So, this
made everyone tune into the voices not governed by the observable and controlled but into the
depths our of minds (Main, 2023). If it is not clear yet, his psychoanalytic theory postulates that
we are driven by unconscious wishes (Saffran & Gardner-Schuster, 2016). In addition, his
theory does not only end with this fact he added a premise in which we should exhibit. The
premise, to be aware of our unconscious impulses and approach it in a rational and introspective
way (Saffran & Gardner-Schuster, 2016).
There are still several areas Freud developed in this psychoanalytic theory. It taps into the
levels of our mental life, its provinces, dynamics of personality, defense mechanisms, and stages
of development (Feist & Fiest, 2009). All of these contributed to what we use and know today.
First in his levels of mental life, it was divided into the conscious and unconscious. The
unconscious is further split into two levels, namely the unconscious proper and preconscious
(Feist & Feist, 2009). For the unconscious, we can use our interest in a specific shade of color,
we may like to color light blue and prefer it over dark shades, we are conscious in our interests
but not why we developed it for that color. Repression is mentioned in which we tend to forcibly
forget our anxiety-inducing experiences and thoughts. The barrier between the main divisions is
the preconscious. The preconscious, as said by Freud are passage of the easily or difficult to
become conscious elements (Freud, 1933/1964). The unconscious cleverly goes into
consciousness by disguise such as dreams or a slip of the tongue. It also includes the defensive
measures (Feist & Feist, 2009). Lastly, the conscious, which plays a small role, is said to only be
the level at which there is awareness, both coming from our senses, our preconscious and
disguised unconscious elements. When we talk about levels, there are also the provinces which
helped Freud further in his theory. These are the id, ego, and superego. In addition, these interact
with the levels and comprise of components mentioned before (Feist & Feist, 2009). Firstly, the
id, with its fully unconscious component seeks pleasure regardless of the conditions and
consequences, it does not follow any ethics. Secondly, we have an ego which is controlled by a
reality principle as it is the only region that communicates with reality. It balances the demands
of the id, superego, and the external world. The last of these provinces is the superego, controlled
by moralistic principles. It becomes unrealistic, not in the demands for pleasure, but for
perfection (Feist & Feist, 2009). It basically tells us what to and not to do. The ego-ideal, which
sets the standard and consciousness are its subsystems.
 We have discussed the streets and roads that mental elements cross, and how the system
works to deliver conscious reactions. Now is the right time to introduce the dynamics that make
makes our personalities “do” (Feist & Feist, 2009). Drive, or instinct or impulse, is the
motivating factor either internal or external. Freud grouped these drives into sex or aggression. In
addition, a drive has its impetus, source, aim, and an object (Freud, 1933/1964). Sex, the second
dynamic, can take various forms, it could be flexible in how it is satisfied but the aim never
changes. Libido, the psychic energy tied to sexual drive could be reinvested. Aggression, like sex
is flexible as it takes form in many conditions for it to be satisfied. It is even mentioned that the
destructive drive aims to return the organic into an inorganic state, which is death (Feist & Feist,
2009). Lastly, anxiety which is the unpleasant state taking neurotic, moral, and realistic anxieties.
It is often accompanied by a visible physical sensation. Neurotic anxiety stems from id and the
unpleasant unconscious experiences from their parents. Moral anxiety stems from ego’s
dependency on superego and reflects on their failure to execute morally right behaviors. Lastly,
realistic anxiety walks along the line of fear and anxiety. Like the other forms, it induces an
unpleasant feeling about a nonspecific danger looming around you. As negative as it may seem,
anxiety becomes an ego-preserving mechanism (Freud 1933/1964).
Anxiety is often present and uncomfortable, that is why defense mechanisms exist to
avoid direct sexual and aggressive impulse and anxiety (Freud, 1926/1959a). First, repression in
which impulses and undesired feelings are thrown into the abyss of unconsciousness, sometime
for a lifetime. Another is reaction formation, it is when a supposedly avoided impulse is
disguised to enter consciousness, the form is opposite to its original. An example is showing
phony affection to avoid the anxiety of feeling hostile. Next, is displacement in which their
unconscious feelings are redirected to those that don’t possess any aggressive or sexual
implosives. Fixation on the other hand is the attachment or fixation to an earlier stage of
development and libido due to stress and anxiety growing up such as neatness showing possible
anal fixation. Regression, in connection to fixation, is the case where libido does pass a
developmental stage but regresses due to stress and anxiety. Next is projection and introjection,
while projection by “projecting” a stressful and anxious impulse to an external object or person,
introjection puts positive and pleasing attributes from an individual to themselves. Lastly,
sublimation benefits all in such a way that our genital or sexual aims are substituted by cultural
or social aim (Freud, 1917/1963).
Stages of developments go hand in hand with all the parts in Freud’s theory. The oral
phase in which the mouth is the location of the libido, possibly attributing to oral
passive/aggressive. The anal phase’s location in the anus is possibly attributed to anal
retentiveness/expulsiveness. Phallic phase in the penis/clitoris, this is where the Oedipus and
Electra complexes are discussed due to distinction between the sexes at this stage. Latency, the
stage where libido is suppressed and redirected to other nonsexual activities. Lastly is the genital
period, in which a sign for reawakening of our sexual energies is observed in puberty. When an
individual is observed to develop further, physical maturity is achieved unlike psychological
maturity due to developments of disorders.