Psychoanalytical Theory

By Sigmund Freud

Presented by -

Laveena
B.D.S Final Year
 CONTENTS
• Child psychology
• Importance of child psychology
• Theories of child psychology
 Psychoanalytical theory
I. Topographic model
II. Psychic model
III. Sigmund freud’s stages of development
IV. Importance in Dentistry
V. Merits and Demerits
 Child Psychology
It is the science or study of child’s mind and how it functions.
It is also the science that deals with the mental power or an
interaction between the conscious and subconscious elements
in a child.

Psychological development is a dynamic process, which begins

at birth and proceeds in an ascending order through a series of
sequential stages manifesting in various characteristic behaviors.
Importance of Child Psychology
• To understand the child better
• To know the problem of psychological origin
• To deliver dental services in a meaningful and effective manner
• To establish effective communication with the child and the parent
• To gain confidence of the child and of the parent
• To teach the child and the parents importance of primary preventive care
• To have a better treatment planning and interaction with other disciplines
• To produce a comfortable environment for the dental team to work on the
patient
• Postponement of any procedure because of behavior disturbances seldom
alleviates the problem and may deprive the child of a sense of mastery of
situation
 Theories of Personality
1. Psychodynamic : Based on work of Freud; primary
focus is on role of unconscious mind
- Classical Psychoanalytical Theory by Sigmund
Freud
- Psychosocial Task Theory by Eric Erikson
- Carl Jung’s Theory of Analytical Psychology
- Karen Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory
-Alfred Adler’s Theory of Ego Psychology
2. Behavioral and social cognitive views. Focus on the effect of the environment on
behavior based on theories of learning
- Social learning theory by Albert Bandura
- Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning
- B Fskinner theory of operant conditioning
- Jean Piaget cognitive theory
3. Humanistic: focuses on conscious life experiences and choices
- Kelly’s personal construct theory
- Carl Rogers’s theory on the self
- Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierachy of needs

4. Trait: focuses on characteristics themselves, not roots of personality

- Allport’s dispositional theory of personality
- Raymond cattell: a trait theory of personality
- Big Five factor theory
- Hans Eysenck: A trait - type theory of personality
 Psychoanalytical theory
• Sigmund Freud(1905) was the originator of psychoanalytical approach.
• Freud thought the personality to originate from biological roots, as a result
of satisfaction of a set of instincts of which sexual instinct was the most
important.
• He described 5 psychosexual stages. At each stage sexual energy is invested
in a particular part called a erogenous zone. Five Stages are:
I. Oral stage
II. Anal stage
III. Phallic stage
IV. Latency stage
V. Genital stage

• He described human mind with the help of 2 models:

I. Topographic model
II. Psychic model
 Topographic model
• According to this model, human mind consists of conscious,
preconscious and subconscious mind:
I. Conscious mind is where we are paying attention at the moment and
constitutes a very large part of current awareness.
II. Preconscious mind involves ordinary memory and knowledge, things of
which we are aware but where we are not paying attention at all
moments.
III. Unconscious/subconscious mind is where the process and content are out
of direct reach of the conscious mind.
• Freud described human mind is like an iceberg
• Only 10% of the iceberg is visible(conscious),whereas the other 90% is
beneath(unconscious)
 Psychic model
• Psychic structure proposed by Freud in psychodynamic theory is composed of 3 parts:
• Id: Driven by internal and basic drives and needs
 Typically instinctual, such as hunger, thirst, and the drive for sex, or libido
 Acts in accordance with the pleasure principle, in that it avoids pain and seeks pleasure
• Ego: Driven by reality principle
 Works to balance both the id and superego
 Seeks to rationalize the id's instinct and please the drives that benefit the individual in the long term
 Helps separate what is real of our drives as well as being realistic about the standards that superego sets
• Superego: Driven by morality principle
 Acts in connection with the morality of higher thought and action
 Works to act in socially acceptable ways.
 Employs morality, judging our sense of wrong and right and using guilt to encourage socially
acceptable behaviour
 The Iceberg Concept

• Freud described human

mind is like an iceberg
• Only 10% of the iceberg
is visible(conscious),
whereas the other 90% is
beneath(unconscious)

“”The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one –

seventh of its bulk above water.”
• Freud’s Division Of Mind
• Divided mind into three internal tendencies:
. Id
. Ego
. Superego
in 1923 renamed
. Unconscious as Id
. Preconscious as ego
. Superego as separate identity
 Sigmund Freud’s Stages of Development
• The expression of discomfort as a result of conflict between
the 3 components of the psychic structure is defined as
anxiety. Freud described 5 stages of psychosexual
development:
I. Oral stage
II. Anal stage
III. Phallic stage
IV. Latency stage
V. Genital stage
Oral Stage (Birth – 18 months)
• In infants the oral cavity is the site for identifying needs.
• This is a dependent stage since the infant is dependent on adults for getting his
needs fulfilled.
• Satisfaction of oral desires e.g. suckling of milk by mother, helps in development
of trust.
• If child’s needs are not adequately met at this stage the following traits develop:
excessive optimism , narcissism, pessimism, demandingness, envy, jealousy.
Anal stage (18 months – 3 years)
• During this stage, maturation of neuromuscular
control occurs.
• Control over sphincters, particularly anal
sphincter , results in increased voluntary activity.
• There is development of personal autonomy and
independence.
• Child begins to realize his control over his needs
and practices it with a sense of shame or self-
doubt.
• Pathology- Anal eroticism and defenses against it
result in fixation on anal function.
• It is characterized by various abnormal behaviors
like-disorderliness, abstinence, stubbornness,
willfulness, frugality.
 Phallic stage (3 – 7 years)
• The stage begins during the 3rd year of life till the
5th year. It is characterized by :
 Oedipus complex
 Castration anxiety
 Penis envy
 Electra complex
 There is increase in genital masturbation, accompanied
with unusual fantasies about opposite sex
• The child realizes the sexual qualities without
embarrassment
• Resolution of the stage in regulation of drive
impulse
• If the above characteristics are not resolved the
balance between the male and female roles does
not develop.
 Oedipus complex

• The "Oedipal complex" refers to the

sexual relations and desire shared
between a son and his mother and
does not have to be reciprocated.
• The young boys have a natural
tendency to be attached to the mother
and they consider their father as their
enemy.
• The name of oedipus complex comes
from greek mythology, Oedipus, King of
Thebe, unwittingly slew his father and
married his mother.
 Electra complex
• Young girls develop an attraction towards their father and they resent the
mother being close to the father.
• In Greek mythology, Electra helped her brother slay the lover of their
father, Agamemnon ,in order to win her father’s love.
Latency stage(7 – 11 years)
• Resolution of any defects occurs in this phase
• This phase ends in puberty
• Maturation of ego takes place and mastery over skills.
• A greater control over instinctual impulses.
• Child gains better sense of initiative and starts adapting to the adverse environment.
• The goal of this phase is the further development of personality.
• Consolidation of sex roles occurs.
• Lack of inner control or excessive inner control result in a pathological trait
• Lack results in immature behavior and decreased development of skills.
Genital stage (11 – 18 years)
• Psychosexual development extends from 11 to 13 years to young adulthood.
• Sense of identity develops, child has a matured personality.
• He can satisfy genital potency and realizes his goals for reproduction and survival.
• Helps to separate from the dependence of parents.
• Their acceptance to adult role, functions with social expectations and cultural
values.
• Unresolved traits from previous phases are senn in modified form.
 Importance In Dentistry
• Concept of relationship between patient and
doctor: the doctor in the child’s mind may become
a psychic representation of his father or some
other-significant figure in his childhood. He may
then hate or love the doctor, reenacting in this way
his emotional attitude to his father in childhood.
• Use of hypnosis
• Moral development (super ego)
• Use of lapsus linguae-slip of speech
• Merits of Freud’s Theory-
• It is one of the earliest and the most comprehensive theories of life long
psychological development.

• Demerits of Freud’s Theory-

• Freud formulated this theory by his extensive studies on adult
psychological patients and hence its extrapolation to children is not very
justified.
• This theory is based on obsessed observation of the psychologist.
• society’s role neglected.
 References
• Textbook of pediatric dentistry.
1- Shobha Tandon
2- Dr.S.G.Damle