Assignment task: The Psychoanalytic Approach and You
Many people dismiss the usefulness of Freudian ideas in everyday life simply because they are very abstract. Others are uncomfortable with the emphasis on sex or the unconscious. But there is a reason we are still talking about the psychoanalytic approach after all these years-there are some aspects that really do make sense. This week you get to assess Freud and the neo-Freudians for yourself and decide how useful these ideas are and how they stack up to the more straightforward trait approach. Is psychoanalytic a perspective that works for you?
In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:
Explain the degree to which Freud's theory and the psychosexual stages are useful as a way to understand people (self or others). Justify your position.
Explain which of Freud's "disciples" (the neo-Freudians) provided the most useful method for understanding people. Justify your position.
Describe a defense mechanism (see p. 380 of your course text) that you have used in the past.
Describe a defense mechanism that you have observed in another person. Need Assignment Help?
Does thinking about a person from a Freudian viewpoint give you a better view of their personality compared to trait theories (which you studied in Weeks 1-2)? Why or why not?