Developmental Psychology

o The Preconscious Mind : This part of the mind includes memories that can be recalled. It is also known to be a part of the conscious mind. Memories can be recalled even though they are not occurring in present thought. o The Unconscious Mind : This part of the mind serves as a storage area for memories, thoughts from the past. While these thoughts may not be currently recalled, they can be a cause of a person’s behavior. Sigmund Freud’s beliefs included the belief that memories that were stored in the unconscious mind, were no accessible due to the memory being repressed. Repression is just one of the defense mechanisms that Sigmund Freud proposed. He believed that the mind had the ability to protect itself from various thoughts such as bad memories, thoughts and ideas. Below is the table showing the different defense mechanisms. Defense Mechanism Definition Example Repression Blocks threatening memories from the conscious mind Children who lived in homes where abuse took place may not remember the abuse that occurred Displacement The projection of aggressive feelings onto objects other than the source of feeling A child becomes upset about a new sibling coming into the house, tears a doll head off, or cuts its hair. Rationalization The modification of malfunction with socially adequate reasons instead of the authentic reason An individual refusing to drink instead of informing people that they much rather not drink. This gives an alternating excuse to avoid harassment. Reaction Formation Changing feelings of mental feelings to the opposite in their “real life” A person who not sure of their religious beliefs may join a certain religion and attempt to convert their peers Regression The state of reverting to previous behavior A child who sucked his or thumb as a baby may revert to these behaviors after a new baby arrives Denial The refusal of confessing that something upsetting exists A parent is told their child is a bully, but the parent refuses to believe that their child is such Another Freud development was the ability to organize personalities within the conscious framework. Freud also believed that there were three parts within an individual’s personality. Let’s explore these three parts. • The ID : Considered to be the first component in personality, this is present at birth and is known to be an unconscious component. This part controls biological cravings for things such as food, water, sleep and sexual encounters. The ID is not authentic, as there is not a concept of existence, opportunity or occasion. • The Superego : The superego is also considered the morality. Freud says that the superego causes people to feel guilty about certain things. He also says that the superego and ego disagree with each other. One demands that the individual does the right thing. One of the issues with this is that a person may eventually feel guilty about desiring bodily pleasures.

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