A simple approach to Freud

A guide to explaining Sigmund Freud's discoveries and the principles of depth psychology in a simple way

Stefano Calicchio

• Publisher: Stefano Calicchio
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9791221335385
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

What are the foundations of psychoanalysis? What were the ideas and discoveries at the basis of this discipline? How did Freud manage to discover the principles of the functioning of the human mind? This book was created with the idea of offering the reader a clear and simple perspective on the discoveries that led to the birth of depth psychology. Inside you will discover the principles of psychodynamic theory. From the birth of depth psychology to the first clinical findings related to the use of hypnosis, and on to the unconscious psychic mechanisms that regulate people's lives. The method of investigation used by Freud to connect the different psychic layers present in the individual will also be illustrated. The reader will thus be able to follow a path of discovery that will not only enable him to better understand the subject, but also to question himself and the basic postulates that regulate psychic life.

Self-assessment test

On the following pages you will find a self-assessment test with which you can test yourself against the topics covered in this guide. For each question, you are asked to choose only one correct answer. In the final part you will find the solution keys for the questions.

1) What does depth psychology study?

1. The set of elements that make up the human brain.
2. The set of forces present in each person that are in conflict with each other.
3. The rational part of the mind and its implications in everyday life.
4. Mental illness from the point of view of physiological effects.

2) What role has hypnosis played in dynamic psychology?

1. a key role in the early phase of development.
2. A key role in the final stage of development.
3. An irrelevant role.
4. A role never clearly defined by historical and scientific research.

3) What clinical method underlies psychoanalysis?

1. The method of open-mindedness.
2. The physiological intervention method.
3. The catharsis method.
4. The primary and secondary method of intervention.

4) Which metaphor did Freud use to represent the structure of the human mind?

1. The metaphor of the reality check.
2. The iceberg metaphor.
3. The metaphor of the Oedipus complex.
4. None of these solutions are correct.

5) The unconscious life of man is:

1. Impossible to observe directly.
2. Directly observable.
3. Uncategorisable for psychoanalysis.
4. Unfathomable until a state of healing is achieved.

6) The sexual phases of human development are dominated by:

1. a specific erogenous zone.
2. A specific area of the brain.
3. The type of environment in which man finds himself.
4. A set of unfathomable elements.

7) What is meant by meta-psychology?

1. The functioning of psychic processes in the conscious.
2. The functioning of psychic processes in the unconscious.
3. The functioning of psychic processes present in all living beings.
4. The functioning of psychic processes in human beings.

8) Which relationships are explained within meta-psychology?

1. Synthetic, complex and mixed;
2. Economic, dynamic and topical.
3. Current, past and future.
4. None of these.

9) Unlike psychosis, neurosis involves:

1. The preservation of the proof of reality.
2. Failure to preserve evidence of reality.
3. The illusion of being able to preserve the proof of reality.
4. Access to unconscious thoughts, which are removed in psychosis.

10) What does the term transference mean?

1. A displacement of affection through a conscious process.
2. A displacement of affection through an unconscious process.
3. The removal of affection due to the trauma suffered.
4. none of these answers is correct.

Solutions

1. 2
2. 1
3. 3
4. 2
5. 1
6. 1
7. 4
8. 2
9. 1
10. 2

Table of contents

• Cover
• A SIMPLE APPROACH TO FREUD
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Freud and the birth of depth psychology
• The birth of psychoanalysis
• The language of dreams and psychic determinism
• Mental life according to Freud and the birth of the unconscious
• The start of the psychoanalytic movement
• The functioning pattern of the mind according to depth psychology
• Drive theory and the role of sexuality
• Human development and the child's drive phases
• Child development: the oral phase
• Child development: the anal phase
• Child development: the phallic phase
• Child development: the latent and genital phase
• Defence mechanisms
• Meta-psychology and drive theory
• The dynamic point of view
• The topical point of view
• Developments in drive theory
• Neurosis and psychosis in the psychoanalytic process
• The concept of transference in psychoanalysis
• Developments in psychoanalysis
• Conclusion
• The key points of this guide
• Self-assessment test
• Solutions