A Primer of Freudian Psychology

A 100 page summary of Freud's model of the mind. Freud explains all our behavior through the need to relieve tension. Tensions are generated by primary needs, for example the need to eat and the need to mate are primary needs which generate tension while they are unsatisfied. Primary needs come from our Id - our primitive self. The tension is called Psychic Energy because it drives the Ego or Superego to act and can pass between them like physical energy. The Ego and Superego each require Psychic Energy to relieve us in their unique ways, so they compete for it. The Ego is connected to raw pain and pleasure and relieves us in a direct and immediate way. The Superego has ideal states, for example what if feels like to be appreciated or to be tough, and when it reaches an ideal state it generates relief, fooling the Id into satisfaction. The more success the Superego has in relieving us, the more Psychic Energy it attracts next time and the more likely we will behave in our civilized way, otherwise the Ego gets the energy and we do what it wants instead. Developed Superegos can endure tensions like hunger and fatigue, so athletes and highly motivated, successful people have developed Superegos. Freud's approach to life is clinical which makes it hard to apply, compared to a more personal self-help book. However the clinical, scientific approach also makes it more generally relevant and therefore a great foundation for self-help. Highly recommended.

I purchased this book for my girls to use in a college class. Hopefully it will get a lot of use.

TITLEA PRIMER OF FREUDIAN PSYCHOLOGYAUTHOR:By Calvin S. HallPublisher:Published in the United States by the New American Library, Inc., 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019 COPYRIGHT: 1954, By the World Publishing CompanyThis is an important book for everyone who wants to understand human behavior in himself, and in others. Calvin S. Hall outlines Freud's diagnosis of the balances existing between the mind and emotions, and points out his important discoveries about the parts played by instincts, the conscious and unconscious, and anxiety in the functioning of the human psyche. The Author explains the ideas of Sigmund Freud's psychology on defense mechanisms, the channeling of instinctual drives, and the role of sex in the boy/girl maturing into man and women. Sigmund Freud's ideas are scattered throughout his writings from the early 1890's to the late 1930's. The stabilized personality is one in which the psychic energy has found more or less permanent and constant ways of expending itself in performing psychological work. The precise nature of this work is determined by the interactions, between them, and by the developmental history of the id, ego and the superego. The breakdown of the personality follows: The ID: Sometimes called the "pleasure principle" is to rid the person of tension, or, reduce the amount of tension to a low level and to keep it as constant as possible. Tension is experienced as pain or discomfort, while relief from tension is experienced as pleasure or satisfaction, avoiding pain, and finding pleasure. The EGO: Instead of the "pleasure principle", the ego is governed by the "reality principle". Reality means that which exists. The aim of the "reality principle", is to postpone the discharge of energy until the actural object that will satisfy the need has been discovered or produced. The ego may be thought of as a complex organization of Psychological processes that acts as an intermediary between the id, and the external World. This is called the "secondary process", because it is developed after, and overlays the primary process of the id. The SUPEREGO: The superego is made up of two subsystems, the ego-ideal, and the conscience. The ego-ideal corresponds to the child's conception of what his parents consider to be morally good. The conscience corresponds to the child's conceptions of what the parents feel is morally bad, and these are established through experiences with punishment. So, ego-ideal and conscience are opposite sides of the same coin. The ego is formed out of the id, and the superego is formed out of the ego. They continue to interact and blend with each other throughout life. The Dynamics of Personality:The following list is used in the book to show how the three systems operate and how they interact with one another, and with the environment. Psychic Energy: is the form of energy which operates the three systems of personality. Instinct: is an inborn condition which imparts direction to

Hall does a very good job of describing all of Freuds psychological/ philosophical concepts. He covers everything: id, ego, superego, dreams, psychoanalysis, and of course the infamous developmental stages focused mainly on sexual drive and the pleasure principle. Good book, very understandable.

This book covers all of Freud's work in a brief, yet complete manner. It is a short book, but very full of information. The author's approach truly fulfills his mission. He starts the book talking about Freud and his times, and how his background and natural curiosity led him eventually to found psychoanalysis. In discussing the theories of Freud, Hall begins with basics and sequentially builds to a thorough review of the theories. Some writers are bewildering because they begin discussing more advanced theories before laying the groundwork. Not so here; the author provides all you need to know in a clear, stimulating manner before proceeding to the next level of complexity. Whether you are interested in psychology, psychoanalysis in the arts, psychoanalysis as an historical phenomenon or otherwise, this book is a great resource.