A Primer of Freudian Psychology

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Summary: Open the door to Freud's psychoanalysis theories
Review: A concise and informative book on Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis theories such as personality,the instincts,anxiety,repression,defense mechanisms,etc. Calvin S. Hall sumed up some of Freud's most important and groundbreaking theories and teaching in this book. Also with brief bio of Freud and all major events. A great introduction to the complex yet enchanting mind of the great doctor. Explore the mysteries of the Mind.

Rating:
Summary: Great Primer to Freud
Review: Hall (the author) really does his job here. He explains Freud's theories in an easy to read manner, transforming thousands of pages of Freudian essays into a little over a hundred. Freud's background really helps the reader to understand the man who some say was genius and some say was a fool. The Id, Ego, and Superego are (as it would be expected to be) well outlined and informative. Halls explains Freud's Psychic Energy theory and how the three parts of the conscious mind work together in day to day activities. It wouldn't be Freud if the book didn't mention sex, and Hall does a great job explaining the three zones of the body (oral, anal, and sexual). And, of course, the Oedipal complex is in there, in all it's glory.

And remember, "A cigar is just a cigar..."

Rating:
Summary: It is good.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Clear, and presented in a well integrated manner
Review: 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.

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Summary: PERSONALITY CONCEPTS
Review: TITLE

A PRIMER OF FREUDIAN PSYCHOLOGY

AUTHOR:

By Calvin S. Hall

Publisher:

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 Company
This 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 psychological processes. An instinct has a source, an aim, an object, and an impetus. (strength or force)

The Distribution and Disposal Of Psychic Energy: The aim of both of these processes is to expend the instinctual energy in ways that will elimate the need, and bring repose to the individual.

Cathexis and Anti-cathexis: The urging forces are cathexes, and the checking forces are anti-cathexis. The id has only cathexis while the ego and superego also posses anti-cathexis.
If the anti-cathexis outweigh the cathexis, the action, or the thought will be repressed.

Consciousness and unconsciousness: Conscious and unconscious are retained in psychologanalytic theory after 1920 as qualities of mental phemomena.

The Instincts: Life, death, sex, Instincts

Anxiety: Anxiety is a painful emotional experience which is produced by excitations in the internal organs of the body. Anxiety is one of the most important concepts in psychoanalytic theory. It plays an important role in the development of personality functioning.
Three types of anxiety are reality anxiety, neurotic anxiety, and moral anxiety.
The first time I came accross this book was when I took Applied Psychology with Dr. Harrison, which was along time ago. I really do like this book, and it has alot of understanding of the personality.

Well, I say understanding, but it gives the reader appreication of the breakdown of the id, ego and the superego. As it states in the beginning, it is very useful in understanding yourself, and others you may work with. It will help me in the Substance Abuse Field, when I am not only working with clients, but also in group therapy.