Psychoanalytic Model: Foundations, Theory, and Personality Types

Introduction to Psychoanalysis

People today are familiar with psychoanalysis after years of both wide rejection and adulation. Paradoxically, the success it realized in the fifth decade — particularly in Europe — divorced it from its core principles. It spread widely, but not because of the attention drawn to its therapy methods. Indeed, therapy was largely overshadowed by psychoanalysis's application in other fields, including sociology, literature, anthropology, mythology, religion, and ethnology.

Psychoanalysis is applied jointly in three areas: as a way of investigating the mind, particularly the unconscious mind; as a neurosis therapy inspired by that investigative method; and as an independent discipline based on knowledge drawn from both investigative methods and clinical experience. Psychoanalytical science is highlighted by Freud in his study Totem and Taboo, where he engages in anthropological and social analysis while heavily relying on knowledge gained from applying psychoanalysis in the treatment of neurosis (Psychoanalysis, n.d.).

Psychoanalytic Theory and Libidinal Development

The theory proposes that while children progress through the five psychosexual development stages, the libidinal energy they possess is continually reattached — a process called cathexis — to other things or objects. Using Freud's terminology, the child's aggressive or sexual desires are unconsciously represented by these objects. In the early stages of development, the focus of libidinal energy is directed at infantile objects. If the child develops successfully through a given stage, cathexis will be redirected toward more mature objects.

However, regression or fixation is possible if the early stages of development are characterized by trauma or overindulgence — meaning the child's libidinal energy becomes fixated at a lower stage. The personality typology proposed by Freud is based on this concept. Freud argued that people with disproportionate amounts of libidinal energy heavily invested in any particular stage will display personalities that characterize that stage. His explanation of both pathological and normal personalities is founded on the varied ways in which someone can progress through developmental stages. The most successful and healthy passage belongs to the individual who moves through the process without having libidinal energy fixated at an earlier stage.

Freud used the analogy of an army continuously advancing toward its target. If the army leaves soldiers behind at certain bases as it moves forward, it will not possess the strength needed to win the major battle — in Freud's case, the realities and hardships of life. Sadly, Freud maintained that some degree of regression or fixation is unavoidable. He argued that everyone develops some level of fixation and that individuals are, in a sense, predestined for a degree of immaturity and attachment to childish objects (Psychoanalysis in Theory and Practice, 2008).

Freud's account of fixation raises the question of how it exactly takes place. He addressed this by first proposing that the tendency to become fixated is hereditary and constitutional — that is, regardless of what triggers a fixation, some people are simply more susceptible than others. The particular triggers of fixation can be troublesome irrespective of an individual's susceptibility. Fixations can occur at a given psychosexual stage if the child is so comfortable there that movement to the next stage causes frustration and distress. Conversely, if trauma occurs or the child is unhappy during a stage, fixation to that stage may also develop (Psychoanalysis in Theory and Practice, 2008).

Oral and Anal Personality Types

Oral Personalities

The oral personality regards the mouth as the greatest source of pleasure, so that drinking and eating are engaged in excessively. Alcoholism, obesity, smoking, and drug abuse can be attributed to oral fixations. Because individuals suffering from substance addictions and eating disorders are disposed to taking in food or substances excessively, Freud's theory of oral fixation appears to offer a meaningful explanation for such predispositions.

Some followers of Freud divided oral personalities into two subtypes. The more commonly discussed is called the oral passive, oral dependent, or oral receptive personality. The second is called the oral aggressive personality, which tends toward negativity and habitual biting or sarcastic comments. Unlike oral passive individuals, people with oral aggression are demanding, manipulative, and distrustful (Psychoanalysis in Theory and Practice, 2008).

Anal Personalities

The anal personality has excess libidinal energy fixated on pleasures discovered during toilet training. As children learn to control bodily waste, they become concerned with avoiding soiling themselves and defecating at the right time. They derive pleasure from defecation and from the praise a parent offers afterward. Libidinal fixation at the anal stage produces a personality characterized by a need for control, extreme orderliness, and precision. Because this stage coincides with superego formation, fixation here may result in an overly controlling and moralistic style.

Freud suggested that children at this developmental stage regard the release of feces as a gift to the parent — one that can be withheld or given. Children release feces when they feel sufficiently loved and withhold them when they do not. According to Freud, feces function as a kind of currency in the parent–child relationship, granting the child a measure of control (Psychoanalysis in Theory and Practice, 2008).