Psyc 2163 - Freud: Case Study

Robert Hinton

PSYC 2163

May 14, 2017

Unit 1 Personality Theory Workbook

Freud: Case Study

1. In looking at this case study, I would place Hank in the oral aggressive personality. This is evidenced by his sarcastic nature. Hank is also very argumentative. Hank is fixated in the oral and anal stages of Freudian perspective. This is evidenced throughout the case reading. Some of the evidence of the oral stage include his chain smoking, obsessive eating habits, and nail biting. Evidence of the anal stage include Hank’s sarcasm and the way in which he is so unconscious of how his behavior’s affects others. In addition, he is very rigid in the way he thinks. His fixation with food and cigarettes could be from his mother not giving him the attention he needed when he was an infant. She could have given him food when he was crying or upset. That may be why he goes to it now when he is stressed out or nervous.  

2.  I believe that Hank’s eating is internally motivated. Hank is in the oral stage and he indulges in food and cigarettes when he is angry or upset. The argumentative behavior that Hank exhibits comes from low self-esteem.

3. Hank uses rationalization as a defense mechanism. He uses this when Sally broke up with him. Instead of trying to understand why she really broke up with him, he made himself feel better by telling himself it was because of his weight and not his personality. This soothed his ego because it made Sally seem like a shallow person.

4. When Hank gets stressed he eats. This is regressing to an earlier period of life, when he was younger and his mother would give him food to calm him down. When he eats, he feels better and is more relaxed.

5.  A Freudian therapist would see Hank’s weight problem as a behavioral problem. While Hank was in the oral stage of development, his mother soothed and comforted him with food or something else in his mouth. This led to the behavioral problem of him eating and smoking when upset later in life.

6.  A Freudian therapist would likely use a dream analysis technique. This technique would focus on the underlying hidden meaning of the dream.  The therapist would try to make the unconscious mind the focus of the therapy. This would make it conscious and therefore promote healing. Healing in Freudian therapy happens through self-help.

Jung: Case Study 4

1. According to Junigan theory, Mark is an extrovert. The characteristics of an extrovert are becoming animated when surrounded by a lot of people and being someone who enjoys socializing and being the center of attention. Mark is a fireman, and is the center of attention quite a bit. His job is very stimulating. He loves live and lives it to the fullest.

2. Mark’s superior function is sensing.  According to Junigan, these people focus on happiness and pleasure. Mark’s friends describe him as a happy and outgoing person.

3.  Mark has been influenced by the persona archetype.  In this stage, a person plays many roles. However, if you are not careful, you can become that role and other aspects of the personality may not develop properly. I know that Mark is this type of archetype because he has always wanted to be hero. When he was a child he would play a super hero or sheriff. Now he is a firefighter. Mark is aware of this influence. He knows that the people praise and reward him, and he enjoys it.