Theory of Mind

Ariam Gatpo
PGI-VMMC

Psychoanalysis
one of the fundamental disciplines within
psychiatry
role of meaning was also central to Freud's
vision of psychoanalysis
symptoms, thoughts, feelings, and behavior
could all be viewed as the final common
pathways of meaningful psychological
processes, many of which were unconscious.

Psychoanalysis
Even when biological factors influence the
pathogenesis of a disorder, the symptoms
nevertheless have psychological meaning to
the person
Example:
auditory hallucinations, biological mechanisms
may produce the symptom, but the content of
that symptom and its meaning to the patient
relate to specific psychological characteristics
unique to that patient.

Structural Theory

Id

Superego

Ego

Topographical Model of the

Mind

Conscious (cs)-the part of the mind that

interacts with the external world, and which
can reflect on itself.

Pre-conscious (pcs)-the part of the mind in

which thoughts, feelings and ideas are being
prepared for outward expression. Can be
brought to attention.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Unconscious (ucs)-governed by the pleasure
principle. The cauldron of wishes, desires and
fears that make up the bulk of our mind.

 * The preconscious has been

deleted for the sake of simplicity

The Id

Reservoir of unorganized instinctual drives

The home of our sexual and aggressive
urges.
Lacks capacity to delay/modify instinctual
drives
Fully unconscious, although the unconscious
is not fully id.

The Superego

Both conscience and punisher.

Moral conscience based on complex system
of ideals and values internalized from parents
Agency that provides ongoing scrutiny of a
persons behavior, thoughts and feelings;
comparison w/ expected standard of behavior
Largely unconscious

The Superego

Ego ideal is a component of

superego prescribes what a person
should do according to intenalized
standards and values
The superego is an agency that
dictates what a person should not
do.

The Ego

Spans conscious, preconscious and unconscious

Logical thinking, abstract thinking, and verbal
expressions assoc. w/ conscious and
preconscious
Executive organ of the psyche
Controls motility, perception, contact with
reality, defense mechanisms to delay/ modulate
expression of drive

The Ego

Result of the impact of the external

world on the drives
Substitutes the reality principle for
the pleasure principle

Post-Freudian Ego
Psychology

Anna Freud elaborated the mechanisms that

the ego uses to maintain homeostatis, and
mediate the impingements from inside (the
id, the ucs ego, the superego) and outside
(unacceptable reality).
Heinz Hartmann developed a theory of the
mechanisms of the ego that are
independent of psychodynamics, and
inherent in the mental structure from birth.

How does the ego

develop?
Ego development occurs as result

of:
meeting basic needs
identification with others
learning
mastery of developmental tasks
effective problem-solving
successful coping
The ego develops capacities to
function in the world, known as
ego functions

Ego Defenses

The defensive methods so far discovered by

analysis all serve a single purposethat of
assisting the ego in its struggle with its
instinctual life. They are motivated by the
three principle types of anxiety to which the
ego is exposedinstinctual anxiety,
objective anxiety and anxiety of conscience.
In addition, the mere struggle of conflicting
impulses suffices to set the defencemechanisms in motion.--Anna Freud, The
Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence