Sigmund Freud is one of the most recognized figures in the world of psychology, a pioneer in the theories of psychoanalysis and one of the first people to use the psychotherapeutic method to treat illnesses mental. Despite causing some controversy by linking all ideas to trauma and sexual repression, Freud's theories of personality continue to be studied and analyzed in the community of psychologists.
One of the metaphors that Freud made to explain his theory of the unconscious and how our mind works is Freud's iceberg metaphor. In it, the famous psychoanalyst affirms that the mind or "psyche" is structured in four parts and only one of them is completely visible, like an iceberg. If you want to know more about this theory, we recommend that you continue reading this Psychology-Online article.
Sigmund Freud he has an elaborate theory about the workings of the mind or "psyche" that is difficult to summarize. He spent much of his life studying psychological processes and how they develop in being. To speak of Freud's theory summarized, we can describe the great pillars that make up:
1. Stages of psychosexual development
One of Freud's most controversial theories is characterized by talking about sexuality in the most infantile stages of the human being. According to this model, individuals go through a series of stages related to the exploration of different erogenous zones of the body during childhood.
- Stage oral (0-1 years)
- Stage anal (1-4 years)
- Stage phallic (4-7 years)
- Stage of latency (7 years to adolescence)
- Stage genital (late adolescence to old age)
2. The unconscious mind
Although the concept of the unconscious was not invented by Sigmund Freud (great scholars such as Charcot or Bernheim already spoke of the unconscious in their theories). The Austrian psychoanalyst developed a model for understanding the human mind in which he gave a lot of weight to unconscious processes of the "psyche". For Freud, the unconscious is a vast undiscovered terrain where all of our repressed traumas, thoughts, and impulses reside.
Apart from the unconscious, two more structures are also defined: the conscious mind and the preconscious mind. This theory is closely linked to Freud's iceberg metaphor.
3. The "I" the "SuperYo" and the "It"
This is defined as the structural model of the mind. The model states that we possess three mental structures that pursue different interests and often conflict. Meanwhile he "It"represents our impulses and desires, the"Me"They are our values in the face of the world and the"Super me"is the moral orientation of our psyche, the social interpretation of good and evil.
4. The interpretation of dreams
Finally, a fundamental pillar in Freud's theory is the importance that he himself gives to dreams. According to your psychoanalysis theoryIf we correctly interpret the meaning of dreams, we can understand certain unconscious elements that are represented in the dream world. For example, from his point of view, the meaning of dreaming about snakes is that we have repressed sexual impulses since snakes have a phallic shape (similar to a male genitalia).
The iceberg metaphor it has a message that goes beyond structuring levels of thought. It also wants to convey the message that, on many occasions, the problem lies in an inconspicuous part of reality. As with icebergs. According to this theory, the conscious part of the human being is equivalent to the tip of the iceberg: a small fragment that many times we usually interpret as the totality of our thought or "psyche". However, underneath this thought are other less visible levels.
According to Freud, the mind is structured on three main levels:
1. The conscious mind
Consciousness is made up of all those thoughts and sensations that are processed through the senses and emotions. It's related to reality and everything what we can conceive in a direct way, like an elaborate thought or a premeditated decision. According to Freud's iceberg metaphor, this is the tip of the iceberg of our psyche.
2. The preconscious mind
This level is defined as the passage from the conscious mind to the unconscious. It is formed by the thoughts, feelings or sensations that are not processed in a conscious way but that, nevertheless, can rise to the surface without much problem.
3. The unconscious mind
The deepest part of Freud's iceberg is the famous unconscious, it includes all the content repressed by the conscious mind, impulses, forgotten conflicts... According to Sigmund Freud's theory of personality, most of our mind is influenced by the unconscious, in a nutshell: we are not conscious owners of our actions. The unconscious mind is practically inaccessible and only through psychoanalysis can it be inferred.
To support this phenomenon, Freud describes the concept of failed act[1]. This phenomenon is described as an act that we do without thinking and whose consequences reflect part of our unconscious, for example:
- Starting a relationship and calling your partner by your ex's name
According to Freud, this is a clear example of a "failed act" in which the unconscious arises through consciously unplanned acts.
It is important to comment that Sigmund Freud was not the only one to adopt the structure of the iceberg in order to develop his theory. This model is very useful to be able to explain theories related to the hidden layers of personality and emotions.
In human resourcesFor example, the iceberg metaphor is used to affirm that a person will develop one potential or another according to the position and the responsibilities that this person carries out in their job. The iceberg model in human resources places skills and knowledge in the visible part and character and intrinsic motivation in the most hidden area of the model.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
