Joaquín Díaz Atienza
Introduction
To understand the contributions of psychoanalysis to the psycho-affective development of childhood and adolescence, it is essential to grasp some fundamental concepts. Therefore, we will first define, very briefly, the concepts of topic, dynamic, and economic in psychoanalytic theory, and then the concept of drive and a description of the two topographies described by Sigmund Freud.
1. The concept of topicality in psychoanalysis. Topical viewpoint.
The concept of topos belongs to Aristotelian philosophy and, in relation to psychoanalysis, refers to the places or instances on which the human psyche is based. These topos or places, in turn, are constituted by a series of categories from which the premises for the argumentation used in the description are drawn. In this sense, for psychoanalysis, topical es "the viewpoint that assumes a differentiation of the psychic apparatus into a certain number of systems endowed with different characteristics or functions and arranged in a specific order" (J. Laplanche).
These systems are descriptive and attempt to offer us a model of the different intrapsychic instances which are essential for understanding mental functioning. The passage of information from one instance to another is controlled by the censorship and among them there is always a conflict.
The first topography described by Freud is made up of the instances, or systems, unconscious, preconscious y conscious and the second topic by the it, the yo and superego.
2. The dynamic point of view.
The dynamic viewpoint is invariably linked to intrapsychic conflict, The psyche is the result of conflicts between different instances, or intersystems. This viewpoint attempts to provide a qualitative explanation of the different drive forces in conflict between systems. These forces have been described as vectors directed towards specific objects that differ according to the stage of child development.
3. Economic viewpoint.
Try to give a quantitative explanation of the forces involved in the conflict, as well as the psychic energy linked to these forces that operate between the instances and the different representations.
In order to fully describe a psychic phenomenon, it is essential to describe it from these three points of view: the topical, the dynamic, and the economic.
4. The drives.
The term drive is equivalent to instinct, although devoid of the latter's constitutionalist connotation. Drives are defined by four characteristics: the impulse, the drive's source, its aim, and the object to which it is directed.
– Instinctual motion: It is the drive in action, at the moment when a specific organic change sets it in motion. Therefore, it is a dynamic dimension comparable to a vector in that it possesses movement, direction, and action.
It is related to psychological concepts such as motive and motivation.
– Drive source: This is a territorial and energetic notion. Territorial insofar as it indicates where the drive originates, and energetic insofar as it is accompanied by a certain amount of energy.
– The drive-related objective: The goal of the drive is satisfaction in order to reduce the tension that originates from the activation of the drive source.
– The instinctual object: It is what satisfies the drive. It varies greatly from person to person. That is, while people may have comparable drives, the object by which the drive is satisfied can vary between individuals.
5. Freud's first topic.
It includes the instances called conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
- Aware. It is that structure of the psyche whose contents belong to perception-consciousness and are located on its periphery. It receives information (sensations) from the inner and outer world, as well as from mnemonic recollections.
– Preconscious. The contents are not in the field of consciousness, although they can access it. Therefore, in a descriptive sense, we can say that they are unconscious. They are isolated and protected from the unconscious by censorship. Unconscious contents can only access the preconscious through transformation.
- Unconscious. In a descriptive sense, the unconscious refers to contents that are beyond the reach of consciousness. In its topographical sense, it is the psychic instance that houses all repressed contents.
Characteristics of the unconscious are: its contents represent drives, are governed by primary mechanisms, possess a high energy charge, and are constituted primarily by repressed infantile desires. It can only access the preconscious-conscious system through a compromise formation.
6. Freud's second topic.
It comprises the psychic instances called: Id, Ego, and Superego.
– The Id. It is made up of drives and is fundamental in child development. The id contains some innate unconscious elements, which have never been conscious, and others that were conscious at some point and were subsequently repressed.
– The Self. The ego emerges progressively throughout development through the experience of reality and originates from elements of the id. It has a synthetic function. It presents two poles: one defensive against anxiety, and another related to its functionality (consciousness, self-preservation, and memory). For Freud, there is a substructure within the ego that he calls the id. Ideal Self o My Ideal Self whose purpose is to push the self to position itself according to the ideal images internalized throughout development.
– The Superego. Although essentially the heir to the Oedipus complex, it also incorporates aspects of the other stages. The Superego derives its energy from the Id and forms part of the Ego, in which parental and cultural prohibitions are internalized.
The functions of the Superego are: control or moral censorship, self-observation through which the person is aware of the distance between the Ego and the Ideal Ego.
Of course, these basic ideas about the concepts necessary to understand the psycho-affective development of childhood and adolescence are totally insufficient to understand them in depth, although I hope they are sufficient to understand what will be discussed in future chapters.
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