Are the Ego, and the Superego related to Anorexia?
Oh ya... big time. Freud's Superego is roughly your "conscience". It's defined as "internalized parental imago"... in other words, your parents live on in your mind giving orders, making proclamations, warning against doing anything wrong. And mostly we get along with it OK - we are unaware of it. We think WE choose not to take our cloths off in public - but in fact it's the anxiety generated by the Superego which would keep us from doing that. But for some people the Superego can be Extra punishing - Extra crazy and demanding and abusive. The "voice" of the parents can be crazy and confused - it can demand one thing and its exact opposite at the same time! We often try many self-destructive ways to get away from the Superego "noise" - being drunk is one of them. And perhaps for a bit you have peace. Cutting yourself is another. It will often sooth the Superego "voice" while the wound is healing up. And Anorexia is just another self-destructive strategy. Anorexia is NOT eating, sick of eating, scared of eating.... and it's purpose is to allow the suffer to feel in control. At least the poor person is in control of something - what they eat. The skinnier they get they think they're winning - but they're dying... Same way a drunk may feel liberated, but he's killing himself. If you can get a handle on this Superego thing and how it works, it goes a LONG way in explaining a lot of the ills of the world.
What is an example of Id versus Ego versus Superego?
Okay, its not a personal example, but its one I like to use: I like to think of Freud's theory as a cartoon. Do you remember those cartoons in which a character is trying to make a decision and then a little cartoon devil pops up over one shoulder and a little cartoon angel pops up on the other shoulder? During the cartoon, the little devil and little angel are smaller cartoon versions of the main character (so, like a little devil or angel Fred Flintstone). Then Fred argues with the little devil and angel to make a decision. The id, ego, and superego are all part of Fred. The id is the little devil (usually Fred with red horns). This is the part of you that is impulsive. The id (or little cartoon devil) just wants pleasure and all of his actions are to get pleasure. The superego is the little cartoon angel (usually Fred with a halo and wings). This is the part of you that wants you to do good things and makes you feel guilty when you do something bad. The ego is Fred himself. The ego tries to mediate between the id and superego, makes sense of things, and then makes a decision. If you remember the cartoons, sometimes the little devil won and sometimes the little angel won. In terms of psychopathology, for people with a strong little devil (id), they are most likely to be substance abusers or have impulse control problems. People with a strong little angel (superego) are more likely to have problems with guilt and over-controlled behavior and are susceptible to things like depression and anxiety.
How do people deal with anorexia nervosa?
The problem with a lot of treatments for this illness is that the focus tends to be on eating and body image and it is very rarely that at all. It's about the individual and the role they see themselves in society. I worked with s girl who had it and this what I learned from that experience and how I treated it. Somewhere along early developmental years of the Id, ego, and superego the superego does not evolve the way it is supposed to and goes rogue. It attacks the individual and makes them feel like a bad person saying stuff like you are fat, ugly, etc. this attack is constant to the point where the individual decides that they will outright take their life or do so slowly through anorexia. On the surface it looks like a food and body disorder and they will tell you that, but in reality it's that hidden struggle that is going on. If you ask them what their ideal weight is they won't be able to give you a straight answer and even if they do lose a significant amount of weight they will say they are still fat. Another thing that occurs is the development of rituals and the focus on being perfect. This is just another setup to fail and validate what the conscience says about them. Now, in terms of treating, this is what I did. I created a log for her where she would write in it nightly what her conscience was saying to her. She gave her conscience a name and called him Vincent she said the voice sounded more like a man than a woman. I then had her refute the comments that her conscience was telling her. It was hard for a few weeks but she got to the point where she found her voice and started overpowering those thoughts. One thing to watch out for is the individual making this a ritual in itself. Also, look at the family dynamic and the role they play in it. Sometimes they act as a caretaker which plays into the condition. Get her to the point where she feels comfortable being told "It's okay, I will deal with this so you don't have to worry about it." "It is not your responsibility to have to take care of people."
What is the relationship between poor self image and low self esteem?
They mean pretty much the same.The “I’m not OK” feeling which we all have, and we deal with in different ways (or not).You can overcome this by developing some kind of personal skill or ability - which is generally discovered in something that you will do for love rather than money. That way you will be able to put in the countless hours required to develop it.One example is learning to play a musical instrument.Having such an ability means that when we mess up in our daily lives - as any creative person will - we have something to fall back on and say “at least I get that right”.A problem is that other people around us also with low self esteem love it when we make mistakes - because it makes them feel superior for a few seconds, and they can criticise us, rather than themselves, for a change. We all have that “voice in the head”, you see.It is worth considering that some companies spend millions of pounds to make mistakes. It is called “Research”. They know that the returns from what they learn will far out weigh the losses.MORE INFORMATIONA knowledge of Transactional Analysis helps transform“I’M NOT OK. YOU’RE OK” ….. to …….. “I’M OK. YOU’RE OK”.Brian Baulsom's answer to What do you consider the most important book on human behavior?Brian Baulsom's answer to Can you explain Sigmund Freud's theory regarding Id, Ego and Superego in layman's terms?
Is there a mental disorder that makes you desire to have a mental disorder?
There are some disorders that can lead to this symptom. Hypochondriacs can become obsessed with a mental disorder. There are also factitious disorders, where a person lies about having a disorder. I would say this is different from hypochondriasis, as most hypochondriacs believe they have the illness, where as people with factitious disorders do not.There is one example of factitious disorder called Munchausen syndrome. This seems like it’s closest to what you’re describing. Munchausen is when a person fakes symptoms of a disease or disorder, even going so far as to poison themselves to mimic being sick. People with Munchausen often mimic being sick for the attention and love they receive. It’s important to think about why someone does what they do. Another variation of Munchausen is Munchausen By Proxy, where a parent (usually a mother) makes their child sick for the attention they get. This was displayed in the popular book “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn.Finally, it’s possible to want to be sick and mimic being sick without having a diagnosed mental disorder. Many people feel they need more attention and love than they are receiving in life. Becoming sick is one way to get those basic needs filled. You will often find people who experiment with self harm, eating disorder habits, or other self-destructive behaviours for attention. NOTE: I am not judging people who do this. Regardless of the reason you are doing a harmful behaviour, you still are valid and still need to be cared for.I hope this helps.
What is Sociopthic disorder?
Sociopathy is chiefly characterized by something wrong with the person's conscience. They either don't have one, it's full of holes like Swiss cheese, or they are somehow able to completely neutralize or negate any sense of conscience or future time perspective. Sociopaths only care about fulfilling their own needs and desires - selfishness and egocentricity to the extreme. Everything and everybody else is mentally twisted around in their minds as objects to be used in fulfilling their own needs and desires. They often believe they are doing something good for society, or at least nothing that bad. The term "sociopath" is frequently used by psychologists and sociologists alike in referring to persons whose unsocialized character is due primarily to parental failures (usually fatherlessness) rather than an inherent feature of temperament. Lykken (1995), for example, clearly distinguishes between the sociopath (who is socialized into becoming a psychopath) and a "true" psychopath (who is born that way). However, this may only describe the "common sociopath", as there are at least four (4) different subtypes -- common, alienated, aggressive, and dyssocial. Commons are characterized mostly by their lack of conscience; the alienated by their inability to love or be loved; aggressives by a consistent sadistic streak; and dyssocials by an ability to abide by gang rules, as long as those rules are the wrong rules. As Stout (2005) indicates, it only takes three of the following to be defined as a sociopath, and some common sociopathic traits include: Egocentricity; Callousness; Impulsivity; Conscience defect; Exaggerated sexuality; Excessive boasting; Risk taking; Inability to resist temptation; Antagonistic, deprecating attitude toward the opposite sex; Lack of interest in bonding with a mate. ------------------- n. One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior.
Can you explain this definition for psychoanalysis.. in easy to understand terms..?
i put the definition and a little blip about it below, but it mainly is you talk to a therapist and say whatever comes to mind. they then examine those thoughts and slips of the tongue to determine what they think is really wrong with you. The method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts, in order to free psychic energy for mature love and work. (i personally am not a fan of psychoanalysis) b.The theory of personality developed by Freud that focuses on repression and unconscious forces and includes the concepts of infantile sexuality, resistance, transference, and division of the psyche into the id, ego, and superego. Method of treating mental disorders that emphasizes the probing of unconscious mental processes. It is based on the psychoanalytic theory devised by Sigmund Freud in Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th century. It calls for patients to engage in free association of ideas, speaking to therapists about anything that comes to mind. Dreams and slips of the tongue are examined as a key to the workings of the unconscious mind, and the "work" of therapy is to uncover the tensions existing between the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego. Careful attention is paid to early childhood experiences (especially those with a sexual dimension), the memory of which may have been repressed because of guilt or trauma; recalling and analyzing these experiences is thought to help free patients from the anxiety and neuroses caused by repression as well as from more serious illnesses known as psychoses (see neurosis, psychosis). Some of Freud's early associates, notably Carl Gustav Jung and Alfred Adler, rejected his theories on many points and devised alternative methods of analysis. Other important figures in psychoanalysis, including Erik Erickson, Karen Horney, and Erich Fromm, accepted the basic Freudian framework but contributed their own additions or modifications