An Example of Psychoanalysis

For my blog, I chose to focus on the concept of psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist who was fascinated by the early mind, first popularized psychoanalysis in the 1900s. Psychoanalysis places emphasis on unconscious conflict and childhood traumas and their impact on the development of later personality traits and psychological problems.

A real-world example of psychoanalysis in my own life is my fear of cats, which can possibly be attributed to an unpleasant experience that occurred when I was a child. When I was in the second grade I went over to my best friend Frances’s house to have a play-date. At this point in my life I had never had a pet, and was both excited and nervous when Frances announced that we could play with her new kitten. In her living room Frances handed the kitten over to me and I apprehensively took it, hugging it to my chest. Immediately the kitten whipped out its claws and dug them deep into my skin, refusing to withdrawal them. I cried and cried trying to get it to let go, but the more I struggled the deeper the claws dug in. Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime, the cat released itself and I ran to the bathroom to attend to my bleeding wounds. Although the cat didn’t leave any permanent psychical damage, it certainly made an impact on me psychologically. To this day I still have an abnormal fear of cats, and refuse to get within a 5-foot proximity of one.

This experience is a prime example of psychoanalysis because it shows how a childhood experience still affects my behavior today. Although the event occurred almost 10 years ago, it was my first close encounter with a cat and, because of the trauma my 10-year-old self endured, it shaped the way that I view and interact with cats to this day. This instance supports the validity of psychoanalysis and the importance of early childhood events in regard to later behavioral tendencies.Unknown

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About Alexa Royle

My name is Alexandra Royle and I am a junior at The Pennsylvania State University majoring in Public Relations and double-minoring in Spanish and International Relations. I am a staff member in the PR division of Valley Magazine, a campus lifestyle publication, and am also the Vice President of my service organization, Epsilon Sigma Alpha. I plan to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain during the Spring 2016 semester and am really looking forward to experiencing a different culture. I am originally from Wayne, Pennsylvania and am the first of my family to attend Penn State!

One thought on “An Example of Psychoanalysis

  1. Alyssa Ann Dezulovich

    I definitely can relate to this! However, my fear is of dogs instead of cats. One of my first experiences with a dog was a traumatizing one. My next door neighbor had a German Shepherd named Lars who was not well trained at all and forever chewing through his leash. When me and my sisters were younger we would be playing in our backyard and all of a sudden Lars would appear and chase us around for hours snapping his teeth at us. To this day, me and my two sisters are still petrified of dogs. I really do think that this childhood trauma has led us all to have the fear we do of dogs today. I do think that psychoanalysis and early childhood events have a strong impact on our lives.

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