Sigmund Freud, who said that understanding anxiety “would be bound to
throw a flood of light on our whole mental existence,” had two theories of
anxiety, an early one, in 1917, and a later one, in 1926. In the early theory, libido
(mental energy, often equated with sexual drive) builds up until it is
discharged by some pleasurable activity. Sometimes the energy cannot be
discharged, for example, when the sexual object is not attainable or is morally
unacceptable. This undischarged energy is anxiety and remains even
when its original, unacceptable object is repressed or eliminated from conscious
awareness. This anxiety may attach itself to an otherwise harmless object,
resulting in a phobia. This theory is best illustrated in one of Freud’s
most famous cases, that of “Little Hans,” a five-year-old who developed a
phobia of horses. Freud believed that Little Hans had a sexual desire for his
mother and wanted his father dead so that he could have his mother to himself.
This desire for his mother and hatred of his father were unacceptable
impulses and so were repressed from consciousness, resulting in anxiety.
This anxiety attached itself to horses, Freud thought, because the black
blinders and muzzle of the horse symbolized his father’s glasses and mustache.
In Freud’s first theory, repression causes anxiety. In psychoanalytic theory,
repression is a defense mechanism that keeps unacceptable thoughts
and impulses from becoming conscious. In the later theory, the relationship
between them has changed: Anxiety causes repression. In this theory, anxiety
acts as a signal to the ego (in Freud’s theory, the rational, conscious part
of the mind) that a forbidden impulse (such as Little Hans’s desire for his
mother) is trying to force its way into consciousness. This signal alerts the
ego to try to repress the unwanted impulse. If the ego cannot successfully repress
the forbidden impulse, it may try to transfer the forbidden impulse to
an irrelevant object (horses, in Little Hans’s case). This object can arouse all
the emotions associated with the forbidden impulse, including the signal
anxiety. In this way, it becomes a phobic object.
discharged, for example, when the sexual object is not attainable or is morally
unacceptable. This undischarged energy is anxiety and remains even
when its original, unacceptable object is repressed or eliminated from conscious
awareness. This anxiety may attach itself to an otherwise harmless object,
resulting in a phobia. This theory is best illustrated in one of Freud’s
most famous cases, that of “Little Hans,” a five-year-old who developed a
phobia of horses. Freud believed that Little Hans had a sexual desire for his
mother and wanted his father dead so that he could have his mother to himself.
This desire for his mother and hatred of his father were unacceptable
impulses and so were repressed from consciousness, resulting in anxiety.
This anxiety attached itself to horses, Freud thought, because the black
blinders and muzzle of the horse symbolized his father’s glasses and mustache.
In Freud’s first theory, repression causes anxiety. In psychoanalytic theory,
repression is a defense mechanism that keeps unacceptable thoughts
and impulses from becoming conscious. In the later theory, the relationship
between them has changed: Anxiety causes repression. In this theory, anxiety
acts as a signal to the ego (in Freud’s theory, the rational, conscious part
of the mind) that a forbidden impulse (such as Little Hans’s desire for his
mother) is trying to force its way into consciousness. This signal alerts the
ego to try to repress the unwanted impulse. If the ego cannot successfully repress
the forbidden impulse, it may try to transfer the forbidden impulse to
an irrelevant object (horses, in Little Hans’s case). This object can arouse all
the emotions associated with the forbidden impulse, including the signal
anxiety. In this way, it becomes a phobic object.
discharged, for example, when the sexual object is not attainable or is morally
unacceptable. This undischarged energy is anxiety and remains even
when its original, unacceptable object is repressed or eliminated from conscious
awareness. This anxiety may attach itself to an otherwise harmless object,
resulting in a phobia. This theory is best illustrated in one of Freud’s
most famous cases, that of “Little Hans,” a five-year-old who developed a
phobia of horses. Freud believed that Little Hans had a sexual desire for his
mother and wanted his father dead so that he could have his mother to himself.
This desire for his mother and hatred of his father were unacceptable
impulses and so were repressed from consciousness, resulting in anxiety.
This anxiety attached itself to horses, Freud thought, because the black
blinders and muzzle of the horse symbolized his father’s glasses and mustache.
In Freud’s first theory, repression causes anxiety. In psychoanalytic theory,
repression is a defense mechanism that keeps unacceptable thoughts
and impulses from becoming conscious. In the later theory, the relationship
between them has changed: Anxiety causes repression. In this theory, anxiety
acts as a signal to the ego (in Freud’s theory, the rational, conscious part
of the mind) that a forbidden impulse (such as Little Hans’s desire for his
mother) is trying to force its way into consciousness. This signal alerts the
ego to try to repress the unwanted impulse. If the ego cannot successfully repress
the forbidden impulse, it may try to transfer the forbidden impulse to
an irrelevant object (horses, in Little Hans’s case). This object can arouse all
the emotions associated with the forbidden impulse, including the signal
anxiety. In this way, it becomes a phobic object.
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