Metapsychology

Metapsychology is the totality of the psychological theories of Freud. It describes the dynamic, topical and economic relations of mental phenomena.

Concept formation by Freud

Freud himself has referred to this term coined (Freud 1915 s) and use it as the completion of psychoanalytic research. He says based on the " fate of the excitation sizes ":

Freud first mentioned the term metapsychology on 13 February 1896 in a letter to his friend Wilhelm Fliess.

Freud has the following principles first the example of the transference neuroses demonstrated ( phobia, conversion hysteria and obsessional neurosis ).

Dynamics

Dynamics examines the intra- psychic forces between the spiritual entities ( ego, id, superego, conscious, preconscious, unconscious ). The participation of specific instances is considered a cast of libido energy. By repressing eg as a result of the development of anxiety implementation ( = consciousness ) occurs in another system, such as system Bw in the system Ucs ( = unconscious ).

Topik

Topik describes the required by psychoanalysis as a fundamental possibility of localization of psychological processes within the nervous system. However, this assignment is purely hypothetical in Freud, as the brain research had shown during his lifetime no useful results in terms of his theories. This anatomical Topik is explicitly demanded by Freud when he speaks of a psychic apparatus, the " spatial extent and composition of several pieces " was due and its " scene ... the brain ( nervous system) " performing. On the other hand, Freud speaks of a mental Topik who have provisionally nothing to do with the anatomy. It refers " to the regions of the psychic apparatus, wherever they may be located in the body and not to anatomical locations ." Freud therefore consequently uses the term instances instead of mental Topik. This seems especially appropriate to avoid confusion with the anatomical Topik. Therefore, the current literature also preferred the term instance is unclear anatomical localization. The term instance is therefore of more of a functional nature, which is already stressed by friend against the topical point of view as essential. " The functional assumption has struck here topical with little effort from the field. " - In other topological model concepts such as in the field theory ( Kurt Lewin ), or in the case of the integration space ( Thure von Uexküll ), a cross or symbolic imaginary assumed space comprising different presentation concepts such as body, soul, environment and society.

Economics

Economics is a teleological principle, which is directed to saving of energy. " The maintenance of a displacement assumes a constant power output, and their removal is economically a saving. " This principle assumes that all mental processes only quantity- limited energy made ​​available by the body and only they can be consumed. The topical distribution or consumption of these energies is the objective point of view of economic considerations, the subjective is the "depth" of experiences or the " vitality " of each life, which according to the available energy must depend.

While the dynamic and topical relationships analogous ideas have in the physics of the sort that economics is withdrawn as a teleological principle of empirical observation. However, it can be thus made ​​clear what, benefit 'or' meaning 'have the disease processes characterized by defense processes. This, benefits ' is generally expressed in the fact that chronic anxiety ideas kept from consciousness and the associated energy pulses are compensated poorly. Through distribution of mental energy on different instances of a new energy balance is produced under pathological conditions. Maintaining such a balance is crucial for the state of health, which according to Freud, " health just can not describe it otherwise than metapsychological ". Another aspect of the economics are, according to Freud phenomena as particular forms of logic in irony, humor, humor, naivety or, more generally, in the techniques of wit. Common psychological feature of all these linguistic representations is the elimination of mental energy.