Decades have passed since many of the neo-Freudian theorists broke away
from the Freudian pack, allowing us to see how much more these theoristshad in common with Freud than they probably realized at the time. Just as
their theories are better thought of as elaborations of Freud ’s basic psycho-
analytic approach, so is the research covered in this chapter relevant for
both Freudian and neo-Freudian approaches to personality. In each case re-
searchers began with concepts introduced by psychoanalytic theory but,
much like the theorists who followed Freud, soon took their thinking in newdirections.
We begin by examining research on anxiety and coping strategies.
Although traditional psychoanalytic theorists emphasize unconscious sourcesof anxiety and defense mechanisms, most research in this area is concerned
with anxiety-provoking events that people are aware of. We ’ll look at some of
the conscious efforts people make to cope with their anxiety.
Several decades ago, researchers borrowed several of Freud’ s concepts to
explain the causes of aggression. Although their research eventually took
these investigators far from their psychoanalytic starting point, the legacy isclear. A number of Freudian terms —sublimation, displacement, catharsis —
can be found throughout their writings.
Finally, we’ ll examine the connection between infant –parent relationships
and attachment styles in adults. Borrowing from a neo-Freudian approach
known as object relations theory, researchers have identified patterns in the
way people relate to their romantic partners. These adult attachment styles
are said to have their origin in the attachment experiences children had with
their parents. Studies suggest that these childhood experiences may affect
adult romantic relationships.
ANXIETY AND COPING STRATEGIES
Are we, as some popular writers suggest, in an “age of anxiety ”? Have the
good old days of afternoon strolls in the park and summer evenings on the
porch been replaced with ever-present pressure to work harder and faster
and be better than everyone else? The ubiquitous ads for massages, medita-
tion, anti-anxiety drugs, get-away vacations, and the like seem to say that
many of us have been pushed near some sort of anxiety breaking point. But
are we really more anxious today, or do we just complain more? To answer
this question, one investigator examined average anxiety scores reported in
published studies from the 1950s through the 1990s (Twenge, 2000). Notonly did anxiety scores rise throughout the five decades, but by the 1980s
the average American child reported higher levels of anxiety than child psy-
chiatric patients in the 1950s. The data suggest that we may indeed have en-tered an age of anxiety.
Anxiety and strategies for alleviating anxiety can be found throughout
the works of psychoanalytic theorists. Although anxiety has been defined in124 CHAPTER 6 The Neo-Freudian Theories