Freudian Jigsaw

The Jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. In this approach, each group member is given a different piece of information that that s/he must learn and then teach to the other members of his/her group. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each student's part--is essential for the completion and understanding of the final product. Therefore, group members must work together as a team to accomplish a common goal. This approach is not only an efficient way to teach and learn but also “facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task” (Aronson, 2000, http://www.jigsaw.org/index.html).

This Jigsaw focuses on Sigmund Freud's theory of personality, also known as Psychoanalytic Theory. In order to find the information you will need, see your textbook (pp. 14- 15 and 260-268) as well as the following Internet sites:

Sigmund Freud: The Father of Psychoanalysis - http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/biography.html
Freud’s Division of the Mind - http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/division.html
Freudian Glossary -  http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/fgloss.html|
Topography of the Mind - http://www.wilderdom.com/personality/L8-3TopographyMindIceberg.html
Freud: An Overview of His Ideas - http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/science/freud/freud_ov.html

The five pieces of this Jigsaw are:

1. Importance of Instincts, Libido, and Sublimation

2. Personality Structures (id, ego, and superego) and Levels of Consciousness

3. Psychosexual Stages

4. Oedipus and Electra Complexes

5. Defense Mechanisms (at least six of them)

Your piece of the assignment is indicated by the number at the top of this handout. Be prepared to meet at the beginning of next class with other students who have the same part in order to plan what you will present to the other four students in your group.

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