The Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality
The Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality
Bahiyyah Shabazz
PSY/250
August 10, 2011
Renee Jeffery
The Psychoanalytic Approach To Personality In order to fully understand personality, one can observe the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. To comprehend the theories of all three psychologists and how they came about, one must learn how they were studied. According to the Webster’s online dictionary, theories are concepts that are not yet verified, but if true, would explain certain facts or phenomena. Of the three scientists listed, Freud is known to be the most memorable for his pioneering terms, “The id”, “ego”, and “super-ego”, which generated from his beliefs that the mind is separated into these three parts. The id focus on results from urges to gain pleasure without a regard to any consequence. The super-ego focus on morals that are influenced by authority figures, such as a parent or grandparent. The question of what is right or wrong is a determining factor of the outcome and is almost the same as the id. The ego can act as a mediator between the id and super-ego. The activities of the world and a person’s surroundings are taken into consideration to promote some balance amongst all three parts of the mind. To better understand the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, one must truly understand his life as it seem to have a lot of influence on his findings as well. Freud was an ambitious scientist who used early childhood experiences to help determine his theories about a human’s personality. Freud was born to an aged father and a very attractive, young mother, in which he adored. Being the third wife of his father, Freud had adult half brothers’ from his dad’s previous marriages that lived close and also adored his mother. At times, Freud would observe his half brothers’ flirt with his mother and could also recall past times when he would see his mother in the nude.
Bahiyyah Shabazz
PSY/250
August 10, 2011
Renee Jeffery
The Psychoanalytic Approach To Personality In order to fully understand personality, one can observe the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. To comprehend the theories of all three psychologists and how they came about, one must learn how they were studied. According to the Webster’s online dictionary, theories are concepts that are not yet verified, but if true, would explain certain facts or phenomena. Of the three scientists listed, Freud is known to be the most memorable for his pioneering terms, “The id”, “ego”, and “super-ego”, which generated from his beliefs that the mind is separated into these three parts. The id focus on results from urges to gain pleasure without a regard to any consequence. The super-ego focus on morals that are influenced by authority figures, such as a parent or grandparent. The question of what is right or wrong is a determining factor of the outcome and is almost the same as the id. The ego can act as a mediator between the id and super-ego. The activities of the world and a person’s surroundings are taken into consideration to promote some balance amongst all three parts of the mind. To better understand the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, one must truly understand his life as it seem to have a lot of influence on his findings as well. Freud was an ambitious scientist who used early childhood experiences to help determine his theories about a human’s personality. Freud was born to an aged father and a very attractive, young mother, in which he adored. Being the third wife of his father, Freud had adult half brothers’ from his dad’s previous marriages that lived close and also adored his mother. At times, Freud would observe his half brothers’ flirt with his mother and could also recall past times when he would see his mother in the nude.
References: The definition of Theory was taken from the Webster’s online dictionary. Webster-dictionary.org Howard S. Friedman (2009) (4th ed.) Chapters 3, 4 & 8 Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research Information was taken from www.ezinearticles.com, subject components of psychoanalytic approach to personality