Premium Essay

The Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By kingbo1000
Words 1082
Pages 5
Demetrius Anderson

The psychoanalytic approach to personality

The essential components and ideas of the psychoanalytic approach to personality focus on unconscious reasons, biological characteristics, and methods that help people understand who they are as individuals. Freud, Jung, and Adler were all major contributors that laid the foundation of personality theories that believe individuals are born with specific traits and motivators that affect how we think, feel, and behave. The core complex of human behavior or character lies within the brain and involves the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id is the only part of personality present from birth driven by the need for immediate gratification of our wants, and needs. The Ego, developed from the Id is responsible for dealing with reality and functions in all states of consciousness. The Superego is the last part of our personality to progress and holds the key to our internal beliefs inherited from both parents. Considerable changes have occurred over time, but these three scientists contributed many ideas that led to the modern methods that exist regarding human behavior, thought, and character.

Although, Freud, Jung, and Adler shared many of the same beliefs regarding the unique makeup of people they also had some dissimilarities. Freud’s concept was primarily based on an individual’s sexuality and felt that it was the principal influence of human behavior. While, Jung took human sexuality into account, he firmly believed that the quest for individuality and meaning was a more important factor. Adler, like Jung, focused more on how an individual seen themselves, but also considered how the person felt they fit in society as well. He firmly believed in taking measures to promote a person's feeling of power and strive for perfection. Adler’s theory focused on "fictional finalism" meaning the individual

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality

...Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality Ashley Reyes Axia, University of Phoenix Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality Abstract Personalities have been studied for years by scientist and other researchers. Although some studies have proven to be similar others show differences of how human personalities are developed. Psychoanalysis is a way to understand the interactions between conscious and unconscious factors of the brain. Psychoanalysis is a form of psychotherapy for patients who have mental problems. This paper will provide thoughts on Freud, Jung and Adler’s theories on characteristics of personality. Psychoanalysis has three means the first is exploring the human mind, the second is treatment of psychological problems and the third is to understand human behavior better. In exploring the different theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler this paper with compare and agree and disagree with characteristics of research done by the three psychologists. In Freud’s theory an explanation of stages and characteristics of personality of the components used will be described. An understanding of at least three of Freud’s defense mechanisms will be offered in explanation with examples of real-life events. Psychoanalytic personality Assessment The theories found between physiologist Freud, Adler and Jung were interesting when all of the research is compared. Each psychologist spent years doing scientific research on physics, medicine...

Words: 1073 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality

...The Analysis of psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler Michelle K. The Analysis of psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler The essential components and ideas of the psychoanalytic approach to personality focus on unconscious reasons, biological characteristics, and methods that help people understand who they are as individuals. Freud, Jung, and Adler were all major contributors that laid the foundation of personality theories that believe individuals are born with specific traits and motivators that affect how we think, feel, and behave. The core complex of human behavior or character lies within the brain and involves the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id is the only part of personality present from birth driven by the need for immediate gratification of our wants, and needs. The Ego, developed from the Id is responsible for dealing with reality and functions in all states of consciousness. The Superego is the last part of our personality to progress and holds the key to our internal beliefs inherited from both parents. Considerable changes have occurred over time, but these three scientists contributed many ideas that led to the modern methods that exist regarding human behavior, thought, and character. Although, Freud, Jung, and Adler shared many of the same beliefs regarding the unique makeup of people they also had some dissimilarities. Freud’s concept was primarily based on an individual’s sexuality and felt that it was the principal...

Words: 1097 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment

...Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Psychotherapy has different approaches depending on the school, theorist, or person administering the therapy. Is one approach better than the other? This is an extremely difficult question to answer. The best way to determine which approach to administer is by using knowledge coupled with unique information in regards to the individual seeking psychotherapy. For psychotherapy to work effectively, one must first evaluate the psychological issue at hand. Every individual has a personality that is uniquely made up eight key aspects that are the unconscious, ego forces, biological, conditioning, cognitive, traits, spiritual dimension, and interaction. Although there might be similarities between personalities, it is impossible to have the same eight key aspects on more than one individual. Personality psychology truly is fascinating and is defined as the scientific study of psychological forces that make individuals unique. This paper will compare and contrast the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler. These three theorists devoted much of their time and energy developing unique approaches, methods, and techniques of psychoanalytic theory used to treat patients today. Sigmund Freud was the true founder of the psychoanalytic theory. Later, his student’s Alfred Adler and Carl Jung questioned Freud’s interpretation of dreams resulting in the Adler and Jungian theories. The psychoanalytic theory developed by Freud encouraged patients...

Words: 1106 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic

...running head: KIM’S PSYCHOANALYTIC PAPER 1 Kim’s Psychoanalytic Paper Kimberly Allen PSY/250 October 6, 2012 Wes Hanlon KIM’S PSYCHOANALYTIC PAPER 2 Introduction There are several theorists that have their own theory about psychoanalytic approach. Each theorist goes into detail about his or her theory and how it relates to an individual’s personality. An individual’s personality is what makes him or her special from everyone else. In this paper, it will talk about the theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler. This paper will also talk about the stages of Freud’s theory and at least three Freudian defense mechanisms with real-life examples. Theories of psychoanalytic approach Sigmund Freud was one of the theorists that came up with a theory that relates to psychoanalytic approach. Sigmund Freud created psychoanalytic, which is his way to understand personality (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Freud started using hypnosis, which was created by Charcot and Pierre Janet to cure hysteria, but realized that it did not work to treat his patients (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Since hypnosis did not work, Freud created free association, which is where the individual is aware of everything happening (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). He realized that this did not work as well, but realized that it was in the person’s dreams, which is in the unconscious mind (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). The other theorist is Carl Jung, who created his own theory about...

Words: 1097 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment

...Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Sigmund Freud, is said to be one of the greatest Psychologist of all times. Although he has a different outlook on understanding how people act is quite intriguing. In comparison and contrast the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Jung, and Adler are very different and unique. However, Freud, Jung, and Adler are not at all alike. Freud based most psychological things on sexuality. Jung, promoted the concept of archetypes, and Adler believed in the “will power” theory Adler also believed that fundamentally, human beings are self-determined. Freud is big on self-consciousness; Jung said “the aim of life is to know oneself, and to know one is to plumb the depths of the inchoate seas of not only the personal unconscious but the collective unconscious as well.” Adler stated that “individual psychology based on the idea of the indivisibility of one’s personality.” Freud, Jung, and Adler became fast friends through their avid interest in psychology. Alfred Adler, a medical doctor with a deep interest in psychology and human nature, met Freud in their native Vienna in 1900 at a medical conference where Freud presented his new theories about dreams and the unconscious. Freud met Jung and after a mega- meeting of thirteen hours of discussion, became cohorts in spreading the wonder of psychoanalysis (Bridle & Edlestein, 2000, Spring/Summer). Alfred Adler and Carl Jung liked Freud’s definitions of id, ego, and superego, but had no interest in the sexual...

Words: 1176 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment

...Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Joe Johnson PSY/250 February 2, 2015 Anne Snyder Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment As psychoanalytical schools of thought have developed over the years, a number of different approaches have emerged that have shaped and formed the administration of psychotherapy. While each differs in their approach to the end result, they share a common goal to help nurture the wellbeing of an individual, both consciously and unconsciously. Where some build an experimental relationship, others will use dialogue and speech to establish a rapport, or focus specifically on improving overall mental health of the patient. (Bouchard et al., 2001) While effectiveness normally requires the treatment to be fitted to the specific psychological problem for the patient, some debate remains on which is the best possible course of action for each. There are three primary psychoanalytical theories commonly applied to psychotherapy, which are respectively attributed to Freud, Jung, and Adler. (McCrae, 2011) This paper attempts to compare and contract the three different theories and provide the stages of Freud’s theory along with three uses of Freudian defense mechanisms. Psychoanalytic Theory, Three Schools of Thought Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is based on the collected works and studies of Sigmund Freud, for whom the theories are named. Most of the base theories developed by Dr. Freud were expanded and split into different schools...

Words: 1431 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality

...Essay Topic: The Conceptualization of personality has changed throughout history. Discuss how the various theories of personality have contributed to the modern definition of personality. In your answer, refer to psychological theory and research. Aim to support your discussion with the relevant theories on personality, and with reference to research studies which have been undertaken. What is personality some may ask, think of the following definitions, what do they have in common. “"Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristics behavior and though" (Allport, 1961, p. 28). “The characteristics or blend of characteristics that make a person unique” (Weinberg & Gould, 1999). Both quotes highlight and personalize the individual and consequently adopt an idiographic view. So it can be said that within modern day society an idiographic view assumes that each person has a unique psychological structure and that some traits are possessed by only one person; and that there are times when it is impossible to compare one person with others. It tends to use case studies for information gathering. The nomothetic view, on the other hand, highlights comparability among individuals. This frame of reference sees traits as having the same psychological meaning in each individual. This approach tends to use self-report personality questions, factor analysis, etc. People differ in their positions...

Words: 1364 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Frued and Jung

...Paper name Psy 360 your name Instructor date Freud and Jung: Early Psychoanalytic Theories Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were two influential theorists in psychology (Nystul, M., 2005). Freud was considered the father of psychology and believed that human behavior was the result of unconscious conflict deep in the mind of individuals (Nystul, M., 2005). Jung’s theory developed directly out of Freud’s psychoanalytic approach; however he refuted several of Freud’s key points and placed an even greater emphasis on the unconscious. Freud and Jung were the key figures of the psychoanalytic approach to psychology; however their theories differed on several key points (Nystul, M., 2005). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was the seed for many subsequent theorists’ work. His main assertion was that human behavior and personality derived from the unconscious conflict that arose in individuals’ unconscious (Fayek, 2005). He postulated that the unconscious was a combination of the id, which was the primal drive for all human needs (e.g., sex, hunger), the superego, which could be likened to the internalization of societal values and standards (e.g., the conscience), and the moderating ego that was the rational part of thought that controlled the impulses of the id and superego. Anxiety arose when individuals were confronted with fears of danger within reality (Shill, 2004). Neurotic anxiety occurred when individuals were confronted with dangers that arose in childhood, and can be connected...

Words: 1402 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality Theories Paper

...Neo Freudian’s Psychoanalytic Theory VS. B.F Skinner’s Behaviorist Approach Cion Castille Psy211 Asharaf Esmail March 12, 2013 How Personality traits are passed down or learned has always been a questionable and a confusing topic when it comes to actually proving your reasons. There seems to be many different theorists that feel that personality comes from different ways. Some even support their theories in such a logical manner that it leaves on the fence. Exploring different theorist showed me many different interpretations of the effecting factors that determine personality traits. The Important pioneer Sigmund Freudian (Freud) and his, Psychoanalytic theory. Learning Theorist B.F. Skinner (Skinner) and his, Behaviorist Approach which was among my interest and very plausible was. In both of these cases the Theorist used great examples from everyday life to support their theorist and beliefs. Sigmund Freudian introduced his Psychoanalytic Theory in the early 1900s. In this theory he stated that conscious experiences are not the only or for that fact the greatest influence on our personality traits. Freud argued that the unconscious experiences that a person goes through also plays a big part if not most of developing personality traits. With this belief Freud focused all of his studies in this matter on the unconscious factors in a person’s life such as; memories, knowledge, beliefs, feelings, drive, and built in instincts. Freud stated that the unconscious functions...

Words: 933 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Personality Overview

...Personality Overview Marty Annette Hill PSY/405 Instructor: Tyron A. Stern, MA April 4, 2013 Personality Overview Introduction Understanding what makes one person unique from another, is one of psychology’s primary goals. Toward that end, many psychologists have delved into the subject of personality (Meacham, 2012). There is no shortage of personality theories among psychologists and researchers today as many continue their search to understand how personality is developed. Some definitions of personality may have stemmed from how theorists chose to explore the topic. According to the article Personality Theories (2001), “personality theories can be categorized into five main classes, as psychoanalytical, humanistic, behavioristic, social-cognitive, and as trait theories” (Para. 1). This essay purposes to analyze the strengths and limitations of two of the five main classes of personality theories; namely, the psychoanalytic and individual psychological theories. Both theories will be compared and contrasted in relationship to their basic assumptions, deterministic versus free-will positions, and conscious versus unconscious motives for behavior. Personality Theories Analyzed In the field of psychology, there is currently no agreed-upon definition of personality among psychologists (Feist & Feist, 2009). Each person is unique and so is his or her personality. Since many personalities are vastly different from one another, exploring various theories...

Words: 1395 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality Paper

...Personality Paper PSY/211 February 17, 2014 Personality Paper 1. According to Hockenbury and Hockenbury (2014), (Chapter 10 Personality ). There are four perspectives of personality they are humanistic, social cognitive, trait, and psychoanalytic. Humanistic Psychology emphasizes unique characteristics as free will and self-awareness. Fraud had a different perceptive on humanistic psychology. Fraud viewed things with a pessimistic point of view. He believed people to be motivated by unconscious sexual and destructive instincts. Humanistic psychologists saw people as being naturally good. Humanistic psychologists also had a different views from psychoanalytic theorists by their focus on the healthy personality rather than on psychologically troubled people. Social Cognitive is another perspective of personality. The social cognitive perspective is different from the psychoanalytic and humanistic perspectives in many ways. To compare social cognitive with humanistic, trait and psychoanalytic someone could say that instead of basing their view on self-analysis or ideas obtained from psychotherapy, social cognitive personality theorists base their ideas on experimental findings. Social cognitive perspective uses conscious, self-regulated behavior instead of unconscious mental influences and basic instincts. Another component in of the perceptive of personality is trait. Traits are very different from the other perspectives. To compare them someone might say...

Words: 733 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Psychoanaytic Personlaity Assessment

...The area of psychology with perhaps the most controversial history, due to it's complete lacking of empirical evidence, psychoanalysis, has it's origins in the teachings of Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy developed by Freud in the early 1900's, involving intense examinations into one's childhood, thought to be the origins of most psychopathology which surfaced during adulthood. Ideas about the subconscious, which saw the human mind as being in continuous internal conflict with itself, and theories that all actions are symbolic, for "there are no accidents", were also major themes of the psychoanalytic approach. Successful therapy was a long-term and costly process, which most people during that time, with the exception of the wealthy, could not afford. Sigmund Freud's main contribution to this new field of studying personality was in the area of the understanding the unconscious, an Is this Essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 350,000 just like it! get better grades aspect of the mind to which, he claimed, we did not have ready access to, but was the source of our actions and behavior. Freud believed the human mind was divided into three parts: the id, ego, and super-ego. The id is man's (generic meaning, referring to both sexes) instinctual, primitive, and hedonistic urges for pure pleasure, which the id was bent on experiencing, without regard to any consequences. The super-ego is man's senses of...

Words: 621 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Components of the Psycoanalytic Approach to Personality

...Components of the Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality Sunny Pilkington PSY/250 October 15, 2012 Dr. Alisa Cortez . Psychologists Alfred Alder, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung are prominent founders and contributors in the components of psychoanalytic approach to personality. Alder, Freud, and Jung formulated separate theories worth comparing and contrasting. “Although their theories were at least as distinct as the four men were, they were passionate about their endeavors, and never settled with conclusion - their entire lives were spent in earnest search for better understanding of the human psychological frailties and their betterment” (Psychological-Musings.blogspot.com, n.d.).. Nevertheless, critical thinking and disagreements coexists among the theories founded by each to explain personality and improve quality of life and understanding. These three psychologists have different stances on the manner psychology functions in humans. In the components of psychoanalytic approach to personality, each of the psychologists seems to be striving to be unique. In this, many disagreement publications are brought about and many mirror similarities among the three. Following are the components of psychoanalytic approach to personality per psychologist. Alfred Alder’s theory holds that” basic psychological element of neurosis was a sense of inferiority and that individuals suffering with symptoms of this phenomenon spent their lives...

Words: 1468 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality and Interpersonal Relationships

...Introduction Personality theorist are interested in the structure of an individual, how are people “put together”, how do they “work” and how do they “fall apart” (Boeree, n.d). Other personality theorists go as far as saying that they are looking for the essence of life, what it means to be a human being. Since the science of personality can be so complex, many psychologists have dedicated their life to the field of personality, attempting to understand and clarify what makes each individual unique and different from everyone. Several personality theories were born in the course of time, two of those theories of personality are called psychoanalytical and humanistic theories. This paper will further explain each of them, their strengths and limitations, their assumption, amongst other crucial factors for each approach. Psychodynamic Theories Various psychologists contributed to the formation of psychodynamic theories of personality including Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Melanie Klein, Harry S. Sullivan, along with others, yet one of the most influential psychologists in psychodynamic theories was Sigmund Freud. While Freud’s theories were later changed or dismissed, his ideas and research were used by many others and have greatly influenced society as it is currently known; moreover his psychoanalytic theory was the original and primary psychodynamic theory which was adjusted by some of his followers previously mentioned. According to McLeod (2007), the psychodynamic...

Words: 1291 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Sigmund Freud

...Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytical Approach PROs Sigmund Freud, (1856-1939) Psychoanalytical Psychology refers to the root of our thoughts, emotions, actions and behavior and how they pertain to our early/childhood development and experiences. Freud’s theory became so popular because his approach was unprecedented, and his statements bold. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was based on his belief that our personalities are shaped by experiences of our earliest childhood memories (usually in the unconscious mind), and how well we are nurtured during this time. The time in which Freud developed his psychoanalytic theory is perhaps the greatest factor that contributed to his reputation and subsequent success as a theorist or psychologist. A great deal of Freud’s original psychoanalytic theory was based on his own early childhood experiences, and much of what he learned from research and experiments were never recorded or in many cases, weren’t recorded until hours and even days later. Without credible sources and physical data to support his findings, his theory was improved upon by some of his students and colleagues. CONs Although Freud’s theory was seen as incomplete in certain circles, as his psychoanalytic theory only focused on one or two factors in psychology; psychoanalysis is one among many disciplines that fit under the psychological umbrella. Because of the way psychology has unfolded as both a general discipline and a science, Freud should be credited for inspiring...

Words: 490 - Pages: 2