Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment
Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment
Lainie Goodell
PSY/250
March 6, 2011
Dr. Deborah Watson
Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Personalities are often very hard to figure out. Each person has a unique and sometimes complex personality and sometimes they do not mix with others. Different psychologists have different theories as to why people are the way they are. One theory is the psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory digs into a person’s mind to find out where their problems stem from. The theories stem from childhood and then dig deep into who each person is as an adult. The following reflects on the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler; they all have similarities, yet are completely different.
Theories of Freud, Jung and Adler Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both believed in the unconscious personality. However, Freud believed more in the sexual energy of the unconscious and based his theory on the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is part of the newborn personality. Freud believed that the id is based on the pleasure principal; for example, when a child wants something such as food or a diaper change he or she speaks up by crying (AllPsych, 2004). After a few more years the ego develops. According to AllPsych (2004) “The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run” (para. 4). After the ego, by age five, the superego develops and that is when morality starts to take part in the personality. The consciousness of right and wrong start to develop and ethical matters areweighed moreheavily on the mind. “In a healthy person, according to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id, not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation” (AllPsych, 2004, para. 6). According to Carl Jung’s theory, the mind is divided into three
Lainie Goodell
PSY/250
March 6, 2011
Dr. Deborah Watson
Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Personalities are often very hard to figure out. Each person has a unique and sometimes complex personality and sometimes they do not mix with others. Different psychologists have different theories as to why people are the way they are. One theory is the psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory digs into a person’s mind to find out where their problems stem from. The theories stem from childhood and then dig deep into who each person is as an adult. The following reflects on the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Alfred Adler; they all have similarities, yet are completely different.
Theories of Freud, Jung and Adler Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both believed in the unconscious personality. However, Freud believed more in the sexual energy of the unconscious and based his theory on the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is part of the newborn personality. Freud believed that the id is based on the pleasure principal; for example, when a child wants something such as food or a diaper change he or she speaks up by crying (AllPsych, 2004). After a few more years the ego develops. According to AllPsych (2004) “The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run” (para. 4). After the ego, by age five, the superego develops and that is when morality starts to take part in the personality. The consciousness of right and wrong start to develop and ethical matters areweighed moreheavily on the mind. “In a healthy person, according to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id, not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation” (AllPsych, 2004, para. 6). According to Carl Jung’s theory, the mind is divided into three
References: AllPsych, (2004). Chapter 3: Personality development. Psychology 101. Retrieved March 6, 2011 from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego.html AllPsych, (2004). Chapter 5: Psychodynamic and Neo-Freudian theories. Personality Synopsis. Retrieved March 6, 2011 fromhttp://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/adler.html Friedman, H. and Schustack, M., (2009). Personality: classic theories and modern research. (4th ed.) New York: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Stevenson, D., (1996). Freud’s psychosexual stages of development. The Victorian web. Retrieved March 6, 2011 from http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/develop.html