Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Approach To Personality

Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality
Introduction: Personality refers to the unique thoughts & behavior of each individual. Theories of personality includes behavioral, trait, humanistic and psychoanalytic theory. The psychoanalytic theory assumes that personality develops on account of the unconscious and the libido (psychic energy). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality reflects his opinions about the structure of personality. Theories developed by Adler and Jung are related to Freud’s theory. It is thought that childhood experiences have an impact on the rest of life.
Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology: According to Adler, every individual is a unity of personality. His theory is based on the concepts of Holism, i.e. man is

He used a psycho-galvanometer as a simple research tool for finding a complex. The Word Association test measured unusual responses to a particular word which showed that there is a conflict within that person. According to Jung, the psyche has five functions, namely, the persona (role we play in life), the ego (sense of self), the shadow (unconscious ego), anima (unconscious complex related to the opposite sex) and the self (entire psyche). “Jung also wrote extensively in the field of the psychology of religion. At different times in his life he was interested in paranormal phenomena, individual typology, and alchemy as well as other more widespread cultural subjects. Hence, analytical psychology has become a term of wide-ranging application as well as of professional significance.” (Samuels, et.al, 1986, p. 21-22) While Freud gave importance to conflicts in childhood, Jung was interested in conflicts faced currently. He also downplayed the importance of

These two drives are simply put, sex and aggression. ” (Heffner, 2002,) His theory of psychosexual development is based on the belief that at different stages of life, different forces have an impact on us and that affects personality. Each stage concentrates on a particular erogenous zone and if there is a sense on lack of completion, it manifests itself in the personality. The stages are: Oral stage (0 to 18 months) - At this stage, the child indulges in sucking. Too much or little oral pleasures results in an oral personality who tends to be either a meek follower or an aggressive/ pessimistic type. Such people are heavy drinkers or smokers and have a tendency to constantly bite their nails or chew gum. Anal Stage (18 months to 3 years) _ the child now learns to retain and expel feces through bowel movement, The personality which develops due to imbalance in this stage may be anal retentive, i.e. a perfectionist who is a cleanliness freak, is orderly, careful, stingy, precise or anal expulsive, i.e. a disorganized person who is also untidy or messy, careless, defiant. Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years) - the child now develops unconscious sexual desires and fixations now may lead to a lack of clear sexual identity. In this stage, a boy may develop the Oedipus complex and a girl may develop Electra complex, which are unconscious