Theories of Personality
The Psychoanalytical Approach.
Theorist: Sigmund Freud
- This approach assumes that the structures of personality are largely unconscious.
- People are not aware of why they behave the way they do.
- Behaviour is strongly influenced by the ongoing conflict between instincts,
unconscious motives, past experiences, and social norms.
Instincts
Instincts provide the basis for personality- mental representations of the internal stimuli that
cause a person to take a certain action. They represent one’s innermost needs and wishes, e.g.
hunger, thirst, sleep/rest.
Life instincts (Eros):
Serve the need for survival and development. They ensure the reproduction of the species.
Sex & Libido.
Death instincts (Thanatos):
The destructive force of human nature. All people have an unconscious wish to die.
Aggression.
Three levels of awareness
1. Conscious: Sensations and feelings that we are aware of at any given moment.
2. Preconscious: Thoughts, memories, and perceptions that are just below our awareness
can be easily retrieved.
3. Unconscious: Memories, emotions, and instincts that remain ‘buried’.
Structure of Personality
- Id:
Instincts, needs, and desires. Relieves tension according to the pleasure principle.
- Ego:
Reasoning and decision-making. Relieves tension according to the reality principle.
- Superego:
Internal moral code. Internalization of right or wrong.
The psychosexual stages of personality development.
- Erogenous zone: an area of the body that is particularly sensitive to stimulation.
- Each stage requires the resolution of certain developmental tasks or conflicts before
progression to the next stage.
- Stage fixation is a root of some adult personality types.
, 1. Oral Stage: From birth to 18 months. The mouth is the erogenous zone. The
developmental task that needs to be resolved is weaning from a breast or a bottle.
Fixation is either oral passive/dependent or oral aggressive/sadistic.
2. Anal Stage: From 18 months to 3 years. The erogenous zone is the anus. The
developmental task that needs to be resolved is independent potty training.
Fixation is either anal-aggressive or anal-retentive.
3. Phalic Stage: From 3 years to 6 years. Genitals are the erogenous zones. The
developmental tasks that need to be resolved are attachment to the opposite-sex
parent that is accompanied by aggression to same-sex parent, Oedipus complex
and castration anxiety, electrical complex, and penis envy. Fixation = boastful,
vain, ambitious, flirtatious, seductive.
4. Genital Stage: From puberty. Genitals are the erogenous zones. The
developmental tasks are establishing intimate relationships, responsibility, and
delayed gratification.
The Neopsychoanalytical Approach
Theorist: Carl Jung
- This approach rejected the idea that sexuality is a major determinant of behavior.
- It believes that behavior is largely purpose-driven.
- Personality develops throughout an individual’s life.
- Libido is a general life energy that does not only refer to sexuality.
- Personality is informed largely by the psyche.
Structure of the Psyche.
The Psyche is the center of the mind and soul, where all experience and meaning are
organized and combined in a uniquely human way.
Ego (conscious)
- Contains all the experiences that we are aware of at any time.
- Where we gain our sense of stability in time and place.
- The ‘I’.
Personal Unconscious (Shadow)
- Forgotten or represented experiences are collected.
- Memories, feelings, and perceptions that have been momentarily set aside.
Collective Unconscious (seat of the soul)
- Inherited- shared by all humans.
- Similarities of human behavior experiences.
Archetypes
- Universal, shared forms of thinking that predispose humans to behave in certain ways.
- Different ways to express humanness.
The Psychoanalytical Approach.
Theorist: Sigmund Freud
- This approach assumes that the structures of personality are largely unconscious.
- People are not aware of why they behave the way they do.
- Behaviour is strongly influenced by the ongoing conflict between instincts,
unconscious motives, past experiences, and social norms.
Instincts
Instincts provide the basis for personality- mental representations of the internal stimuli that
cause a person to take a certain action. They represent one’s innermost needs and wishes, e.g.
hunger, thirst, sleep/rest.
Life instincts (Eros):
Serve the need for survival and development. They ensure the reproduction of the species.
Sex & Libido.
Death instincts (Thanatos):
The destructive force of human nature. All people have an unconscious wish to die.
Aggression.
Three levels of awareness
1. Conscious: Sensations and feelings that we are aware of at any given moment.
2. Preconscious: Thoughts, memories, and perceptions that are just below our awareness
can be easily retrieved.
3. Unconscious: Memories, emotions, and instincts that remain ‘buried’.
Structure of Personality
- Id:
Instincts, needs, and desires. Relieves tension according to the pleasure principle.
- Ego:
Reasoning and decision-making. Relieves tension according to the reality principle.
- Superego:
Internal moral code. Internalization of right or wrong.
The psychosexual stages of personality development.
- Erogenous zone: an area of the body that is particularly sensitive to stimulation.
- Each stage requires the resolution of certain developmental tasks or conflicts before
progression to the next stage.
- Stage fixation is a root of some adult personality types.
, 1. Oral Stage: From birth to 18 months. The mouth is the erogenous zone. The
developmental task that needs to be resolved is weaning from a breast or a bottle.
Fixation is either oral passive/dependent or oral aggressive/sadistic.
2. Anal Stage: From 18 months to 3 years. The erogenous zone is the anus. The
developmental task that needs to be resolved is independent potty training.
Fixation is either anal-aggressive or anal-retentive.
3. Phalic Stage: From 3 years to 6 years. Genitals are the erogenous zones. The
developmental tasks that need to be resolved are attachment to the opposite-sex
parent that is accompanied by aggression to same-sex parent, Oedipus complex
and castration anxiety, electrical complex, and penis envy. Fixation = boastful,
vain, ambitious, flirtatious, seductive.
4. Genital Stage: From puberty. Genitals are the erogenous zones. The
developmental tasks are establishing intimate relationships, responsibility, and
delayed gratification.
The Neopsychoanalytical Approach
Theorist: Carl Jung
- This approach rejected the idea that sexuality is a major determinant of behavior.
- It believes that behavior is largely purpose-driven.
- Personality develops throughout an individual’s life.
- Libido is a general life energy that does not only refer to sexuality.
- Personality is informed largely by the psyche.
Structure of the Psyche.
The Psyche is the center of the mind and soul, where all experience and meaning are
organized and combined in a uniquely human way.
Ego (conscious)
- Contains all the experiences that we are aware of at any time.
- Where we gain our sense of stability in time and place.
- The ‘I’.
Personal Unconscious (Shadow)
- Forgotten or represented experiences are collected.
- Memories, feelings, and perceptions that have been momentarily set aside.
Collective Unconscious (seat of the soul)
- Inherited- shared by all humans.
- Similarities of human behavior experiences.
Archetypes
- Universal, shared forms of thinking that predispose humans to behave in certain ways.
- Different ways to express humanness.
