Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

Introduction

Psychoanalytic theory of personality is composed of three fragments. These three fragments of personality are knows the id, the ego and super ego (Freud, 1917). They works together to create complex human behavior (Corey, 2012, p.61). The id is the genetic part which is the inventive organism of behavior, at birth of a person. Administered by desire principle, id shortages of moral, illogical and never grown up, remaining a spoilt personality. Id is always out of consciousness and largely unconscious (Corey, 2012,p.61). According to Freud, the ego is the psychological element which contacts the outer world of reality. Overseen by reality principle, the ego rules, controls and adjusts the personality. The blind urges of the id _{(Carducci, 2009)}. The last element of personality to grow is the superego. The superego is the part of personality that holds all of our repressed moral standards. Our sense of accurate and the wrong. The superego delivers measures for making decisions. According to Freud, the superego initiates to arise at around age five _.(Corey, 2012,p.61)

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Freud’s levels of unconscious and conscious are two keys to considerate conduct and the difficulties of a personality (Corey, 2012,p.62). The conscious mind includes everything that we are mindful of. This is the characteristic of our psychological management that we can reason and talk about logically. A part of this contains in our remembrance, which is not always part of consciousness but can be regained easily at any period and carried into our attentiveness. The unconscious mind cannot be studied directly but originates from behavior which predict through Dreams, which are figurative representations of on conscious desires, demands and struggle (Corey, 2012,p.62). Slip-ups of the tongue and overlooking simple things. Effective post-hypnosis suggestions. Material derived from free association techniques. The figurative pleased of psychotic symptoms. The unconscious supplies all experience, memories and repressed material. Motivations are out of conscious control (Corey, 2012,p.62). Psychoanalytic therapy is to motivate the unconscious is to understand the role the unconscious and grasp the essence of behavior. From a perspective of a basis of all methods of anxious signs and actions, a “Cure” is built to uncover by clinging to clients old pattern, confronted by working through transference distortions (Corey, 2012,p. 62).

Because of apprehension, difficulties created by the id, superego, and reality, the ego has settled a number of defense mechanisms to cope with apprehension. Whereas we might significantly use these mechanisms, in many cases these defenses work unconsciously to change reality (Corey, 2009, p. 63). Although all defense mechanisms can be harmful, they can also be adaptive and permit us to function ordinarily. The maximum difficulties arise when defense mechanisms are overworked in edict to escape allocating with problems. In psychoanalytic therapy, the goal could be to help the client unearth these unconscious defense mechanisms and discover better or healthier ways of coping with anxiety and distress (Corey, 2012,p.63). A well-known defense mechanisms is repression acts to keep conscious without fear. Unwanted painful memories at early age influences later behavior (Corey, 2012,p.64). Displacement is a defense mechanism involves taking out our obstructions, moods, and desires on people or substances that are less frightening (Corey, 2012,p.64). Sublimation is a defense mechanism is diverting attention. Concentrate on other activities to keep mind occupied and under control (Corey, 2012,p.64). Projection is a defense mechanism that includes taking our own undesirable affecting others. Intellectualization mechanism to decrease nervousness by thinking about events in a cold, clinical way. This defense mechanism permits us to avoid thinking about the stressful, emotional aspect of the situation and instead focus only on the intellectual component (Corey, 2009, p. 64).

The theory of psychosexual development describes how personality develops during childhood. If these psychosexual stages are accomplished fruitfully, the result is a healthy personality. If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixation can occur. A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. (corey, 2009, p. 67) Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain “stuck” in this stage. The oral stage (at birth), Breast feed satisfies infant’s basic nurturing. It avoids greediness and acquisitiveness in later development, such as love, hatred, trust and fear. In this stage the child must become less reliant on custodians. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the discrete would have issues with dependency or aggression. Oral fixation can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail biting (Corey, 2009).

The anal stage (ages 1-3), Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. Anal zone signifies major development for personality formulation such as independence, personal acceptance and negative affects the child’s later personality development (Corey, 2012,p.67). During the phallic stage (3-6), the primary focus of the libido is on the genitals. At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and females. Sexual desires are under control due to their threatening nature. Male “Oedipus Complex”, involves mother as love object for male and female “Electra Complex” strives father’s love and approval for a female. Parent’s type of respond has an impact on child’s development of sexual attitudes and feeling (Corey, 2012,p.67). The latency stage (ages 6-12), in this stage sexual interest are inactive, replace by studies, playmates, sports and activities. A child socialize and forums relations (Corey, 2012,p.67). The final stage of psychosexual development is Genital Stage (ages 12 – Death), this stage begins during puberty but last throughout the rest of a person’s life. The focus was solely on individual needs; interest in the welfare of others grows. If the other stages have been completed successfully, the individual should now be well-balanced, warm and caring. The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas (Corey, 2009, p. 68).

The three fragments of personality, the id, ego and superego, works together to create complex human behavior (Freud, 1917). The id is the only part of the mind when an infant is born. It composes the motives of sexual and aggressive urges. It dominates the desire to experience sexual pleasures and to harm others. Unware of the motives, the id operate entirely at the unconscious level of the mind. Id is the cruel beast living in each of us to attain immediate pleasure without pain regardless of pain to others. It attempts to satisfy it needs by creating a mental image of a desire object, through imagination rather than reality. During the growth the ego and superego effectively helps to cope with the world (Lahey, 1998, p. 466). The ego is formed when the id reaches the reality stage to cope selfish and aggressive behaviors. The id falls under control of a safe and realistic ways to satisfy its motives. The ego manages the id and balance its desires to restrictions (Lahey,1998,p.467). Unlike the id and ego which has no morals, the super ego develops the mind to oppose the immoral desires and enforce moral restrictions the parents lead the “ideal” perfection by creating the superego. They reach principles by punishment and rewards to attain their goals. These two parts of the superego words together to develop strength of the child which enables them to control themselves and behave well in society (Lahey,1998,p.467).

Associated Therapies

During classical therapy, clients commits to intensive process lying on a couch, without seeing the analysts reactions. The client freely expose his unconscious mind fantasies without any hidden factors. The analysts then captures the hidden manifest and explores both the past and present. Clients concludes their sessions once they have clarified and understood the root problems of their past and present. Life aware of their symptoms, they will be ready to environmental changes (Leod, 2007). Contemporary psychoanalytic therapy crates impact between the therapist and the client with emotional contact to gain information and interact. When a mixed feelings becomes conscious, a client will understand and resolves unconscious material from the past relationships. Changes are developed to hate the coved ones and to seek love from the analyst for a substitute (Altman, 2008).

Limitations of psychoanaylsis

Although psychoanalytic theory can account for the etiology of difficulties in living and provides a theory for changing the meaning of experience and our representative self, interpretation and insight theory does not adequately address problems stemming from our consciousness (Curtis, 2009). Wachel (1992, cited in Curtis, 2009) has also pointed out five limitations of psychoanalysis. He argued that psychoanalysis is overemphasis upon early childhood determine of problem in living and overemphasis on insight as lending to change, a lack of clarity about the process of change and under-utilization of Freud’s revised anxiety theory, insufficient attention to the role of social skills and the importance of active intervention (Curtis, 2009). Wachel finds the process of “working through” in psychoanalysis rather vague and that Dollards and Millers (1950) description of the extinction of anxiety is better than Freud’s (1926) implications of insight (Curtis, 2009).

Strengths of psychoanalysis

One of the core strengths of psychoanalysis is the notion that the enabling the patient to speak given more importance than mere verbalization of the therapist (Curtis, 2009).. Psychoanalysis have developed the most comprehensive method to date for understand the meaning people make of their existence and for the integration of various self-representations, especially unconscious ones. The current model of the self and the mind suggest that besides making the unconscious conscious or integrating unconscious process in the self theory through free association, as important to change as these processes, but also by integrating various aspects of conscious experience, changing ones conscious thinking, behaving in new ways. As strengths of psycho analysis theory came from Freud’s abandonment of trauma theory and the investigation into the meaning and fantasies people make of their experience, this has also become its weakness(Curtis, 2009).

Applications

Applications of psychoanalysis today are 1) Maintaining the analytic framework – refers to the method of procedures to accomplish goals. Being professional on remaining anonymous thought the whole session, maintain a consistent schedule. Analysts offers full commitment to treatment without any changes in the methods of service. 2) Free Association – allows clients to speak freely without any restrictions. Being a key role in the process of maintain the analytic framework, it expose the unconscious mind of fantasies to the therapist to interpret and unlock the emotional conflicts.3) Interpretation – analyst explains the meaning of behavior that hidden in dreams. The task is to enable the ego to adopt new material and progress to uncover unconscious mind. (corey, 2009, p. 74)