HHS310: H & HS Culture: The Helping Relationship (CGD1716A) Wk5

THEORY OF PERSONALITY 6

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

Chanda Crews

HHS310: H & HS Culture: The Helping Relationship (CGD1716A)

Instructor: RaTonya Gibson

May 16, 2017

1. Introduction

Thesis: The Freudian theory of personality significantly lays emphasis on the significance of the way conflicts occurring in the mind shapes not only the personality of a person but also shapes their behavior.

1. Body Paragraph 1: Many personality theories exist; nevertheless, the one that stands out most is the Freudian theory of personality.

1. Supporting evidence: “…Sigmund Freed theorized the Psychoanalytic theory of personality in the 19th century. Sigmund Fred is considered the father of psychoanalytic.”

1. Explanation: The said theory argues the behaviors of human beings emanate from the elements of the mind namely, the superego, the id as well as the ego’s interactions with each other (Freud, 1977). It is important to note that Freud emphasizes that these said conflicts occur unconsciously in the human mind. Freud further says that a person’s personality begins to develop during the person’s childhood and the said character is shaped critically by five psychosexual stage series, which he referred to as the psychosexual theory of development. Freud moreover says that at each stage, the child experiences a conflict between social expectations and biological drives (Freud, 1977).

2. So What? When the child successful navigates through all the internal conflicts that he experiences, the said child will gain a mastery of the stages of development, and therefore, the child’s personality will mature fully.

3. Body Paragraph 2: It is important to note that very few people agreed with his ideas (Levine, 2013).

A. Supporting Evidence: Many who did not agree met his ideas with great criticism, more so, because he focused singularly on sexuality as the primary driver of a person’s personality development.

1. Explanation: Therefore, they questioned not only the value but also the validity of the said theory and the treatment that emerged because of it (Thornton, n.d).

2. So What? Those who criticized the theory argued that many elements of the theory are invalid from the data that Freud bases his argument on to not only the method but also the effectiveness of the treatment that he draws from his theory. It is further evident that the said theory lacks empirical data and is also restricted demographically.

4. Body Paragraph 3: The theorist grew up in Vienna, where his family had relocated.

A. Supporting Evidence: He left for England in 1938 after the Nazis had annexed Austria (Thornton, n.d).

1. Explanation: This allowed him an opportunity to study and venture into his passion.

2. So What? Freud’s gender might have nevertheless had an influence in his theory.

5. Body Paragraph 4: In sum, this method works best for my personal approach in the helping profession because its therapy focuses on the exploration of the unconscious mind and the influence that it has on an individual’s thoughts as well as behaviors, therefore, offering a resolution to the client.

A. Supporting Evidence: Moreover, it explores one’s childhood experiences, how they have affected the person’s life and their relation to the current events in the person’s life.

1. Explanation: Freud believed that our childhood experiences affect our lives.

2. So What? Delving into the past can help heal the present.

References

Freud, S. (1977). Introductory lectures on psychoanalysis (Vol. 1). WW Norton & Company.

Levine, J. (2013). Working with people: the helping process. Boston: Pearson.

Thornton, S. (n.d). Sigmund Freud (1856—1939). Retrieved on 7 May 2017, from http://www.iep.utm.edu/freud/