Theories by Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud - Essay Example

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud had different interpretations of personality theories, largely owing to their different upbringing backgrounds. Personal views of the existence of powerful spiritual realms took shape at an early age, as witnessed in the case of Jung's mother (Kimbles and Singer, 2004). Equally, Jung's father had a religious ministry that influenced his opinion on religion as a central theme in his personality. As the last born in his family, Jung's family intrigues, including his mother's sickness affected parenting experiences that influenced his view on women.

On the other hand, Freud's family struggled with the anti-Semitic environment, and his education remained restrained due to racial tension. Kimbles and Singer (2004) observed that having Jewish roots exposed Freud to cultural complexes that manifested in his work, taking criticism as anti-Semitic. However, a little account of repressed anger and frustrated childhood in psychology manifests in his works. Freud contested Jung's religious interpretation of the human psyche mainly due to his view of religion as an illusion.

Perhaps childhood complexes formed a strong influence on the view of personal authority in psychology as a later motivation for Freud in detesting Jung's theories. The authoritarian influence, typical of a firstborn and Jewish cultural complex compelled Freud to reject Jung's opinion in his analytical psychology perspective. In this respect, the unceremonious end of their cooperation can be traced back to opinions developed from their background influences. In effect, historical backgrounds during development contributed to personalized perceptions in psychology by both Freud and Jung.