Sigmund Freud, Carl Rodgers, And Personality - Essay Example

Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers and Personality Sigmund Freud, Carl Rodgers and Personality Introduction Human personality is the subject of interest that has drawn the attention of psychologists and researchers. Psychologists direct their interest in human behavioural patterns, emotion and thought as well as the manner in which individuals interact with each other as a means of defining personality. Human personality has been found to determine a number of aspects of human life (Glassman & Hadad, 2013). For instance, humans are social beings and personality dictates the way they associate with other members of the human race. The personality of an individual is a major determinant on how a person also reacts to situations or other people. Personality can then dictate, hinder or enhance the way a person adjusts to situations or other people they encounter. Psychologists have debated on the origin of human personality with some proposing that it originates from within an individual. On the contrary, other psychologists argue personality is influenced by external environments an individual is subjected to (Glassman & Hadad, 2013). Psychoanalysts propose that unconscious motivators combine with social factors such as childhood influences to play a role in personality development. While studies continue to take place with the aim of generating greater understanding of the human personality, two psychologists; Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers standout. The two theorists are known for their theories on human personality and behavioural traits among other studies and theories. The paper discusses the extent to which these two theorists believe that the personality is a product of free will. Sigmund Freud and the Psychoanalytic Personality Theory Sigmund Freud, the Czech-born psychologist, psychiatrist, scholar and theorist is one of the best known and respected researchers in the field of psychology. Freud’s contributions to studies of the human mind transcended psychology to include fields such as literature, as well as child upbringing. He spent part of his life in Vienna, Austria before relocating in 1938 to Hampstead, England to escape Nazi persecution (Freud, 2006). Freud was introduced to psychology and psychoanalysis through the practice of hypnosis that was at the time used to cure the human mental ailments and conditions. He experienced and studied hypnosis from 1885-1886 in Paris in a clinical environment under the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. While Charcot sought to investigate the root causes of hysteria, he found out that symptoms of hysteria could be alleviated through hypnosis. It led him to believe that deeper underlying levels of consciousness could be behind an individual’s conscious conduct or personality (Baumeister, Dale, & Sommer, 1998). Psychoanalysis and Human Behaviour Freud grew his interest in psychology and psychoanalysis and set up clinical neuropsychological practice in Berggasse. From his associations with other practitioners of psychology, psychoanalysis and behavioural sciences, Freud developed the technique of psychoanalysis based on case observations of his patients (Baumeister, Dale, & Sommer, 1998). Freud was able to observe the connection between the associations his patients developed consciously with the dreams they had. Freud, therefore, argued that personality was dependent on a person’s interaction with the components of the human mind. He categorized the human mind into three parts: the id, the ego and the super-ego. Freud still paid close attention to the unconscious influences of a person’s mind to his or her conscious personality. For a person to fully develop and possess personality traits, Freud argued they had to undergo five developmental stages commencing from childhood. These were the oral, phallic, anal, genital, and latency stages of human development. He emphasized on the need for humans to successfully undergo through these stages for them to fully develop their personality (Freud, 2006). Freudian Dissection of the Human Mind As earlier mentioned, Sigmund Freud divided the human mind into three main portions: the id, the ego and the super-ego. All these parts of the mind were ultimately responsible for personality and decision-making capabilities of an individual. According to Freud, the human mind was capable of functioning following a particular pattern and principles. In essence, in the topographical dissection of the human mind, Freud sought to justify that human personality was a result of the free will. For instance, the id that Freud considered to be the most primitive part of the mind operated unconsciously. However, even in the unconscious function of the id, it utilized the pleasure principle and often guided people towards attaining instant gratification (Baumeister, Dale, & Sommer, 1998). Freud labelled the second portion the ego. Freud considered the ego to be less primitive when compared to the id. According to Freud, the ego operated on a semi-conscious mode and served to regulate the id. For example, when the id was driven towards satisfying an urge, the ego moderated the id. It moderated the id by allowing the gratification of urges only when it deemed them appropriate (Freud, 2006). The ego in this case functioned based on reason and reality, therefore, influencing an individual’s personality and actions based on free will. The most advanced portion of the human mind in the Freudian context was the superego. Unlike the previous two parts, it was wholly conscious and even regulated the id. It operated on the principle of morality and utilized social learning as a benchmark for regulating the id. Freud argued that these three parts of the mind constantly clashed and during childhood; they were responsible for the development of the personality and an individual’s manner of conduct (Freud, 2006). Freudian Stages of Human Character Development (Psychosexual Theory) Freud came up with five stages of human development collectively known as the psychosexual stages of development. These staging of human development is based on the primary centres of physical pleasure that Freud believed played a role in the formation of human adult personality. According to Freud, individuals relied on memories from their childhood and the conflicts between centres of sexual pleasure to develop their personality. Each stage of development affected a separate physical part that derived sexual pleasure (Kahn, 1963). In the Oral Stage; Freud estimated this stage lasted from between birth to 1.5 years. The prominent centre of pleasure in this stage was located around the oral cavity. Children expressed pleasure through motions such as eating, sucking, talking or biting. In Freud’s analysis, the formative stages of seeking pleasure to satisfy the oral stage in children emanated from breastfeeding and learning to speak. Human personality and character during adulthood would be affected depending on whether the satisfaction was attained during this stage or not (Kahn, 1963). Freud defined the absence of sexual oral satisfaction during this stage as fixation. Consequently, fixated children would choose to compensate during adulthood by performing oral functions such as smoking, drinking alcohol, being aggressive talkers or biting their nails. Through this stage, Freud demonstrated that humans would willingly exercise adult personality traits (Baumeister, Dale, & Sommer, 1998). In the Anal Stage; toddlers aged between 1.5-3 years underwent the anal stage whose centre of pleasure according to Freud was the anal cavity. Freud proposed that one of the first demonstrations of the anal cavity as a centre of pleasure was the child’s attempt to control their excretion. If a child were punished as they learnt to use the toilet or manage the excretion process, the children would develop fixation. Fixation means they did not adequately express themselves during the anal stage and therefore missed a crucial stage of development. Consequently, these children would seek to compensate for the loss of this pleasure centre experience in their adulthood. According to Freud, fixated adult will show retentive or expulsive anal tendencies (Freud, 2006). These personalities are most evident in adults who are extremely tidy or untidy. The Phallic Stage occurs at around 3-5 years of childhood. The phallic stage refers to both male and female sexual organs as centres of pleasure. However, the most significant marker of this stage was the tendency of children to express sexual preference to a parent of the opposite sex. Male children show affection to their mothers while females display preference for their fathers. Children who are unable to display their respective affection during this stage will also become fixated. The fixation during the phallic stage will account for strained child-parent relationships during adulthood (Kahn, 1963). The Latency Stage is mainly a period characterized by consolidated but hidden/dormant sexual attraction for members of the opposite sex. This period takes place when children are between 5-12 years. Children need to master developmental aspects of this stage to enable them acquire adult personalities. In most cases, according to Freud’s studies, children pass through this stage and consolidate their character personalities by school socialization. Lack of friendships either at home or school might result in individuals developing neuroses/fixations which manifest as activities deemed as socially unacceptable (Kahn, 1963). During the Genital Stage; Sigmund Freud classifies the age between 12 years and adulthood as a defining period during which personalities in humans develop. In this period, a person’s genitals become the main points of pleasure. This period is characterized by puberty and the onset of hormonal-driven growth and development. This stage must be satisfied through the establishment of functional relationships between young people of the opposite sex. However, fixation can also take place during this stage. Affected adolescents will grow up having unsuccessful relationships during their adulthood. Sigmund Freud, therefore, illustrated in his theories such as the Psychoanalytic Personality theory and the psychosexual theory that to some extent; personality is a result of free will. For instance, in the Psychoanalytic theory, the superego that is the most informed and conscious part of the human mind exercises control over the ego and the id. This form of informed control of the entire human psyche gives a person a free will to determine his/her personality and overall manner of conduct (Freud, 2006). On the other hand, Freud’s psychosexual theory illustrates partial free will to personality in an individual. For instance, while a person might no control their childhood urges which might cause fixation, they can by their free will exercise control over their adult personalities. Freud’s theories, therefore, illustrate that personality is a partially a product of free will. In childhood, personality might not be achieved by free will but in adulthood, partial control is possible. Personality Theories: Carl Rogers Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was an authority in psychology and personality studies apart from Sigmund Freud. He initially set out to study religion but switched to clinical psychology at the Columbia University earning a doctorate in the year 1931. Rogers, like Freud, was a theorist who developed well thought arguments and research. However, unlike Freud’s often complex theories, Rogers put forward simpler and straight forward arguments and theories (Glassman & Hadad, 2013). Carl Rogers’ Actualization Tendency Theory Rogers derived most of his research material from years of interaction with patients. Rogers considered people he was studying to have all had healthy states of mind as opposed to having had mental illness. Behavioural patterns such as mental illness and criminality signified normal and natural life progression. For Rogers, all organisms had an inbuilt tendency to further their performance potential to the fullest point attainable. Therefore, in Rogers’ terms, all creatures strove to live beyond juts survival. According to Rogers, organisms including people know what is good for them. Consequently, they seek out things and make decisions that best suit them. For instance, people looking for food do not pick whatever food that comes their way but selectively choose that which suits them best. Humans make decisions on food and other choices suing a system called organism valuing (Rogers, 1957). Rogers distinguishes humans from other organisms based on their unique ability to strive towards attaining their potential based on their personality. Therefore, humans tend to employ creativity towards achieving the good. However, Rogers notes that people also end up becoming destructive when they make incorrect self-concepts or encounter external barriers that interfere with the valuation process. On the other hand, humans can achieve self-actualization when their true self matches their personality/behaviour or self-image. For Rogers, a fully functional person is the one who is actualizing. Like the Freudian psychosexual theory, Rogers believed that one’s childhood experiences determined whether one would become self-actualized or not (Rogers, 1957). Rogers’ Fully Functional Person Rogers’ fully functional person possessed five key characteristics. These were; openness to experience, existential living, they trust feelings, are creative and live a fulfilled life. Rogers’ Personality Development Rogers’ theory regards personality development as a process based on the self or self-concept. According to his analysis, the self refers to the humanistic term denoting a person. The self is one’s inner self-equivalent to the mind or the psyche as used by Freud. A person’s character or personality in Rogers’ context draws influences from past experiences and how they can be interpreted. The social environment plays a function in the way a person’s behavioural pattern is shaped (Glassman & Hadad, 2013). Rogers (1957) proposes that people seek to behave, feel or get experiences that reflect their self-image. People, therefore, realize a higher sense of self-worth when their ideal selves are in sync with their self-image. Self-worth according to Rogers is equivalent to self-esteem; self-image refers to how people perceive themselves, and the ideal self is what one aspires to be. For example, the personality of a child was motivated by a desire to attain two needs; self-worth and positive regard from people (Rogers, 1957). Carl Rogers suggests that the personality could be determined by the sense of self-worth that ranged from low to high. People with self-esteem are more likely to face challenges of life, take risks and concede failure. Such people are also more friendly and open. On the contrary, low esteem individuals are more likely to avoid challenges or risks and adopt a defensive stance when confronted (Glassman & Hadad, 2013). In a similar fashion to the Freudian outlook, Rogers traces the development of self-worth to childhood interactions between an individual and parents. Social interaction plays a part in the development of personality and how people evaluate each other in social settings. In the human growth and development curve, people are met with a positive reception based on how they behave. For example, children receive positive regard and approval by conducting themselves in a manner parents deem to be appropriate. However, this type of treatment will in the end affect the person’s personality as an adult (Rogers, 1957). Personality in Rogers’ context is determined by a combination of free will and circumstances beyond an individual’s control. For example, a person who as a child only received approval as a child based on what he or she did which parents deemed to be appropriate will grow up to constantly seek approval from other people. This personality trait might be involuntary because their childhood set the background for such behaviour. On the other hand, an adult who underwent the same experience of conditional positive treatment might choose to act by their free will and not seek approval from other people (Rogers, 1957). Conclusion Personality of a human being is a complex process that continues to be studied. Human behaviour continues to evolve based on many factors such as the environment, childhood and adulthood experiences, response from other people, as well as socialization. Theories by Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers among other psychology experts and scholars have attempted to give an insight into human behaviour. They are either complicated or cannot be very apparent without further studies. While many humans share personalities and behavioural patterns, variations are also numerous and carry different meanings. It can, therefore, be stated that though human personality can be a product of free will, so is it a result of exposure to different environments, people, socializations and personal values, ambitions. It is, therefore, not wholly the product of free will, but the result of a host of factors. References Baumeister, R., Dale, K., & Sommer, K. (1998). Freudian Defense Mechanisms and Empirical Findings in Modern Social Psychology: Reaction, Projection, Formation, Undoing, Isolation, Sublimation, and Denial. Journal of Personality, 66(6) , 1082-1095. Freud, S. (2006). Personality & Individual Differences. Journal of Personality, 8(2) , 163- 169. Glassman, W. E., & Hadad, M. (2013). Approaches to Psychology, (6th ed). Ontario: McGraw-Hill Education. Kahn, E. (1963). Sigmund Freuds Mission. An Analysis of His Personality and Influence. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120(6) , 612-613. Rogers, C. (1957). The Necessary and Sufficient Codnitions of Therapeutic Personality Change. Journal of Consuting Psychology, 21 , 95-103. Read More