Comparing Two Personality Theories Essay

INTRODUCTION

Pyschologists have tried to explain the phenomenon that is personality in human beings. This resulted in theories that attempt to explain how personality develops and how we become who we are. This essay will focus on the Freudian theory (psychoanalytic theory) and the Jungian theory (neopsychoanalytic theory) and will compare and contrast the two personality theories as well as highlight the major theoretical similarities and differences using examples

DESCRIPTION OF THE THEORIES

The psychoanalytic Theory

Although did not come up with the idea of the conscious and the unconscious mind, he was the one responsible for making the idea quite popular. He divided consciousness into three categories first the conscious mind which

With regard to the id he proposed that at birth, the nervous system the id is at its purest form (Boeree 2006: 6) . The id operates based on a pleasure principle, which means that it demands to its needs to be taken care on immediately. For example a hungry baby will carry on crying even if it doesn 't "know" what it wants in the way adults do; the baby just knows that it wants it and it wants it now (Boeree 2006: 6) . When what the id wants is not satisfied, the desire will only become more persistent until one reaches a point where they can only think of the said desire. In order to balance the id, there is the part of the mind that is connected to the world through perception which is called the ego (Boeree 2006: 5). The ego operates on a reality principle where it is meant to keep the id, which in turn will keep the person, happy. It tackles obstacles in the world which will sometimes help it to achieve its goals.There is then the superego which is only fully developed at the age seven however it might not be completed in some people (Boeree 2006: 5). It makes want it wants known to the ego with emotions like pride, shame, and guilt. These wants easily contradict with the ones from the id and so it can be said that the superego is representative of society (Boeree 2006:

The first is the shadow which the animalistic side of a person where one is only concerned with survival and reproduction; it is the unpleasant of a person. The shadow is not anything good or bad, it is much like an animal that will kill another for food but that same animal will take care of its young, this means that it does not choose to do what it does (Boeree 2006: 5) . This side is rejected by humans and we will often refuse to admit to it. The next archetype Jung identified is the persona which acts as a mask one wears before presenting themselves to the world and represents one’s public image (Boeree 2006:5) . Jung also felt that within the persona, there is the role of male or female we must fulfill. Jung disregarded physical gender and was of the opinion that human beings are bisexual in nature. Jung identified the anima as the female essence as being present in the collective unconscious of men, while the animus (the male essence) is present in the collective unconscious of females (Boeree 2006: 7). The anima or animus is the archetype through which you communicate with the collective unconscious. Jung developed two personality types where he distinguished between introversion and extroversion. Introverts are people who prefer their internal world of thoughts and feeling as well whatever is an internal process in their mind while extroverts prefer the external world of things and people and activities (Boeree 2006: 7).