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PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH TO PERSONALITY 2007 Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality INTRODUCTION The psychoanalytic approach to personality is an approach which basically assumes that the psychological apparatus of the mind needs to have some sort of energy in order to make it go, and this energy is what is particularly used in most psychological work, and that includes planning, thinking, feeling, and remembering, for instance. In order to be able to come to a better understanding on the psychoanalytic approach, this paper is going to compare this approach in particular with that of the humanistic approach, and by discussing the similarities and differences of these two approaches, we will not only be able to gain a better comprehension in regards to each separately, but as well we will be able to understand about the different theories which are enveloped in each approach. By doing this, we will be able to come to a much more informative and understanding viewpoint on this subject matter in general. This is what will be dissertate d in the following. PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH TO PERSONALITY There are several different approaches to personality that are considered to exist, however the two most popular and well-known by far are that of the psychoanalytic approach to personality and the humanistic approach to personality. In regards to the psychoanalytic approach to personality, the most influential psychologist involved in this regards was Sigmund Freud, who was one of the theorists who overtly believed the most in the psychoanalytic approach over any other.
He believed that the mind is divided into three parts: the id, which contains the sexual and aggressive instincts; the ego, which is the conscious, rational mind, and which develops during the first 2 years of life; and finally there is the superego, which, according to Freud, generally develops at around the age of 5, and which is partly conscious and partly unconscious, and which consists of the conscious and ego-ideal. The theorist who was most involved in the opposite approach to this the humanistic approach was Abraham Maslow, who was just one of the many theorists who believed that the psychoanalytic theories that were existing at that time were not enough; that they basically failed to adequately address certain issues, such as the meaning of behavior, for instance, and the nature of healthy growth. As well, the humanistic approach considers several matters in particular as being relevant, and that includes: that human beings cannot be reduced to components, that human beings have in them a uniquely and specific human context, that human consciousness includes an awareness of oneself within the context of other people, that human beings are intentional and that they seek meaning, and that human beings have choices and responsibilities. When we compare and contrast the psychoanalytic approach and the humanistic approach to personality, we can see that while the psychoanalytic approach is much more harsh and analytical, the humanistic approach takes on a much more considerate and almost nurturing context. Both Freud and Maslow have defended knowledgeable and factually backed up arguments, and although there are certain similarities between the two approaches, such as the fact that they both consider there to be an extreme amount of context that is present within the human being and the personality in particular, there are also many more differences, especially in regards to the way that each approach looks at humans in general while theorists such as Freud look at them with a psychoanalytic approach, with less humanizing and consideration, other theorists such as Maslow for instance, believe that personality can only be truly understood when it is in fact humanized, and that certain things such as peak experiences, for instance, are moments that take place in life which take us beyond our ordinary expectations. Those who believe in the psychoanalytic approach would never agree with something such as this.
Thus, although there are numerous similarities, it is the differences which are most significant in this regards. CONCLUSION From this review we can conclude several different things in particular, namely that of the similarities and differences between the psychoanalytic approach and the humanistic approach to personality. We have done this by examining the beliefs of the major theorists in each approach Freud and Maslow and as well from comparing the two approaches against one another. From this we have thus been able to gain an incredibly more knowledgeable and informed grasp not only on each approach to personality, but as well on the issue of personality approach itself in general.
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Research essay sample on Psychoanalytic Approach To Personality
