Personality Theory Research Paper

Freud primarily subscribed to the idea that there are two energies that drive human behavior. These two energies are sex – the pleasure principle and aggression. The human mind is comprised of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Within the realms of the mind, the human personality is controlled by the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is driven by the pleasure principle. The superego is the instinctual moral good, which aims to please the ego ideal, or the magnified moral values. The ego interacts with both the id and the superego and aims to please both components (Connors).

Over the years, many social scientists have offered a number of theories to explain personality trait and development. But while this debate continues, one aspect of personality development continues to engender a great deal of controversy: personality pathology. This area of concentration seems to have garnered more attention in recent years, as experts scramble to offer explanations and analysis for what appears to be a general decline in the moral fabric of American society, fueled by what appears to be a general coarsening of civility among certain segments of our population. Are more people simply being born with personality disorders that ultimately lead them down this path? Not so according to the basic principles of the

In this essay I will describe key elements of Psychodynamic theory, Person-Centred theory and Cognitive-Behavioural theory. I will also identify the key differences between the above theories. I shall also describe how counselling theory underpins the use of counselling skills in practise. I will then end with my conclusion.

Freud attempted to explain how the unconscious functions by dividing it into three structures, the id, ego, and superego. The id holds our primitive instincts that demand immediate gratification, because it operates on the pleasure principle (McLeod, 2010). Similarly, the ego also seeks pleasure. However, instead of seeking immediate gratification, the ego acts realistically in order to avoid potentially negative consequences that may arise. On the other hand, our superego represents our conscious. It encompasses the morals and values we learn by society and our parents as we go through the stages of

Freud’s structural and topographical model of personality, revolves around the id, ego and superego (McLeod, 2008). As a newborn, I was born with my id which allowed me to get my basic needs met. As an infant, I would cry if I was hungry or tired or just wanted to be held, I did not think of anyone else. The second part of my personality started around when I was three years old, and according to Freud this is when I began to develop my ego. An example of this would be if I was hungry I would want to satisfy my id, but at the

The psychological positivism theory concentrates on all of the mental aspects of why an individual commits a crime, and associates it with their intelligence, personality, learning, and criminal behaviour. It looks at the determinations, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals and all that contributes in the criminal behaviour. Explanations of criminal behaviour were explained by looking at the work of Sigmund Freud (1956-1939). He established the psychoanalytical model in which he believed that a human progresses, early in life. Freud discusses that the human personality has three sets of interacting forces. These include the id, the ego and the superego. These are three components in a human personality that pledge them to behave in the manner they do and make individuals they are. Firstly Freud believes that humans are born with their id. He suggests that the id holds importance for personality. The id allows a new-born to get its desires met by crying. Freud mentions that the id is set on getting pleasure and the id wants whatever feels good despite the circumstances. In addition to this Freud had mentioned the second component of the personality develops. This is known as the ego, it understands feeling and emotions of others and takes them into account. Freud then suggest that the ego meets the needs of the id, at the same time looking at the reality of the condition. Lastly Freud mentions that when a child is five the development of the third personality

Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.

However with advantages come disadvantages. For example, with correlational studies there is no background information obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the correlational studies is questioned.

Feist, J., & Feist, G. J. (2009). Theories of Personality (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

This essay will attempt to highlight and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the three main theories of counselling within the module covered this term. The three approaches in discussion are psychodynamics, cognitive behavioural and humanistic.

The psychodynamic approach was proposed by Freud. This approach towards personality is based on the notion of underlying forces such as the id, ego and superego which are either present from birth or develop during childhood shape our behaviour and personality as such. Experiences in childhood are proposed to be the basis of human personality, according to Freud and as such Psychodynamic theory proposes that some undesirable unbalances between the id and superego can create the arising of ego defence mechanisms which explain individual differences in behaviour. Freudian theory has been adapted by neo-Freudians, however while psychodynamic

Why would anyone go into counseling it is a job where we met people at their worst, and it takes a special person who is willing to meet a person at their lowest and pull them back to their best. In order to become a successful counselor, we must first be aware of our own self to ensure that our clients receive us at our best. There is no cookie cutter outline to counseling every case is different and everyone is unique so all we can do is follow a general guide line and shape it to meet our client’s specific needs. In the article by Petrocelli We learn that all major theories can be seen as having two similarities. According to Petrocelli Capuzzi and Gross believed that the theories “all draw attention to their respective process of change and their respective interventions (Petrocelli).” Theories are important because it allows counselors to follow the stages of development throughout the life span, and it provides an incite to what might be missing in our clients lives or what changes they are

For Instance, psychodynamic theory based on the research of Sigmund Freud. Psychodynamic theory says that youth crime is a result of unresolved mental pain and internal struggle. People violate the law due to abnormal personality structures made earlier in life and that controls human behavior choices (Seigel & Welsh, 2012). Freud gave three major types of components that make up the human personality. Id is the abandoned, simple, pleasure seeking factor with which each child is born. The Ego progresses through the reality of living in the world and helps manage and restrain the id’s need for immediate gratification. The Super Ego develops through connections with parents and other significant people and signifies the development of conscience and moral rules shared by most adults (Carney, 2015). Id indicates needs and desires, while the super ego counters the id by fostering feelings of morality and righteousness. The ego evaluates the reality of a position between these two extremes. If these components

Freud strategized that the personality was composed of three elements; the id, ego, and superego. The id is the component of personality that is present from birth, and is exclusively unconscious. “According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality” (Cherry,1). On the other hand, the ego is the element of the personality that is responsible with reality. “According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world” (Cherry, 1). It

The word psychodynamic means to a large group of theories that affects the It is a way that tells that personality of the mind exists in the conscious, subconscious and unconscious states like the unconscious wishes, feelings and thoughts. This theory is presented by Sigmund Freud in which he mentions that personality contains three components which are the id, the ego and the superego. These all work collaboratively in order to make complex human behaviours. Id is associated with the way of thinking or the natural ability and the crave for pleasure. Ego is associated with the intervene in the agreement among them with the need of the reality. Superego is a kind of approach to follow the order and systems of the parents