Behaviorism vs. Psycho-analysis Abstract The most common definition of psychology is the study of mental processes, human behavior, and how they affect an individual’s physical state, mental state, and external environment. The most comprehensive theory developed to explain the given definition of psychology is psychodynamics, a theory of how thoughts and feelings affect our actions. Watson’s failure to focus on the unseen phenomena that is the subconscious and the conscious is what leads to the inevitable fading of his theory among psychologists. This paper argues against Watson’s claims, and for the Psychodynamic theory. “Psychology as the behaviourist views it is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science.
There are different theories established by psychologists, which explain where personality originates. The highly important individual who played a role in the psychoanalysis theory was Sigmund Freud. Freud believed an individual’s personality was influenced by the unconscious, which there is no way to control. He based understanding of personality on analysis of patient’s dreams as well as his own dreams. Adler theorized that personality was motivated by the influence of society and fighting for triumph.
This element is innate – it is present from birth. The superego, or the morality principle, is the conscience of the mind- it understands right from wrong. It is in constant conflict with the Id, and develops during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. The third element, the Ego, acts as a mediator between the two and at times uses defence mechanisms to shield the conscious from the Id and its desires. Freud also proposed a theory he understood to be the “structure of the mind”.
Sigmund Freud's Idea of Id, Ego and Superego Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that the human psyche has more than one aspect. Freud (1923b) saw the psyche structured into three parts (i.e. tripartite), the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives.These are systems, not parts of the brain, or in any way physical. Freud divided the mind into three parts, id, ego, and super-ego. Each part of the mind is responsible for something different.
This aspect of personality is completely unconscious and includes instinctive behavior, and is the primary component of your personality. The id strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants and needs. The ego on the other hand, is a component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. Freud Believed that the ego develops from the id and makes sure that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a way that is acceptable in the real world. The last component of personality is the superego.
Freud believed the human personality consisted of 3 areas; The Super Ego which is a set if moral controls given to us by outside influences. It is our moral code or conscience and it is in conflict with the id. Secondly, The Ego, which is the conscious self, the part of a human that is seen by the outside world. Lastly, there was the ID. This was the unconscious self, the part of the mind containing basic drives and repressed memories, it is a moral and has no concern about right and wring and is only concerned with itself.
The superego fails to internalise morals. Therefore, someone whose superego overpowers the id and ego may often have deviant behaviour. The root of Freud’s theory is that all people are driven by the libido. The libido isn’t just the sex drive; it can take different forms. The libido moves to different areas of the body at different stages of development.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) theory on the psychodynamic approach to abnormality comprises of three sections; psychic conflict, ego-defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages. The psychodynamic model of abnormality suggests that behaviour is driven by the unconscious processes and problems of the mind. The unconscious mind is thought to be a deeper part of a person's mind that operates without an individual knowing it. This includes feelings, thoughts, desires, instincts and emotions which can drive a person’s personality. In the psychic conflict section of Freud’s psychodynamic theory it claims that the structure of personality also known as ‘psyche’ is divided into three parts; the Id, Superego and Ego.
The Freud theory holds a significant purpose as, “Freud developed the theory to explain competing forces with the human mind or psyche” (Ayres). The Freudian theory presents three internal forces that if kept in balance lead to a mentally stable lifestyle. The id represents the gratification of oneself and the raw force within us all. The id characterizes the physical expression that “…is hard to control and acts impulsively” (Ayres) correlating with emotion and aggression. The ego epitomizes “the conscious voice of reason” (Ayres) that struggles to maintain a socially adequate position while acting as a safety cushion between the id and super ego.
Each man had their own personal theory about the unconscious mind. To understand the differences lets discuss, “One of the first cases that inspired Freud in the development of what would eventually become the Psychoanalytic Theory was the case of Anna O.” (Hurst, 1982) “Freud’s greatest contribution to personality theory is his exploration of the unconscious and his insistence that people are motivated primarily by drives of which they have little or no awareness.” (Feist, 2009) Freud takes this further by dividing the unconscious into the unconscious and the preconscious. “The unconscious contains all those drives, urges, or instincts that are beyond our awareness but that nevertheless motivate most of our words, feelings, and actions.” (Feist, 2009) This notion was explained as one that dreams, slips of the tongue and forgetting were projected from the unconscious mind. Freud model of mental life was the conscious (ego), preconscious (superego) and the unconscious (id). Considering Freud’s theory it appears that Anna O. had a past which was stored deep into the unconscious that was affecting the mental and physical part of her life.