Psychology- as explored through the eyes of Carl Jung and Abraham Maslow When Carl Jung says, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves”, he very aptly describes the role that Psychology plays in exploring and examining the processes of the human brain and how that impacts our behaviors and personality. Comparing the theories of Jung and Maslow could take hours since each one had enough to say about what their beliefs were about the human condition. But while Carl Jung focused on how the unconscious affected our personality (Introversion and Extraversion), Abraham Maslow focused on the integration of self (Self-Actualization Theory). Jung believed that there were active centers in the unconscious
The unconscious mind is when you are doing or thinking something without being alert or aware that you are doing it. Along the idea of the unconscious mind Freud also developed the concept of the ‘ID’, the ‘Ego’ and the ‘Superego’. The id is described as an impulsive, selfish side to our personality which is ruled by a pleasure principle, the superego is the moral part of our personality which recognises right from wrong; and our ego is the part of our mind which tries to rationalise and arbitrate both sides of our thoughts. Freud believed that there were two main causes of abnormality in general. One of these was childhood traumas and the idea that a bad memory from our childhood is so traumatic that it buries itself in our subconscious.
In this essay Freud sets out his theory of psychosexual development. He asserts that there is in all humans an innate drive or instinct for pleasure, a sort of psychic energy, which he calls the libido and this energy needs to be discharged. He then goes on to describe how this drive finds outlet at the earliest stages of life, as babies, toddlers and infants and describes the oral, anal and phallic stages and the psychological effects of fixation at these stages. It is important to note that Freud separated sexual aims and objectives. His work on sexuality and perversions led to the wider theory of sexuality whereby he differentiated the sexual aim (the desire for pleasure) and the object (the person or thing used to fulfil the desire).
i.e. The forces that drive it and make us act the way we do. This method has made important contributions to counseling as a whole as a lot of therapists and counsellors, even if they follow different psychological theories, have been influenced by it. This approach has emerged from psychoanalysis whose founder is Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Freud assumed that our behavior is caused by unconscious thoughts, our desires and impulses which is also how human behaviour is explained in the psychodynamic approach.
His view of human behaviour was deterministic- that is, he saw behaviour as predetermined by biological instincts and drives along with previous life experiences. ‘Heavily influenced by his study of dreams, Freud made a distinction between the unconscious and consciousness. From the very beginning, he stated that there were two kinds of unconsciousness. Hence, Freud asserted that there were three levels of consciousness; the unconscious, the preconscious, and consciousness.’(Nelson-Jones 2006, P25.) A common form of insight therapy is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Psychodynamic Theories Introduction goes here. Key Figures Sigmund Freud The father of psychoanalysis, Freud based his theories on the unconscious mind, infantile sexuality and the Oedipal complex, and repression. In addition, he proposed a three-part psychological structure in the Id, considered the pleasure principle, Ego, also known as the reality principle, and Superego, which is the internalized moral principle. According to Thornton (2010), “Freud’s innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and indeed of cultural artifacts as invariably possessing implicit symbolic significance has proven to be extraordinarily fruitful, and has had massive implications for a wide variety of fields including psychology, anthropology, semiotics, and artistic creativity and appreciation” (para 2). Alfred Adler In 1911, Alfred Adler formed the school of Individual Psychology as a reaction to the hostile response he received from members of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.
Central to Freud's theory, and perhaps his greatest contribution to psychology, is the notion that our psyche is composed of parts within our awareness and beyond our awareness. Freud used the term psychoanalysis to label his theories and techniques for identifying and curing the mental problems of his patients. This essay will outline the main concepts that surround Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, thus showing how it can help us understand our clients presenting issues. In order for me to do this I will firstly describe the psychosexual stages in relation to personality development followed by briefly identifying some of the main criticisms. I will lastly concentrate on discussing the applications of his theory to therapy today.
Psychodynamic Theories Psychodynamic theories are those propounded by Sigmund Freud, which further describe the conflict among instincts, reasons, and conscience. Although many different psychodynamic theories exist, they all emphasize unconscious motives and desires, as well as the importance of childhood experiences in shaping personality. Psychodynamic theory is a view that explains personality in terms of conscious and unconscious forces, such as unconscious desires and beliefs. Psychoanalytic Theory The psychoanalytic theory focuses on the role of experiences, the unconscious, and emotions that shape one’s personality. It is based on three main assumptions: 1.
He viewed childhood as dominated by conflictual sexuality and personality as an intricate net of impulses and defenses (Mitchell & Black, 1995). In addition, he identified two classes of instincts in humans, namely the Eros (sexual instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct), which played a central role in conflict and psychopathology (Freud, 1923). It appears that, according to Freud’s vision, all mental life and human behavior were propelled by unconscious drives and impulses. He saw human beings in a state of constant struggle with impulses and forbidden wishes and that this conflict was what people were truly made of. However, even though there is no denial of inner human conflict, drives, impulses, or even the unconscious, the vision of humans that Freud paints seems devoid of free will.
The Psychoanalysis Perspective Abstract. Sigmund Freud, the Father of Personality Psychology, highlights many theories in his writings. Most noted in this paper was the Psychoanalytic Perspective, which gives an in-depth view of determinism, the importance of conflict, early experience, infantile sexuality, and most illustrious the importance of unconscious motivation. This theory assumed that there exist three levels of consciousness in which the human mind functions. People did not come to accept his theory at first, but after much testing it was proven mostly valid and reliable.