Personality Theorist Report: Erik Erikson

1262 Words6 Pages
In the history of psychology, many theories exist explaining the unconscious and conscious mind. Researching the mind and understanding the function of the brain has been an on going dilemma throughout history. By research the mind psychologist learn how to cure mental illness and create new progressive ways of thinking. There are three major issues to consider when attempting explain how personality is developed. The combinations of those three have resulted in seven different personality theories. Of all the theories studied during this course, I find Neo-Freudian the most interesting. In the Neo-Freudian theory a greater emphasis in placed on the functions of the ego and its influences on our daily activities. The principal of Neo-Freudian theory is that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors not external events, situations or people. The foundational assumption is that most emotional and behavioral reactions are learned and can therefore, be unlearned. The most interesting of all psychologists throughout history is Erik Erikson. Erik Erikson (1902-1994), was born in Frankfurt, Germany and studied psychology under Anna Freud (Sigmund Freud's daughter) at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. He did not desire the environment that formal schooling produced, so as an alternative to going to college he traveled around Europe, keeping a diary of his experiences. This lasted for a year and he returned to Germany and enrolled in art school. After several years, Erikson began to teach art and other subjects to children of Americans who had come to Vienna for Freudian training. He was then admitted into the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. He moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 1939 where he taught at several major universities including Harvard, Yale, and the University of California at Berkley. Erick Erikson believed in the Neo-Freudian
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