Part 1 Summarise two theories of identity and compare their usefulness for explaining the real-world issues discussed in Chapter 1, 'Identities and diversities'. The study of identity is primarily focused on understanding people and the way they live their daily lives. Identity has become a common topic in contemporary society, be that through media, everyday talk or through psychological research. Due to the many ways in which identity can be presented it can become unclear as to what identity actually means. Of the three theories given, psychosocial and social constructionist theories of identity will be summarised and shown how these theories compare when studying the identity of those with physical disabilities.
Humans develop throughout their life span, while Freud said that our personality is shaped by the age of five. Erikson’s eight stages of personality development are characterized by basic life conflicts. In each stage, Erikson believed people experience a conflict that served as a turning point in development. Erikson also believed that a sense of competence also motivates behaviors and actions. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure.
Personality Development Paper University of Phoenix PSYCH 504 Dr. Donna February 04, 2013 Personality Development Paper Introduction There are several features which contribute to the development of the individual's personality. Many of these factors are adequately discussed in theories of personality development. As society continues to develop into a great melting pot, there is an increase need to research other contributing factors to the development of personalities; focus on cultural, gene-environment influence will be discussed in this paper. The studies of twin inheritability of personality, and the contributing factors over a period of time into adulthood will discussed as well. Lastly, the various personality models may be changed to justify for the differences in the personal, societal, and cultural will be discussed.
PART ONE The social constructionist perspective suggests that identities are constructed through language and social relation. Illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of this statement with examples of research studies from this and one other perspective. The theory of social constructionism is a relatively new concept that explores the development of identity; a question of how uniqueness and diversity is formed within us has preoccupied psychologists since the time of Freud and Jung. The social constructionism ideology states that our identities are de-centred and multiple and it has been argued by these theorists that there is a continual building of identity and a sense of our place in the world by individuals according to interaction with society, however small and transient. The theory also includes that as well as identity evolving, it is provisional as it is dependent on situation and cultural influences.
Erik Erikson believed that crises during stages of life need to be resolved before moving on to the next stage in order for healthy development. Erikson claimed that before adolescence, the child establishes a sense of identity but that this is challenged by the physical and intellectual changes of adolescence. Erikson sees adolescence as the fifth stage of psychosocial development, where the adolescent experiences role confusion, for example about careers, religion and political beliefs. The adolescent is trying to work out who they really are, and how they are seen by other people. Erikson introduced the idea of a psychosocial moratorium which is a temporary suspension of activity.
Even if the conflict of a certain stage is or is not effectively resolved, the person is influenced by both genetic motivation and the strains of society in subsequent stages. Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development reflects upon how the development of personality from childhood to adulthood is influenced by outside factors, parents and society (Boden, 2010 ). The following are the eight interconnected stages Erikson believed all humans must undergo over
According to Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development, the ego is the struggle to comprehend, understand, and organize the experiences of life (McAdams, 2006). The sense of self or ego changes based on experiences and challenges faced throughout life, and hence, the ego is in constant flux. Loevinger developed a theory based on the stages of cognitive development and how it influences the personality. Loevinger measures ego development through a verbal sentence completion test; this means that infants are unable to take the test. Though Loevinger does not specifically address the preverbal stage of ego development, other theorists agree that ego begins in infancy with the recognition of self.
Abstract The concept of abnormal and normal personalities is debated consistently, however this essay will examine the sense in which it is justifiable to adopt this concept. Through psychodynamic, behavioural and humanistic approaches to personality foundations it will become evident that the moulding of one’s personality begins at the very early stages of childhood. In particular, fixations during phases of psychosexual stages and their developing repercussions on the id, ego and superego are evidence within psychodynamic studies to support this claim. What constitutes an “abnormal” or a “normal” personality and to what extent each exists is an endless debate which encompasses many paradigms. However, by looking at the psychodynamic approach to personality, it is evident that not only are abnormal and normal personalities apparent, but a correlation can be seen between Freud’s psychosexual stages and an adult’s behaviour and personality as an outcome.
Adolescence and Middle Adulthood The two stages I chose to review for importance are Adolescence (identity vs. role confusion) and Middle Adulthood (generativity vs. stagnation). As this seems to be the area which my current counseling is focused, and I admit I may be prejudiced for that reason, I see these as vital stages of development towards the practice of mental health counseling. Within many family units these two stages reside under the same roof. Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development define adolescence as a time when identity is the paramount goal, with a negative result being confusion for future adult role (Erford, 2010). Anxiety can play a major affect here as the individual dives into social relationships, engages in risky behavior, and has a strong drive to be accepted as a contributing member of society, in other words, what they have to say or do is important … so notice!
Others are called mini theories; these on the other hand deals on a limited aspect of development for instance social and cognitive growth. A major theorist such Sigmund Freud outlined the various stages of development in children where growth transformations occur. He called it the psychosexual stages of development, which largely emphasized on the significance of childhood experiences and events. Freud’s stages included oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital stages. All the stages involve the fulfillment of libidinal desires that play significant roles in adulthood.