Personality psychology is primarily concerned with changes in a person’s personality over time. One of the most extensive and researched areas of psychology, personality psychology, seeks to explain how our traits influence our perspectives and actions. Psychologists specializing in personality research frequently look into personality similarities and differences. These professionals may also be in charge of assessing, diagnosing, and caring for people who have personality disorders. Personality influences one’s self-perception and perspectives on others and the world. Psychologists can predict a person’s behavior in a variety of situations by understanding their personality, as well as their interests and priorities. This essay will discuss personality psychology by explaining Freud Sigmund’s psychodynamic theory of personality by discussing the history of the theorists, school of thought, overall message, uniqueness of the theory, its current use, implications, strengths, and weaknesses of the theory.
Sigmund Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory
History
Sigmund Freud, who lived from 1856 to 1939, is widely regarded as a psychoanalysis founder. Psychoanalysis is used to treat mental illnesses and explain human behavior. According to Freud, our formative years significantly impact whom we become as adults. For example, anxiety caused by traumatic experiences in the past is frequently suppressed and, as a result, does not manifest consciously (McLeod, 2018). On the other hand, repressed anxiety can lead to neuroses as an adult.
As a result, when we try to justify our actions, a deliberate mental process, to ourselves or others, we usually give a false account of our motivations. This is not intended to mislead. Freud spent his entire career trying to figure out how to see through the elaborate masks people wear to hide their true personalities. Throughout his career, he struggled with camouflage.
His phrases and words have become commonplace in the English language. Because of his theories and contributions to psychology, some of his psychology terms have become commonplace (McLeod, 2018).
Anna’s Case
When Anna O. came to the attention of the young neuropathologist in Vienna, Sigmund Freud, it was a watershed moment in his career. It had such an impact that it influenced the future of psychology. For no apparent reason, a hysterical patient shows physical symptoms such as paralysis, seizures, frenzies, and loss of speech. Similar to how Anna felt about the condition (McLeod, 2018). Josef Breuer, Freud’s mentor and a physician helped Anna recover from her trauma by prompting her to recall painful events she had long forgotten.
During the conversations, Freud discovered that her irrational fear of drinking stems from an incident in which a dog she despised drank from one of her glasses. She first became aware of her other indicators while looking after her unwell father. Anna avoided discussing her concerns about her husband’s illness at first but later revealed them during psychotherapy. Her paralysis vanished after she was given a chance to express these suppressed beliefs. Breuer and Freud discussed the situation frequently (McLeod, 2018). These considerations resolved that Freud would spend his time nurturing. In his book Studies in Hysteria, Freud proposed that clinical signs are frequently the first to emerge when a person confronts a long-repressed conflict.
When Freud made his observations, he was not merely attempting to explain why someone might be ill. He was implying that he was suggesting a ground-breaking new theory about the nature of the human mind (McLeod, 2018). This theory emerged from Freud’s clinical investigations gradually, prompting him to postulate at least three levels of mind.
School of Thought: Strata of the Mind
The Unconscious Mind
Freud described the structure and function of the mind using a stratigraphic model. Freud’s theoretical framework was made available to the public in 1905. Freud used the iceberg analogy to explain the mind’s triune nature. Our current thoughts are part of the superficial level of consciousness, but they are only the beginning of what consciousness entails (McLeod, 2018). The preconscious is the repository for all of one’s retrievable memories.
The third crucial part of the brain is unconscious. The mechanisms that serve as the accurate drivers of most human behavior are revealed here. It has been said that, like an iceberg, most of a person’s mind lies beneath the surface (McLeod, 2018). The preconscious mind is a gatekeeper and mediator, keeping the unconscious mind’s reservoir of original desires and instincts in check.
Freud (1915) realized that specific desires and events were traumatic for his clients and could not be confronted. Those memories were stored in the subconscious as a result of this phenomenon. Repression is a technique that can accomplish this. In keeping with Sigmund Freud’s emphasis on the unconscious mind, the idea that the unconscious mind plays a more significant role in regulating behavior than is traditionally assumed is central to Freudian theory. In reality, psychoanalysis aims to reveal previously hidden aspects of a person’s personality.
The Psyche
Freud created a more systemic model of the human mind. The ego, superego, and id were all components of this model (Freud, 1923). Freud called this a psychic device (McLeod, 2018). These are not actual brain regions but hypothesized interpretations of primary cognitive operations. According to popular belief, three parts combine to form an individual’s personality.
On a subconscious level, the id functioned according to the psychic energy of indulging one’s base instinctual desires. Freud classified biological instincts (or drives) as “Eros” (attraction) or “Thanatos” (aversion) (McLeod, 2018). Eros, or the life instinct, regulates vital functions such as respiration, digestion, and sexual behavior. It increases a person’s chances of survival (Freud, 1925). Instinctual drives fuel the libido or vitality.
On the other hand, Thanatos represents death feeling and is regarded as a collection of disparaging forces inherent in every individual (Freud, 1920). Aggressive and violent behavior can result when this vigor is focused outward rather than inward. Freud believed that the power of eros over Thanatos kept people from committing suicide.
The id is the driving force behind the formation of the ego during the formative years. The ego must satisfy d’s desires in a harmless and socially desirable fashion (McLeod, 2018). The ego, unlike the id, operates in one’s waking and sleeping state realms of a person’s thinking and believes in objective reality.
A child’s superego develops at a young age when they begin to identify with a parent of the same gender. As a psychological function, the superego is in charge of upholding values (McLeod, 2018). Our superego is in charge of upholding our morality and encouraging us to act ethically and acceptably.
The mind, heart, and will all have competing needs that are only sometimes in sync. This is the central paradox of human existence. There will always be internal strife. For example, if a person violates a code of conduct, their superego may induce guilt (Freud, 1894, 1896). When the id’s and superego’s desires clash, it is the ego’s responsibility to mediate and find a solution. The ego has many defense mechanisms to keep it from succumbing to anxiety and becoming overwhelmed.
Defense Mechanisms
In his works, Sigmund Freud makes numerous references to and elaborates on ego defenses. Freud (1937) expanded on these ideas, adding ten more. In addition, numerous psychoanalysts have suggested novel ego defense mechanisms. Defenses are unintentional coping strategies to lessen the impact of emotionally or mentally distressing situations. Freud theorized that we distort reality as a form of self-protection to cope with adversity.
When our safety is in jeopardy, once our id or superego has become excessively demanding, or when we are under any other kind of duress, we can avoid the unpleasant feelings of anxiety and guilt that result. In response to specific triggers, invisible defense mechanisms can help mitigate negative emotions, such as anxiety or heighten positive emotions, such as happiness (McLeod, 2019). Emotional defenses are entirely normal and healthy. When these factors become exaggerated, neuroses such as anxiety, phobias, obsessions, and hysteria can develop.
Psychosexual Stages
Women were expected to suppress their sexual desires in Freud’s “Victorian” authoritarian society. As a result, many people develop neurotic illnesses. Freud believed that by learning more about his patients’ sexual histories, he would better understand their diseases’ underlying causes and symptoms. It should be noted that the primary goal of this study was not to investigate sexual encounters (McLeod, 2018). More important was how the patient perceived and dealt with their feelings of love, resentment, sadness, remorse, and fear.
For this reason, Freud developed the controversial theories of Psychosexual Development and the Oedipus Complex. Everyone is born with a libido or the desire to engage in sexual activity. During various stages of childhood development, the child enjoys various materials.
To maintain mental health, we must succeed at all levels (McLeod, 2018). The mental abnormality may occur if a person fails to progress through all stages of development and becomes stuck in a preliminary stage. This theory demonstrates how early experiences shape an individual’s character later in life.
Analysis of Dreams
According to Freud (1900), dreams provide the most direct access to the unconscious because they occur when the ego’s defenses are down. This happens because some suppressed information can surface during dreams and enter consciousness, albeit distorted. Dreams not only serve an essential function for the unconscious mind, but they also offer valuable insight into its inner workings.
Freud had a pivotal dream for developing his theory on July 24, 1895. One of his patients, Irma, had not responded as well to treatment as he had hoped, which worried him. In reality, Freud was guilty and blamed himself for what had happened. Freud had a dream in which he examined Irma after meeting her at a party (McLeod, 2018). A flash of the medication’s chemical name, which another physician had provided for Irma, came before his eyes, and he realized immediately that the other doctor’s dirty syringe was to blame for Irma’s condition. Freud felt less guilty as a result.
To Freud, this dream represented a form of wish fulfillment. He had suspected someone else was to blame for Irma’s health problems, and the dream backed up his suspicions. As a result of this dream, Freud proposed that the primary purpose of dreams was to satisfy the dreamer’s desires. Freud distinguished between the dream’s literal meaning and its symbolic interpretation. The manifest is shaped by daily events, which frequently dictate its contents (McLeod, 2018). The transformation of a wish into something that manifests in the physical world is referred to as dreamwork. Dreamwork’s goal is to reduce the dreamer’s anxiety so that he or she can continue to dream about a potentially harmful desire. The dreamwork process includes reduction, shift, and secondary amplification.
Combining multiple ideas or mental images into a single coherent whole is condensation or reduction. For example, if a dream depicts the dreamer with a man, he could represent their father or significant other (McLeod, 2018). A dream in which the dreamer is inside a house may be the culmination of worries about one’s physical safety and outward appearance.
Displacement or shift occurs when we shift our attention away from what is most important to us and toward something else. For instance, one of Freud’s clients dreamed he was choking a small white dog to death because he referred to his sister-in-law as a dog out of resentment. Freud interpreted this as a symbol of the patient’s desire to murder his brother’s wife (McLeod, 2018). The patient would have felt guilty if he had dreamed of killing his sister-in-law. His subconscious created an image of a dog that protected him.
Secondary elaboration or amplification occurs when the subconscious develops a strategy for achieving a desire. This adds another layer of obscurity to information that is already hidden. This, according to Freud, explains why dream content can appear plausible. Later research on dreams by Freud included an investigation into whether or not there are recurring symbols in the dreaming process (McLeod, 2018). Some of these had a sexual undertone, such as when poles, guns, and swords were used to represent the penis or when riding horses and dancing represented sexual encounters. On the other hand, Freud took a more cautious approach to symbols, insisting that even universal symbols contain a significant personal component.
The deeper meaning of a dream cannot be understood unless the dreamer’s history is first understood. Dream dictionaries have always bothered Freud, and he still does. A penis was a symbol to one of his patients (McLeod, 2018). He had a dream in which he was holding a writhing fish. As a result, this incident serves as a humorous illustration of the pitfalls associated with using universal symbols.
Freud dug deeper and discovered that the patient was worried about her mother, an ardent astrologer and a Pisces who was against her daughter’s decision to undergo psychoanalysis. Freud reasoned that because the mother was a Pisces, she was to blame for her daughter’s mental state (McLeod, 2018). Freud proposed that the Pisces depicted his mother instead of the patient’s penis.
The uniqueness of Psychodynamic Theory
People can now select from several treatment options. For example, a person suffering from anxiety may find that cognitive behavioral therapy alleviates their symptoms. Psychodynamic theory, on the other hand, focuses on an individual’s fundamental motivations (Online MSW Programs, 2022). It differs from modern problem-focused therapies because it takes a more comprehensive look at the patient’s situation. It considers the distinction between observing someone’s feelings and their actual behavior.
Current Use of Psychodynamic Theory
In its current form, psychodynamic theory cannot be considered a coherent body of thought. Instead, several interconnected frameworks exist for understanding how people change over time. Methods used by social workers and other clinicians include talk therapy, dream analysis, free association, and transference. Each school above of thought provides a distinct set of solutions to the problem (Online MSW Program, 2022). Today, psychologists and psychiatrists rely on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM) was published in 2006 to provide clinicians with an alternative or additional resource for diagnostic and treatment planning.
Implications of Psychodynamic Theory
The following is a list of the implications drawn from psychodynamic theory: Every behavior is always accompanied by an explanation, and everyone’s subconscious influences their behavior to some degree. In addition, the various components that makeup everyone’s subconscious are in constant conflict with one another. Moreover, there is scant evidence that events that occur in childhood have any bearing on the behavior and emotions of adults, including mental health issues, internal and external factors, and genetic processes. The environment, particularly one’s social connections, significantly impact the maturation of an adult’s personality (Online MSW Program, 2022).
Strengths and Weaknesses of Psychodynamic Theory
The psychodynamic viewpoint has numerous advantages. It recognizes that a person’s upbringing can have long-term consequences for his or her mental health as an adult. The majority of modern social work and psychology agree on this point. Also, it recognizes that both a person’s biological and social environments influence their adult development. We can see the effects of human motivations on behavior because they come from within. What happened to them as children influenced who they are today (Online MSW Program). Freud’s psychodynamic theory influenced the development of psychoanalysis to identify and treat mental health problems. Idiomatic expression of thoughts and emotions is critical in modern psychotherapy.
The psychodynamic theoretical foundation has well-known flaws. It takes neither cognitive abilities nor willpower into account. Some argue that it undervalues the significance of free will. It is not easy to prove, which is one of the reasons it is not regarded as scientific (Online MSW Program, 2022). There is insufficient evidence to support the theories. However, new medical findings support the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy.
Conclusion
Personality traits are controlled by thinking. Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory explains how dreams, childhood experiences, and the unconscious mind govern an individual’s personality. Personality defines humans in different ways and governs actions. It is essential o acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of a particular personality to help understand the psychological problems that an individual could be going through.
References
Freud, A. (1937). The Ego and The Mechanisms of Defense. London: Hogarth Press and Institute of Psycho-Analysis.
Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation Of Dreams. S.E., 4–5.
Freud, S. (1915). The Unconscious. S.E., 14: 159–204.
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond The Pleasure Principle. S.E., 18: 1–64.
Freud, S. (1923). The Ego and the Id. S.E., 19: 1–66.
McLeod, S. A. (2018). What Are the Most Interesting Ideas of Sigmund Freud? Simply Psychology.https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html.
McLeod, S. A. (2019).Defense Mechanisms. Simply Psychology.https://www.simplypsychology.org/defense-mechanisms.html.
Online MSW Program (2022). Introduction to Psychodynamic Theory in Social Work. https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/social-work/theories/psychodynamic-theory/#:~:text=Freud%20believed%20human%20behavior%20could,they%20behave%20a%20certain%20way.
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