Freud’s Theory of Personality Essay

Sigmund Freuds possibility of personality is both relevant and non-relevant in todays society. His theory of consciousness is very important as a foundation for understanding human thought and behavior. Freud looked beyond the effects of behavior and explored the unconscious(p). He signifi butttly changed the way the world views behavior by explaining certain levels of consciousness, the components of the unconscious mind, and different usingal phases. Freud believed that many of our conscious thoughts and actions argon motivated by unconscious fears and desires.Sigmund Freud is best know for his development and use of psychoanalysis. The theory of psychoanalysis focuses on the concept of how our unconscious thoughts, feelings, and emotions play an active place in our daily lives. The id, ego, and superego are the three mental zones and each has a specific function. The id functions on the entertainment principle the ego on the protection of the individual and the superego on pro tection of society. Every individual is be of different amounts of each mental zone. The ultimate goal is to achieve the perfect balance of the three areas by understanding how each works alone and contributes to make the whole. The basis of psychoanalysis is that the unconscious mind determines behavior. star of the biggest concerns in Freuds psychoanalytic theory is the inability to explain behavior in our modern culture. Freud lived in an era where women were believed to be inferior to men. Freud based his theories on his case studies and figure observations. These observations had limitations because his subjects were Viennese upper-class women a small portion of society. He focused mainly on the male development as he was part of a male dominated era which led to half of the populations development being insufficiently accounted for. Freud lacked anunderstanding of women which suggests that his theories involving women are not accurate. The prevalence of same-sex parents rais ing children in homosexual homes or single-parent households raises questions that psychoanalysis fails to answer and is not relevant in todays society.Freudian theory suggests that as children develop they progress through a series of psychosexual stages. Each stage has a pleasure-seeking zilch that is focused on a different part of the body. The successful comp allowion of each stage leads to a healthy personality as an adult. However, if a conflict remains unresolved at any token stage, the individual might remain fixated or stuck at that particular point of development. A regression can involve an obsession with something related to that phase of development. Signs of an oral fixation might include an excessive opinion on oral behaviors such as smoking, biting fingernails or eating.In these modern times, there are over 45 million Americans who smoke and based on Freuds theory it is a direct result of the way a child went through the teething phase. The idea that a parent who let their child teeth for too long could somehow lead to an individual developing an oral fixation is something that has lost credibility and not relevant today. There are millions of smokers in the United States and very rarely does the blame rest upon the parents who left their kids with a pacifier for too long.Defense mechanisms are a study aspect of psychoanalysis and are relevant in todays society. When someone seems unwilling to wait a painful truth, you might accuse them of being in denial. When a person tries to look for a logical explanation for unacceptable behavior, you might suggest that they are rationalizing. These things represent different types of defensive structure mechanisms, or tactics that the ego uses to protect itself from anxiety. Today we recognize denial as the first and foremost defense mechanism which helps professionals understand an individuals denial of addictions such as drugs/alcohol, gambling, and shopping.In conclusion, the profession of psy chology would not be where it is today without Sigmund Freud. His contributions to psychology are perhaps some of the most important. Freuds beforehand(predicate) work on psychoanalysis as a treatment fora sick mind coat the way for modern-day psychologists, psychiatrists, theorists, and analysts who are developing this treatment even further. However, he based his theories on events that were scoop to his time period. In todays society we have different stressors and live different lifestyles than those quick in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They did not know road rage, chemical explosions, pollution, etc. nearly changes to consider are focusing on the development of women, study of homosexual and single-parent households, variety of ethnicities/cultures, and environmental concerns hardly to name a few.ReferencesFeist, J., Feist, G., & Roberts, T. (2013). Theories of personality. (8ed., p.19). New York, NY McGraw-Hill Companies. Lothane, Z. (2006). Freuds legacyis it sti ll with us? Psychoanalytic Psychology, 23(2), 285-301. doi10.1037/0736-9735.23.2.285 Psychoanalysis. (2013). capital of South Carolina Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1-2.