Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers Personality Theories - Essay Example

? Comparison of Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers Personality Theories Comparison of Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers Personality Theories In order for a psychologist to pick the best theory for use in practice, one has to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the approach. This analysis should not just depend on the person’s perception of the proponent of the theory, but it must account for evidence of effectiveness and efficiency of application of the theory. There are numerous psychoanalytic theories for use in a diagnostic, preventive and intervention setting including theories proposed by Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939), Carl Jung (1875 - 1961), and Carl Rogers (1902 - 1987). Though all the theories serve the same purpose, they vary in their assumptions and view on human psychology, which undermines or improves the effectiveness of each in psychology (Schmidt and Schmidt, 1983). This essay aims to compare and contrast the Rogers and Freud theories, which are the writer’s most favorite and least favorite theories respectively. The essay will conclude by describing the most effective personality theory combination. Comparison Similarities First, it is pertinent to note that these theories are similar in their foundations, in that both are based on similar basic assumptions, and depend on observation of basic phenomena in day-to-day life. However, this is also the source of the major differences between them, since both of them occupy opposite sides on the scale of human psychology perceptions. Both of the theories are based on the premise that the goings-on in a person’s subconscious have a large role to play in a person’s actions, beliefs, perceptions and other components of a person’s psychology (Berg, 2004). Moreover, the theorists postulated that a person’s response to experiences during the course of one’s life are unique and cannot be generalized to the whole population. Moreover, they agree that the factors and responses follow specified patterns such that a person’s current behavior can be used to predict past occurrences in one’s life, albeit to a limited extent. The theorists described their theories to detail, such that Roger and Freud theories are some of the most elaborate theories in psychology. Consequently, these theories have broad application in many fields despite the fact that the authors formulated them on the background of interaction with their clients (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2009). Differences The Freudian theory focuses on the psychological event and underlying factors, such that a psychologist focuses on the problem and its solution without considering if there could be another approach that would involve the patient. Rogers’s theory is people centered, such that the theorists gave priority to the client instead of the condition, and ended up discovering that a client can get out of a destructive psychotic state given the correct environmental conditions (Thompson, 2003). The Freudian psychodynamic theory takes a pessimistic stance, whereby it purports that a person’s subconscious has the propensity to adopt sexually destructive and aggressive behavior if it gets the chance. Freud purported that a person’s primary role is to control the destructive subconscious, since if one does not do so they fall into all the negative habits considered as crimes by the contemporary society including rape and murder among others (Freud, Dufresne and Richter, 2011). According to Rogers (2003), the humanistic theory of phenomenology takes an optimistic approach, purporting that every person has intrinsic propensity for positivity, trustworthiness, and rationality. According to Rogers, if a person lives in an environment that promotes personal growth and development, then that person lives a fulfilling life that is free from any negativity. Rogers’ theory agrees with Maslow's hierarchy of needs but emphasizes on the role played by the external environment. This means that, in contrary to Freud’s assertion that people are intrinsically destructive, Rogers believed that a person’s psychology changes with experience and interaction with others. Rogers’ theory also states that for a person to have a favorable psychology, they should have unconditional regard for self and others. Freud’s theory assumes that a person’s psychology depends on childhood experiences and the fulfillment or otherwise of certain inherent desires. According to this theory, unless a person spends a lifetime suppressing these feelings and desires, a person’s psychology remains constant and is independent of any activities or experiences that a person undergoes in their present life. On the other hand, Rogers’s theory asserts that a person can have a fulfilling or non-fulfilling life depending on the extent of the gap between the life a person desires to live and the life that the current living conditions allow one to live; the less the gap, the more fulfilling life gets (Greene and Kropf, 2009). Discussion Rogers’s theory has optimism as the main strength, and Freudian theory is grossly pessimistic. While both are indispensable psychoanalytic theories, they suffer from the weaknesses associated with many other theories including lack of scientific evidence and gross generalizations, such that they cannot be verified. Moreover, the Freudian theory prides on its unscientific nature, which makes it almost impossible to prove its applicability in practice. However, the Freudian theory has been instrumental in creation of numerous therapeutic approaches and study of psychological dependencies and cannot be ignored. Generalizations include the assumptions that the responses of people to situations are predictable if the psychologist knows a person’s past and vice versa. For instance, optimism in the Rogers’ theory may cause a psychologist to overlook certain underlying factors while the pessimist nature of the Freudian theory may overlook any positive sides of a situation. Therefore, a psychologist should adopt more than a single theory in psychoanalysis in order for one theory to cover areas of weakness in the other one. Despite the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the theories, Rogers’ theory is more preferable for use in psychoanalysis than the Freudian theory (Brill, 2010). Conclusion The best approach to use in psychoanalysis is by incorporating the theory of Carl Rogers with that of Carl Jung, combining the positive elements of both theories to come up with a complete overview of the client’s condition. Jung (1977) asserts that a person’s psychology consists of memories from recent experiences, and the cumulative memories of a person’s ancestors. This means that a person’s decisions, acts and perceptions may be under the influence of more than just their personal experiences (Lawson, 2008). Though these assertions cannot be scientifically verified, there have been cases where a person applied skills and knowledge in one’s life whose source is unclear. Combining Jung and Rogers theories enables a psychologist to account for all experiential and other factors that affect the client’s psychology. References Berg, H. (2004). Freud's theory and its use in literary and cultural studies: An introduction. Camden House. Brill, A. A. (2010). Psychoanalysis. Read Books Design. Freud, S., Dufresne, T., and Richter, GC. (2011). Beyond the pleasure principle. Broadview Press. Greene, R. R., and Kropf, N. (2009). Human behavior theory: A diversity framework. Transaction Publishers. Jung, C. G. (1977). The symbolic life: miscellaneous writings. Routledge. Lawson, T. T. (2008). Carl Jung, Darwin of the mind. Karnac Books. Rogers, C. R. (2003). Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory. Constable. Schmidt, S. R., & Schmidt, C. R. (1983). Psychology: Principles and applications Pearson Education Canada. Thompson, C. (2003). Psychoanalysis: Evolution and development. Transaction Publishers. Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2009). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Cengage Learning. Read More