The Existence of Certain Personalities - Research Paper Example

? Personality Theories April 28, Personality Theories A theory is a replica of certainty that helps to explain, understand, control and predict the said truth. Personality can be used to mean the characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting that refers to consistent and distinctive ways in which one’s ideas, feelings and actions are organized (Engler, 2008, p 2). There are multiple personality theories that include psychoanalytic founded by Sigmund Freud, social, cognitive theory developed by Albert Bandura, humanistic theory by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, and finally the trait perspective founded by Raymond Cantell. However, of them all, I find the psychoanalytic to be the one that relates to me and best explains my life. Psychoanalytic Theory This theory was founded by Sigmund Freud and emphasizes on the influence of the unconscious, experiences of one in early childhood and the importance of sexual and aggressive instincts. The approach advocated for Freud is based on the observations of his patients as well as, self-analysis. In order to understand his theories and those of his supporters, there is a need to understand the basis of the theory. The theory is based on the various psychological forces that operate at different levels of consciousness, which are the conscious, preconscious, and the unconscious levels. At the awake level, feelings, sensations and thoughts that one is conscious of at any time. Then there is the preconscious level which is the bearer of all information that one is not aware of, but the information can also cross over to the conscious mind. Finally, there is the unconscious level with thoughts, feelings, and wishes and drives that one is aware of despite having influence on conscious activity. According to Freud, human personality is the result of conflict between one’s aggressive and pleasure seeking innate impulses and the internalized social restraints aimed at stopping them. As a result, one has an id; which is the unconscious and irrational part of one’s personality it seeks for raw satisfaction to the demands of the external world and is immune to morality seeking only to, please one. One also has an ego that operates on reality and its role is to regulate the balance of one’s thoughts and behaviors. One also has a super ego, which is the internal manifestation of societal, and parent instilled values. Its role is that of a conscience that acts as a mediator between the identity and the ego in directing, that which is real and ideal at the same time. It also judges one’s behavior as being either right or wrong or good and bad. This part of personality that brings about shame, guilt, anxiety and inferiority due to failure to meet moral standards (Personality: Psychoanalytic theories, 2008). Based on the above determinants, guilt is always felt after one violates any of the spelt out rules by the society or parents. This is a way to correct one’s behavior back to the correct path and is evident by the emotions that emanate from within oneself due to the existence of a super ego. It also gives one the ability to judge between that which is right or wrong. In this way, morality is kept afloat or failure to develop a super ego or fixation at the earlier stages of either the id or the ego would lead to one not being able to judge appropriately. On the case, of having an identity, the desires that one have are usually driven by this part of one’s personality, and it seeks immediate satisfaction despite the inconvenience of both time and place thus the ego is there to regulate behavior so that one directs the desires pr drives at convenient things at appropriate times and places. This has played a significant role in my personality as the healthy development of theses stages has molded me into a moral person, who conforms to both social morals and standards of what is regarded as right and wrong. The feelings of guilt that accompany wrong doing are a personality trait that, has helped in directing the way I relate with the world and society so as not to break norms set by it. Freud goes on to mention that there are psychosexual stages that influence personality development, which are the oral, anal, phallic and latency. At the oral stage, one focuses activity on pleasure areas of the mouth. In anal, focus is on bowel and bladder elimination; whereas in phallic, genitals are the primary source of pleasure and in latency, sexual desire is expressed and directed at acceptable like sports. The above creates four kinds of personalities: oral, anal, phallic and genital. Oral personality is based on fixation at the oral stage of development. Moreover, it is characterized by over emphasis on the mouth and intake of substances is common thus leads to conditions such as obesity and addictions. Anal fixation results in an anal personality where one may be expulsive or retentive. This personality befits me as it is manifested by my desire to control my environment and the people around me. There is also the strong desire to withhold my affection from those around me. The demanding nature to have those round me to show devotion and sacrifice is overwhelming. This is due to the need to control everything around me. This personality is a result of the loving received from parents at the stage of anal development. There also exists a desire to keep one’s surroundings tidy, where one cleans up every mess or feels offended by unsightly things such as misplaced items. This agitates one and at times put one in a bad mood due to the nature of disorder or disorganization observed (Pervin, 2003 p. 187). Phallic personalities tend to be narcissistic, egotistic, or overly sexualized personality. They also find sex as a means to release tension and a result of phallic fixation. Finally, is the genital personality that is characterized by going through all the prior stages of psychosexual development with a sufficient supply of libido and can perform productive work, love others in a mature fashion and reproduce. Conclusion There are many personality theories that classify and explain the existence of certain personalities and the traits accompanying them. However, considering anal personality the psychoanalytic theory best explains the emergence and motivation towards it. This is as per my personal reflection it clearly defines the various behavioral characteristics found in such personalities. References Personality theories: Psychoanalysis in Theory and Practice. (2008). Fitzroy, Australia: Business/Higher Education Round Table. Engler, B. (2008). Personality Theories: An Introduction. Hampshire, U.K.: Cengage Learning. Pervin, L. (2003). The science of personality. University of Michigan, U.S.A.: Oxford University Press. Personality. (2012). In Encyclop?dia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/452993/personality/36140/Psychoanalytic-theories Read More