Personality in Miscellaneous Theories - Assignment Example

Psychology Question One Patrick successfully completed stage four of Erickson’s stages: Industry (competence) versus Inferiority. He was able to learn how to play sports easily on his own inspired by his father’s comments on his brother. Erickson holds that this is a stage where a child between the ages of 5 to 12 learns to read and write as well as other things on their own. Also, teachers and peer groups become greatly significant on the child’s self esteem. Patrick experienced these. First, although he was not as competent at first during his preliminary stages at school (perhaps because he was not developmentally ready for school), he learnt with time. He acquired more competence when he was in a public school and his parents thought he was too young for that so they sent him to a private school. Academically, his performance scaled up as he was maturing and he even caught up with his colleagues. It is also required at this stage that a child gets his parents’ support in their industry. Patrick had requested that he joins his friends to his former public school and his parents supported him by consenting to his wish where he could demonstrate his competence in academics and sports. Fortunately, Patrick was able to accomplish good grades in the public school by scoring As and Bs, an impressive graph as it was in his private school. Although he was unsure of whether he would reach his parents’ standards, no one discouraged or made him feel inferior. He kept thriving academically, athletically as well as socially. Additionally, since self-esteem at this stage is greatly influenced by teachers and peers, it is evident that Patrick achieved this as well. He undertook weight training until it was popular; he was a football team captain and played basketball at the same time. Marched with his academic antics, he managed to attract the attention of the peer and his teachers which he liked anyway. At this stage of Erickson model, a child demonstrates their pride of several accomplishments and Patrick is a valid example. He demonstrated his sense of pride through getting away with things that other children could not. For instance he would get to school late because he stops at the bakery to purchase éclairs that he sold to other students at a profit. He got away with this due to his impressive records at school. In that case therefore, he was able to feel industrious, superior and confident in his goals and completed Erickson’s Industry versus inferiority phase successfully. Another stage of his success was Erickson’s Identity versus Role Confusion. This stage requires a child to be independent and view the future based on relationships, housing, families and most importantly career. The child feels the urge of belonging in the society and fitting in it. Patrick was aware of his dream of becoming a lawyer just like his father but he did not put it in practice. In fact he was about to flunk out of school during his first year in college. He made it worse by utilizing his freedom for partying, drinking and smoking which ultimately affected his courses in college. Since this stage is about identifying oneself with the future role by trying to find out what they are, Patrick had trouble relating his performances with what he wanted to become in the future. Although, he sought help from his professor, he still did not improve in his grades like before. He did not realize the importance of a relationship either. Due to his ‘freedom behaviour’, he lost his girlfriend who he dated since high school. His sexual and occupational identities were both at risk. Despite the shortcomings, Patrick managed to complete this stage by straightening up. He quit smoking, drinking and partying and was able to identify himself with his career again. In fact, he undertook extra class work and applied for an internship with a state senator and was accepted and he was able to get his girlfriend back. His success for both occupation and sexual was then realized. The stage of Intimacy versus Isolation is also a success for him. Patrick is able to sustain his relationship with his high school girlfriend despite his college tribulations. He commits to her until he eventually marries her. Additionally, he achieves the Generativity versus Stagnation stage as well. He is manages to establish his career at his father’s firm, marry his long-term girlfriend, and start a family with three children. As the stage requires, he is able to give back to the society through letting his children study at the school he studied, he attends the school’s functions, and becomes an active member in a congregational church as an elder and a church trustee. However, Patrick was not able to complete the Initiative versus Guilt stage successfully. At this stage, a child is able to interact with other children and the central thing is play. Although Patrick was able to play sports easily, his aggressiveness is not displayed at this stage. In fact he was initially not competitive at school. He does not explore his personal skills like children in this stage should. He is afraid to disappoint his father like his brother did. He is insecure and does not initiate activities with others. His initiative is overpowered by his father’s critics about his brother. Question Two According to Alder’s theory of Individual Psychology, each individual is unique and previous theories cannot be applicable to all persons. His term of inferiority complex meant the lack of worth feelings. He believed that people try to overcome difficulties, reach a goal so as to feel superior and strong. Thus, people overcome their inferiority feelings to reach superiority. This is when he came up with the term superiority complex. On that nought therefore, Patrick had, at some point in his life felt inferior. When he was granted permission to attend a public school again, he scored good grades and was also good in sports. The paper holds that his impeccable academic performances and sports hid his insecurity and suppressed his inferiority feelings. It adds that he was concerned about his ability of living to the standards of his father. He was generally unsure about himself. These feelings made him more determined and aggressive. It is stated in the paper that he expanded activities in school whereby he did weight training, became a football team captain and at the same time excelled academically since he was afraid of not reaching his father’s standards. Besides, he did not want to experience the critics his brother got from his father. Question Three The Fromm’s existential needs met for Patrick include relatedness and frame of orientation. When it comes to relatedness, Patrick relates with his girlfriend/wife with love which Fromm describes as a healthy relatedness. This is expressed in the way he describes his family as beautiful and wonderful and how his wife describes him as her fourth child. When it comes to frame of orientation, his professor helped him meet this need. When his academic performance and career were crashing while he was in college, he approached his professor for help and received guidance from him. Although this did not change his behaviour in college, his frame of orientation was granted. Question Four Patrick developed an Insecure Avoidant attachment style in his childhood. According to Bowlby and Ainsworth theory of attachment styles, such children are very independent of the figure of attachment both emotionally and physically. When they are distressed, they cannot seek contract with the attachment figure. In most cases, the attachment figure do not avail themselves for the child during emotional distress. Patrick experienced this when his father was a drunk and used to beat his mother. He did not tell anyone about his emotions on what was happening to his family. The paper highlights that he was scared for both himself and his mother. But who could he tell? Also, the paper points out that Patrick secretly overheard nasty comments to his brother by his father; and he was afraid that he could receive the same. His emotional distress was not expressed to his parents. Question Five Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Patrick’s physiological; love and belonging; and self-actualization needs were fulfilled. His physiological needs (food, water, shelter...) were met since otherwise, his physical health would be at risk and this is not seen anywhere in the case study. His love and belonging needs are demonstrated when he establishes a sustained relationship with his high school girlfriend and finds a job at his father’s firm which he is contented with. Patrick can be perceived as self-actualized since he expresses this by sending his children to his former school, participating in the school’s functions and also actively participating in his church. Maslow attests that this need is expressed in ways such as inventions, ideal parent, and understanding of these needs. He is an ideal parent at this point and even devotes himself to his family. However, his fulfilment of esteem needs changed at the point when he felt he could not reach his father’s standards until later in his success. Question Six Rogers’ conditions of worth regarding a fulfilled life are exemplified in the case study where Patrick accomplishes his career objectives and settles for marriage with a family. According to Rogers, a fulfilled life is one of the characteristics that make a person worth. In this case, an individual is happy and contented with life. In the study, Patrick marries his high school girlfriend, has children that he describes as incredible and he is devoted to his family. He even gives back to the society by taking his children to the very school he went to, actively participates in church and attends functions in his former school. Question Seven Skinner talks of four variables in Radical Behaviourism: Stimulus, Response, Reinforcement and an implied state of deprivation. In this case, Patrick’s break-up with his girlfriend in college reinforced his behaviour from drinking, partying, and smoking to restoring his focus to his career and getting his girlfriend back. This reinforcement led to his getting back on track. Thus, the reinforcement was positive. Also, a punisher that Patrick experienced was his father’s critical nature. During his early stages in school, he was unsure of whether he would reach his father’s standards since he was concerned about the critics he would get from his father just like his brother did. Question Eight Based on Rotter’s concept of locus of control, Patrick’s locus was external since he was uncertain of whether his positions were influenced by his father or were solely his personal achievement. A person with an external locus believes that their life is influenced by an external environment that they have no chance of influencing. He was equally not sure if his positions were earned by his efforts alone, that is why he resorted to asking his father. Thus his locus was not internal (believing that the life events are solely from an individual’s action) until his father reassured him that it was. Reference Schultz,D and Schultz, S (2012). Theories of Personality, Edition 10. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Read More