Freud Theory of Personality Development

Subject: Behavioral Science

Overview

The first few (five) years of life are more important for personality formation, according to Sigmund Freud. He asserted that phases of psychosexual development, the id, ego, and super-ego, all had an impact on personality. According to Freud, personality is divided into three parts: the ID, ego, and super ego. Id, which is motivated by the pleasure principle and wants instant satisfaction of all desired desires, is present from birth. Dealing with reality is the responsibility of the ego. The ego makes sure that the iimpulses d's may be expressed in a way that is appropriate for everyday life. A moral principle that gives a person a feeling of good and wrong motivates the super ego. Freud further distinguished the three levels of consciousness in the mind. i.e. conscious mind, preconscious mind and unconscious mind.

According to Sigmund Freud, stages of psycho-sexual development and the personality structure (ID, Ego, Superego) have an impact on how people develop as people. The three components of personality structure are the ID, Ego, and Superego.

ID

It is the personality trait that is innate from birth. The pleasure principle, which seeks out instant gratification for needs, wants, and desires, motivates ID. An increase in hunger or thirst, for instance, should prompt a prompt attempt to eat or drink.

Ego

The personality trait that is motivated by the reality principle is the ego. The ego makes sure that Id urges may be expressed in ways that are acceptable to society.

Super-ego

The aspect of personality that is motivated by moral principles is known as the super-ego. It consists of two parts: conscience and ego ideal. The superego offers standards for forming judgments.

Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development

According to Freud, our personalities and conduct as adults are shaped by the events of our childhood. According to Freud, childhood development is discontinuous and each of us must go through a number of stages. If a stage is not properly nurtured and parented during, we risk becoming stuck in, or fixated on, that stage. According to Freud, children’s pleasure-seeking urges (governed by the id) are focused on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five stages of development:oral, anal, phallic, latency,andgenital.

  • Oral (0-1 years of age): The mouth serves as development's primary source of pleasure at this phase. Freud thought that this explains why newborns have a response to sucking and yearn for their mother's breast. If a baby's oral needs are not met during infancy, the child might pick up bad habits like thumb sucking or nail biting to satisfy this essential need.
  • Anal (1-3 years of age): Toddlers and young children in the preschool years start to experiment with pee and feces at this period. The ability to manage one's body processes is demonstrated through toilet training. When this period is handled incorrectly, such as when parents start potty training their kids too young, the consequence might be a youngster who is extremely rigid and preoccupied with order.
  • Phallic (3-6 years of age): Preschoolers like their genitalia at this age, and according to Freud, they also start to battle with having sexual impulses for heterosexual adults (boys to mothers and girls to fathers). This is referred to as the "Oedipus complex" in boys and involves the boy's longing for his mother as well as his want to take the place of his father, who is perceived as a competition for the mother's attention. The boy also experiences castration anxiety because he worries that his father will punish him for having those feelings. TheElectra complex refers to a girl's desire for her father's attention and desire to replace her mother, as later proposed by Freud's protégé Carl Jung.
  • Latency (6-12 years of age): Sexual instincts subside at this time, and kids start to further develop their superegos or consciences. Children start to act morally upright and take after their parents and other influential adults in terms of values.
  • Genital (12+ years of age): During this stage, sexual impulses reemerge. If other stages have been successfully met, adolescents engage inappropriate sexual behavior, which may lead to marriage and childbirth.
Things to remember
  • The first few (five) years of life are more important for personality formation, according to Sigmund Freud.
  • He asserted that phases of psychosexual development, the id, ego, and super-ego, all had an impact on personality.
  • According to Freud, personality is divided into three elements, i.e. Super ego, ID, and ego.
  • Id, which is motivated by the pleasure principle and wants instant satisfaction of all desired desires, is present from birth. Dealing with reality is the responsibility of the ego.
  • The ego makes sure that the iimpulses d's may be expressed in a way that is appropriate for everyday life.
  • A moral principle that gives a person a feeling of good and wrong motivates the super ego.
Questions and Answers

For Freud, childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior as adults. Freud viewed development as discontinuous; he believed that each of us must pass through a series of stages during childhood and that if we lack proper nurturing and parenting during a stage, we may become stuck in, orfixatedon that stage. According to Freud, children’s pleasure-seeking urges (governed by the id) are focused on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five stages of development:oral, anal, phallic, latency,andgenital.

  • Oral (0-1 years of age):During this stage, the mouth is the pleasure center for development. Freud believed this is why infants are born with a sucking reflex and desire their mother's breast. If a child's oral needs are not met during infancy, he or she may develop negative habits such as nail biting or thumb sucking to meet this basic need.
  • Anal (1-3 years of age): During this stage, toddlers and preschool-aged children begin toexperiment with urine and feces. The control they learn to exert over their bodily functions is manifested in toilet-training. Improper resolution of this stage, such as parents toilet training their children too early, can result in a child who is uptight and overly obsessed with order.
  • Phallic (3-6 years of age):During this stage, preschoolers take pleasure in their genitals and, according to Freud, begin to struggle with sexual desires toward the oppositesexparent (boys to mothers and girls to fathers). For boys, this is called theOedipus complex,involving a boy's desire for his mother and his urge to replace his father who is seen as a rival for the mother’sattention. At the same time, the boy is afraid his father will punish him for his feelings, so he experiences castrationanxiety. TheElectra complex,later proposed by Freud’s protégé Carl Jung, involves a girl's desire for her father's attention and wish to take her mother’s place.
  • Latency (6-12 years of age):During this stage, sexualinstinctssubside, and children begin to further develop the superego or conscience. Children begin to behave in morally acceptable ways and adopt the values of their parents and other important adults.
  • Genital (12+ years of age):During this stage, sexual impulses reemerge. If other stages have been successfully met, adolescents engage inappropriate sexual behavior, which may lead to marriage and childbirth.

Personality development, according to Sigmund Freud, is influenced by personality structure (ID, Ego, Superego) and stages of psycho-sexual development. Personality is divided into three parts: ID, Ego, and Superego.

Id
It is a personality trait that is present from birth. The pleasure principle drives Id, which seeks immediate gratification for desires, wants, and needs. As an example, an increase in hunger or thirst should result in an immediate attempt to eat or drink.

Ego
The reality principle drives the ego, which is a component of personality. Ego makes certain that Iimpulses d's can be expressed in socially acceptable ways.

Super-ego
The super-ego is the aspect of personality that is motivated by moral principles. It consists of two parts: I conscience and ii) ego ideal. The super-ego provides guidelines for making decisions.

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