Psychoanalytic Theory Sigmund Freud

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Research/ Methodology ¬¬¬¬¬The initial of contemporary personality theories is known as the psychoanalytic theory developed by Sigmund Freud. Psychology wasn’t the only academic subject influenced by Freud’s theory; it also influenced literature, art, philosophy, cultural studies, film concepts, etc. To comprehend Freud’s theory, it is necessary to begin with the understanding of the unconscious. Freud supposed that most human actions are caused by thoughts, desires and ideas that are in a person’s brain but isn’t necessarily reachable by the conscious part of the mind. The reservoir of these thoughts of which we are unaware is known as the unconscious or subconscious. The psychoanalytic theory proposes that personality features are generally…show more content…
The ego (or I) develops to act as mediator between the irrational id and the outside world. It is the decision-making component of the human psyche and ideally works by reason. The ego functions according to a source of reality, working out credible ways to gratify the id’s demands, often compromising or delaying satisfaction in order to avoid undesirable consequences or reactions of the outside world. The ego considers social standards and realities, etiquette and directions in determining how to behave. Similarly to the id, the ego also seeks pleasure and evades pain but it is apprehensive with planning a realistic strategy to gain pleasure. Freud made a comparison of the id being the horse, and the ego the rider. The ego is “like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse” (Freud, 1923). Right or wrong is not something that influences the ego; something is good when it accomplishes its end of satisfaction without affecting itself or to the id in a harmful…show more content…
The purpose of the superego is to control the id’s impulses such as sex and violence, which is forbidden by society. It also function to persuade the ego to strive for perfection through having moralistic goals rather than purely realistic ones. The superego contains two structures: The conscious and the ego-ideal. The conscious punishes the ego through feelings like guilt. The ego-ideal acts as a director on how to behave as a member of society. It is an imaginary perception of how a person should be, by representing aspects such as career aspirations and how to treat others. The superego is also rewarding by feelings such as proud when behavior is favorable to the ego-ideal, and falling short of the is punished through guilt. The ego-ideal and conscience is mainly determined during childhood from how you were raised and parental

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