The Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality is an idea that the personality of an individual will develop in a series of stages. Each stage is characterized by certain and very specific internal psychological conflicts. It is a theory that can be characterized by 4 key points.
1. Human behavior is the result of three component interactions.
Freud described these three internal components as being the id, the ego, and the superego. It is the conflict within their interactions that helps to develop personality.
2. Most of the conflicts are unconscious.
People are not aware of how their three internal components are in conflict with each other, despite the fact that this conflict shapes the mind in terms of personality and even behavior.
3. Sexual identification can influence this conflict.
Freud identified five different stages of psychosexual development which he believed would influence the outcomes of the conflicts occurring through the id, ego, and superego.
4. Social expectations and biological drives must be integrated.
As children develop, there are certain social expectations that are placed upon them. These expectations may be at odds with what their biological drive is telling them to do. How a child navigates through this process allows them to master their stages of development and this helps to provide the foundation of a mature personality.
Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality often comes under criticism because of its primary focus on individualized sexuality identification. This emphasis then led to an importance on the dreams that a person has, what the interpretation of that dream might be, and the defense mechanisms that an individual might use to protect their biological drive against societal expectations that are counter to them.
The 3 Elements of Personality Structure
The Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality is dependent on the definition of the three elements of personality structure. Freud identified each element in this manner.
ID: This part of a person’s personality is driven by an internal and basic drive. It is essentially a need for self-survival and replication. This means the needs of the id are based on instinct: thirst, hunger, or a desire to have sex would all be considered part of this element of personality. The decisions within this element are often impulsive.
EGO: This part of the personality is driven by reality. It is the balance between the instinctual form of personality and the moral form of personality. The ego, according to Freud, rationalizes the urges and instincts of the individual and separates what is real from the restrictions that societal groups place upon individuals.
SUPEREGO: This personality element is driven by morality principles. It is where people are able to connect with logic and other forms of higher thought or action. Instead of making a decision that is based on instinct, an individual engaged with their superego would make a judgment on write or wrong and use guilt or shame to encourage behaviors that are socially acceptable in themselves or in others.
The key to unlocking an individual’s personality is the development of the unconscious mind. This is where the true feelings, thoughts, or emotions of an individual happen to be. In order to understand these components of personality, it becomes necessary to access the unconscious mind. According to Freud, dreams would be the place where people could do such a thing.
What It Means to Get Stuck in Freud’s Theory
Freud’s ideas about individualized personality development are dependent on the progression of the individual. Freud believed that are different stages that occur based on how a person’s libido is focused on specific, but different body parts. In his order of progression, there is oral, anal, phallic, latency, and then genital.
Only if people are able to meet all of their needs through every other stage will they be able to meet at the genital stage with any available sexual energy. If needs are not met in the other stages, then that individual becomes fixated within that stage until their needs are met.
If a person were to be stuck, the unconscious mind may attempt to communicate this fact through the use of dreams. It may also come out in the form of a Freudian Slip, which would show evidence of the ego or superego not working properly. This, in turn, would affect an individual’s personality because no progression could be made until the communication from the unconscious mind was addressed.
Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality does have limits. Environmental impacts are not included despite evidence of its influence. There is no empirical data to support the theory, and culture and its influence are disregarded. Despite these limits, the approach does offer an explanation for certain defense mechanisms and why they are used, showing how individual personalities can develop over time.