Theories of Personality

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
Prepared by:
MA. VICTORIA TANDOC- JUAN
________________________________________________________________________________
SIGMUND FREUD (Sigismund Schlomo Freud; May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939)
was an Austrian neurologist, now known as the father of psychoanalysis.
Freud was the first of eight siblings from his father’s third marriage. He was born
to Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Příbor Austrian Empire, now part of
the Czech Republic.
His father, Jacob Freud, a wool merchant, had two sons, Emanuel and Philipp,
from his first marriage. Jacob’s second marriage was childless. His third marriage
with Amelia (Sigmund’s mother) is 20 years younger than him. They were
struggling financially and living in a rented room, in a locksmith's house at Schlossergasse when their son
Sigmund was born. Sigmund and his mother had a very close and powerful relationship; he often
described himself as his mother's special favorite - her "golden Siggie."
In 1859 the Freud family left Freiberg. Freud’s half-brothers migrated to Manchester, England,
parting him from the “inseparable” playmate (Emanuel’s son, John) of his early childhood. Jacob Freud
took his wife and two children (Freud's sister, Anna, was born in 1858; a brother, Julius, had died in
infancy) firstly to Leipzig and then in 1860 to Vienna where four sisters (Rosa, Marie, Adolfine and Paula)
and a brother (Alexander) were born.
In 1865, the nine-year-old Freud entered the Leopoldstädter Kommunal-Realgymnasium, a

prominent high school. He proved an outstanding pupil and graduated from the Matura in 1873 with
honors. He loved literature and was proficient in German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Hebrew, Latin
and Greek. Freud read William Shakespeare in English throughout his life, and it has been suggested that
his understanding of human psychology may have been partially derived from Shakespeare's plays.
Freud entered the University of Vienna at age 17. He had planned to study law, but joined the
medical faculty at the university, where his studies included philosophy, physiology and zoology. He
graduated with an MD in 1881.
Sigmund Freud married Martha Bernays in 1886 and they had six children: Mathilde, Jean, Oliver,
Ernst Ludwig, Sophie and Anna.
In February 1923, Freud detected a leukoplakia, a benign growth associated with heavy smoking,
on his mouth. By mid-September 1939, Freud's cancer of the jaw was causing him increasingly severe pain
and had been declared to be inoperable. He died on 23 September 1939 and was cremated after three
days.
FREUD’S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
• Human beings are biological organisms whose master motives are the satisfaction of
bodily needs. Human beings are hedonistic creatures driven by the same impulses as
lower animals.
• All human behaviors have a cause; nothing happens simply by chance----not even an
accident. Minor mistakes like slips of the tongue are manifestations of unconscious
motives.
THE THEORY
The Unconscious Mind: Freud (1900, 1905) developed a topographical model of the mind, whereby he
described the features of mind’s structure and function.
In this model the conscious mind (everything we are aware of) is seen as the tip of the iceberg, with the
unconscious mind a repository of primitive wishes and impulse kept at bay and mediated
by the preconscious area.
However, Freud found that some events and desires were often too frightening or painful for his patients
to acknowledge. Freud believed such information was locked away in a region he called
the unconscious mind. This happens through the process of repression.
Sigmund Freud emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind, and a primary
assumption of Freudian theory is that the unconscious mind governs behavior to a greater
degree than people suspect. Indeed, the goal of psychoanalysis is to make the
unconscious conscious.
The Psyche
Freud (1923) later developed a more
structural model of the mind comprising the
entities id, ego and superego (what Freud
called “the psychic apparatus”). These are
not physical areas within the brain, but
rather hypothetical conceptualizations of
important mental functions.
Freud assumed the id operated at an

unconscious level according to the pleasure principle. The id contains
two kinds of biological instincts (or dives) which Freud called Eros and
Thanatos.
Eros, or life instinct, helps the individual to survive; it directs life-

sustaining activities such as respiration, eating and sex (Freud, 1925).
The energy created by the life instincts is known as libido.
In contrast, Thanatos or death instinct is viewed as a set of

destructive forces present in all human beings (Freud, 1920). When this
energy is directed outward onto others, it is expressed as aggression
and violence. Freud believed that Eros is stronger than Thanatos, thus enabling people to
survive rather than self-destruct.
The ego develops from the id during infancy. The egos goal is to satisfy the demands of
the id in a safe a socially acceptable way. In contrast to the id the ego follows the reality
principle as it operates in both the conscious and unconscious mind.
The superego develops during early childhood (when the child identifies with the same
sex parent) and is responsible for ensuring moral standards are followed. The Superego
operates on the morality principle and motivates us to behave in a socially responsible
and acceptable manner.
The superego can make a person feel guilty if rules are not followed. When there is
conflict between the goals of the id and ego, the superego must act as a referee and
mediate this conflict. The ego can deploy various defense mechanisms (Freud, 1894,
1896) to prevent it from becoming overwhelmed by anxiety.

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THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

In 1865, the nine-year-old Freud entered the Leopoldstädter Kommunal-Realgymnasium, a

Freud assumed the id operated at an

Eros, or life instinct, helps the individual to survive; it directs life-

In contrast, Thanatos or death instinct is viewed as a set of

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