Theories of personality

Psychoanalytic theory

First formal theory of personality

Conscious mind, Preconscious, Unconscious mind

Three levels of personality according to Freud

Conscious mind

It includes all sensations experiences we are aware at any given moment, however it is a limited aspect of our personality

Preconscious mind

It is the storehouse of all our memories, perception, and thought which includes sensations, and memories that we are not currently aware of but can be easily retrieved into consciousness

It is the invisible portion below the surface that is home to everyone’s instincts. It contains the major driving power behind all behaviors.

Unconscious mind

ID, Ego, Superego

three constructs that explains behavior according to Freud

ID

Pleasure Principle, illogical and amoral. Has no conception of reality or self-preservation.

Wish fulfillment

Process of forming mental images of what the ID wants usually appears in dreams.

Primary process

The ID’s irrational, impulsive, and image producing mode of thought

Ego

Reality Principle. Begins developing at 6-8 months, suspends or delays the discharge of drives until a suitable object can be found.

Secondary Process

The ego’s rational, pleasure-delaying, problem solving, and self-preservation mode of thought

Superego

Morality Principle, learned by the age 5 or 6. Largely unconscious, and this is our beliefs or ideas of right and wrong

Conscience and Ego ideal

Two parts of Superego

Conscience

A part of superego that correlates with behaviors formed from punishment

Ego-ideal

A part of Superego that correlates with Bahri or formed from praises

Instincts or drives

A basic element of personality according to Freud. These are transformed physiological energy that connects the needs of the body with the wishes of the mind in the forms of hunger, thirst, etc.

Life instinct or Eros

Survival instincts

Libido

Psychic energy manifested by the Libido

Cathexis

Mental attachment of libido

Death Instinct

Life itself aims at returning to its previous existence

Anxiety

Is felt, affective, unpleasant state accompanied by a physical sensation that warns the person against impending danger.

Reality anxiety

Type of anxiety that correlates to fear of tangible dangers. Its purpose is to guide our behavior to escape or protect ourselves from actual danger.

Neurotic anxiety

Type of anxiety that involves conflict between id and ego. This is defined as apprehension about an unknown danger.

Moral anxiety

Type of anxiety that involves conflict between id and superego or the fear of one’s conscience. This is the conflict experienced between realistic needs and the dictates of morality.

Defense mechanisms

these are unconsious strategies that are used to cope but when extreme can lead to compulsive, repetitive, and neurotic behavior

Compensation

A defense mechanism wherein the person strengthen one characteristic to hide another

Denial

A defense mechanism where a person refuse to face negative behavior

Displacement

A defense mechanism where a person takes out drive on someone elese, redirecting anger to someone inferior to them.

Introjection

A defense mechanism where a person conform feelings for approval.

Projection

A defense a mechanism where a person attributes their faults and mistakes to others.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism where a person gives excuses and justifications for their actions to be acceptable.

Reaction formation

A defense mechanism where a person acts the opposite of their feelings or drives

Regression

A defense mechanism where a person acts much younger to feel better

Repression

A defense mechanism where a person put things into darkness or removing it from consciousness

Ritual and undoing

A defense mechanism where a person overrides negative with habit. Reprimands then do something to undo negative behavior.

Fixation

Is a state when a portion of libido remains invested in certain development stage, leaving less energy for the following stages.

Infantile stage

Most crucial for personality formation. Includes Oral, Anal, and Phallic stage

Oral stage (birth - 1 yr)

Id is dominant. Characterized by the dependency on the mother or caregiver who becomes the primary object of the child’s libido, but culminates in weaning

Oral incorporative

It the behavior that involves the pleasurable stimulation of the mouth by other people and by food.

Oral aggressive/sadistic behavior

This occurs during the painful, frustrating eruption of teeth.

Anal stage (1 - 3 yrs)

Defecation produces erotic pleasure for the child, but with the onset of toilet training, the child is put under pressure to learn to postpone or delayed this pleasure.

Anal aggressive personality

Is formed when kids defy attempts at regulation or postponement of pleasure. This results in hostility, disorderliness, messiness, rage, etc.

Anal retentive personality

Is formed when satisfaction is experience by holding back or retaining the feces. This results in obsessive compulsive, excessive orderliness, very neat.

Phallic (4 - 5 yrs)

Interest during this stage is in exploring and manipulating the genitals and desiring teh parent of the opposite sex.

Latency (5 yrs - puberty)

No sexual growth. This is characterized by constant suppression of drives and instincts by parents and teachers and by internal feelings of shame, guilt, and morality. The sublimated libido now shows itself in social and cultural accomplishments.

Genital (Adolescence- Adulthood)

Reawakening of the sexual aim. Is able to find satisfaction in love and work, with work being an acceptable outlet for sublimation of the id impulses.

Neurosis

Presents as symptoms, but may result in a mild mental illness, caused by stress, depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior. But individuals do not lose touch with reality.

Psychosis

A mental disorder that is characterized by disconnection from reality. This includes delusions and/or hallucinations.

Free association

A technique in which a client says or writes down whatever comes to mind. Clients are to express spontaneously every idea and image exactly as it occurred, no matter how trivial, embarrassing, or painful the thought or memory might seem. The memories were not to be omitted, rearranged, or restructured.

Catharsis

Free association’s expected result. The expression of emotions that is expected to lead to the reduction of disturbing symptoms.

Freudian slips (Parapraxes)

Slips of the tongue or pen, misreading, incorrect hearing, misplacing objects, and temporarily forgetting names or intentions are not chance accidents but reveal a person’s unconscious intentions.

Transference

Client’s behaviors and emotions are unconsciously displaced from the past to the present, and from other important people in the patient’s life to the analyst.

Countertransference

Unconscious tendency to displace emotions and behavior from other important people (such as parents or spouse) onto the patient.

Dream analysis

Dream represents, in symbolic form, repressed desires, fear, and conflicts.

Manifest content

actual events in the dream.

Latent content

Hidden symbolic meaning of the dream.

Psychotherapy (Psychoanalytic approach)

Use several of tools and techniques to provide intervention to clients and in psychological assessment where psychologists use various projective techniques that are based on psychoanalytic theories.

Conscious, Personal Conscious, Collective Unconscious

Three levels of psyche according to Carl Jung

Jung’s Conscious

Ego is the center of consciousness, not personality.

Personal Unconscious

Storage of memory that is not in the awareness but can be easily retrieved (Jung)

Complexes

Contents of personal unconscious

Collective unconscious

this consists of motivations or psychic energy that are inherited from ancestral past.

Archetype

Ancient experiences in people’s collective unconscious.

Persona

An archetype that states that we wear different faces in front of different people.

Anima and Animus

An archetype that refers to the bisexuality spectrum of a person. Masculinity and Femininity

Shadow

Refers to the most powerful archetype of basic and primitive animal instincts caused by evil and immoral behavior.

Self

Refers to the tendency to move toward growth, perfection, unity, and completion. Pulls together the other archetypes.

Principles of the Opposites

There is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites. The presence of intense polarities.

Principle of equivalence

Spent energy will reappear in some ways at a different part of the psyche.

World Associated Test (Jung)

Clients responds to a stimulus word with the first word that comes to mind.

Complexes

Are triggered by both conscious and unconscious levels of the psyche and they motivate emotional responses.

Dream analysis (Jung)

Interpreting series of dreams

Active imagination

The clients begin with any impression. The client will concentrate on that impression until it moves and they follow it where it would lead them.

Social interest and community feeling (Adler)

Refers to the motivation of a person to survive through cooperation.

Alfred Adler

Argued that the lack of self knowledge (unconscious) is based on the holistic and teleological forces.

Social interest

Is the positive attitude of an individual toward other people in the world

Community Feeling

Is the feeling of being connected to all of humanity and in making the world a better place.

Life goals

It is the decision or selection of life goals that motivates the behavior of individuals

Feelings of inferiority

The primary goal of all human behavior is to strive for self perfection. This suggests that everyone is born weak, and these drives or motivates the behavior of people to strive.

Inferiority complex

When a person feels the sense of an advocacy, and this feelings overwhelmed individual to the point of inability to develop

Dominant style of life

A style of life by Alfred Adler that is characterized by aggressive people who don’t have much social interest compensate by being dominating

Getting style of life

Style of life by Alfred Adler that is characterized by dependent people who compensate by taking rather than giving.

Avoiding style of life

A style of life by Alfred Adler that is characterized by people who try to escape life problems, and take part in not much socially constructive activity.

Socially useful style of life

Style of life by Alfred Adler that is characterized by people with a great deal of social interest and activity.

Neurosis by Alfred Adler

This originates during the first few years of life, and it is influenced by factors like pampering, neglect, birth order, and organ in priorities, and then the child selects a misguided style of life, the clashes with reality.

Superiority complex

This involves the deluded belief of being better than other people

Masculine protest

This is characterized by girls, acting like boys when a girl perceives that men are favored.

Womb envy by Karen Horney

The envy a male feels to a female because she can be children, and he cannot

Karen Horney

She argued that the priority feelings of women are not biologically imprinted, but by how the culture treated women.

Feminine psychology

Is greatly affected by social and cultural factors, especially to how women are treated into community

Basic anxiety by Karen Horney

Is sad to be related to the feelings of hostility, helplessness, and fear is considered the foundation of neurosis. Neurosis actually comes from interpersonal relationships, and not from instinctual or libido drives.

Helplessness or compliant personality or moving towards people

A type of basic anxiety, where in a person may believe they are so unselfish and attractive to deserve undying love

Aggressive personality or moving against people

A type of basic anxiety where a person may think they always know best and never makes a mistake

The attached personality are moving away from people

A type of basic anxiety where a person may believe that they are so capable and self-sufficient never need anything from anyone.

idealized image

The repressed aspects of the neurotic personality and the painful inner conflict or further concealed through the development of?

Free association by Karen Horney

Six to change the patient’s chosen objectives and expectations. However, biological factors are still not what determines changes in personality. Patient’s experiences, and emotions will help for future.

dream interpretation by Karen Horney

Dream as indicative of true feelings and true self rather than as an attempt at self-deception. Each dream be explained within the context of the patient’s conflict.

HTCI or Horney-Coolidge Type Indicator

Measures the three neurotic trends of horneye.

Individuality

Is the sense that are unique, separate, and distinct entity in everyone’s inner state

Wholeness and synthesis

the sense of integrating all the individuals self-mage into a whole