Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, two of the most influential contributors to the field of

psychology, had both similarities and unique approaches to the unconscious mind. The pair’s

relationship, beginning with a friendship, motivated each other’s desire to further their research.

Once known to Freud as his “spiritual heir” (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 87), Jung broke away

from Freud when he publicly criticized Freud’s theories of the Oedipus complex and his

emphasis on infantile sexuality (McLeod, 2014).

Two of the most significant differences between Freud and Jung were their theories of

dream analysis and personality. In analyzing dreams, Freud believed that he could learn a lot

about an individual through the interpretation of their dreams. He analyzed his own dreams a

lot. His theory was that dreams could access repressed thoughts and inner demons, and it was in

dreams that impulses and urges were released to the conscious mind. Because the content of the

dream may be harmful, the unconscious expresses itself in consistent symbols (Schultz &

Schultz, 2013, p. 62). Jung, like Freud, believed that dreams were a window to the unconscious

mind, but unlike Freud, dreams were not attempts to inhibit true feelings nor did dreams have

fixed symbols. Jung also believed that dreams were capable of predicting future events. In

addition, Jung believed that dreams were not sexual in nature, nor did they have hidden

meanings. One of the most important aspects of Jung’s dream theory was collective content

was displayed through what he called archetypes, inherited models which cause us to act in a

certain way.

Freud’s theory of personality originated from his idea that sex was the greatest

motivating force behind behavior. As a small child, Freud developed a sexual affection to his
mother (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 42), and, through that experience, he developed an Oedipus

complex – a desire for sexual involvement with a parent of the opposite sex during the phallic

stage. In addition to this, Freud believed that sex was the basis of most emotional problems.

His key contributions to the theory personality were known as the id, ego and superego – the id

forms unconscious drives or sexual urges, while the ego is conscious thoughts that allow us to

deal well with reality, then the superego is the unconscious, moral beliefs formed either the ages

of 5 or 6 from rules dictated from parents (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 51). Jung believed that

Freud was too focused on sex and its part in shaping personality.

Jung's childhood may explain his feelings on sex as part of personality, so he never

developed any sort of sexual attraction for his mother and was actually disgusted by the way she

looked and unpredictable behavior. Jung’s major contribution to personality was his theories of

extraversion and introversion; extraverts are open and social creatures and introverts are the

exact opposite - shy and focused on their own feelings and thoughts. He believed that one’s

attitude toward the environment was determined by being either extraverted or introverted

(Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 93). He held that one side dominated the other.

Both Freud and Jung’s theories have been important and beneficial to understanding the

unconscious mind. The majority of both of these psychoanalysts’ theories have withstood the

test of time. Jung criticized Freud for some his theories based on infantile sexuality, but he

greatly expanded on his theories of the unconscious. Freud’s concept of the id, ego and

superego are still used in portraying the human psyche. Jung theories appear to be more popular

today because of his theories of the collective unconscious and extraversion/introversion. If

Carl Jung would have had Albert Einstein as a patient, he would have been characterized as an

INTP – Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving model, meaning introverted thinking with
extraverted intuition. Making up only one to three percent of the population, they are known for

their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic (NERIS Analytics Limited, n.d.). This group values

knowledge above everything and most of the time seem detached. They do not like to lead

people and are normally private and withdrawn. It is difficult for the INTP to develop a

friendship and once the friendship develops, it is taken seriously. Albert Einstein may have

seemed mostly cold and insensitive, but the INTP is very introverted and are usually deep in

thought.

Cultural influences play a strong role in the development of a personality, an example

being the difference between individualistic and socialist societies. An individualistic culture

stresses the prominence of personal achievement, however, a socialist society emphasizes the

group over the individual. The socialist culture may say that a good person is one that puts their

team or group over themself; an example of this is the Chinese in the Olympics. They will

reward a team win higher than an individual that shined throughout the event.

While debate still continues over Freud and Jung’s theories, particularly Freud’s theories

of infantile sexuality, a lot of their concepts have been adapted and are now widely accepted by

psychologists and other medical professionals. The basic psychoanalytic approach in which a

patient talks to a therapist in a relaxed environment has become not just common practice, but

the very symbol of psychiatric treatment in cultures today.

 References

McLeod, S. (2014). Carl Jung | Simply Psychology. Retrieved from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html

NERIS Analytics Limited. (n.d.). INTP Personality (“The Logician”) | 16Personalities. Retrieved

from http://www.16personalities.com/intp-personality

Schultz, D. P. & Schultz, S.E. (2013) Theories of personality (10th edition). Cengage: CA