TASK 3

APPROACHES IN COUNSELING

“ Ego Counseling “

Lecturers:

Lisa Putriani, M.Pd., Kons.

Arranged By

Name : Lara Amanda Dwidjo

NIM : 18006081

Department of Guidance and Counseling

Faculty of Education

Universitas Negeri Padang

2020
 EGO COUNSELING

A. Assumptions About Humans

Erikson assumes that humans are not made as simple as animals that only
behave based on instinct or merely fulfill their needs. Humans are not driven by
energy from within, but humans are born into the world to respond to different
stimulants, for example, individuals in their lives need to adapt to their
environmental conditions, need to do something for the needs of others around
them and others. This is where differences of opinion in which Freud emphasizes
the role of Id in life, while ego counseling emphasizes the role of the ego in one's
life. Ego who develops everything, for example the ability of individuals, their
condition, channeling their interests in social relations and so on.

Ego counseling was popularized by Erickson. Ego counseling has

characteristics that emphasize ego function more. Counseling activities that are
carried out generally aim to strengthen ego strength, which means training the
client's ego strength. Often the problematic people are people who have weak
egos. For example, a person who is inferior, and cannot make decisions precisely
because he is unable to fully function his ego, both to meet his needs, achieve his
desires. The difference between ego according to Freud and ego according to
Erickson is that according to Freud the ego grows from the id, whereas according
to Erickson the ego grows itself which becomes a person's personality (Zainal
Hakim, 2014)

Then, Zainal Hakim (2014) also mentioned that the goal of counseling
according to Erickson is to fully function the client's ego. Another goal is to make
changes in the client so that the desired coping behavior is formed and can be
fostered so that the client becomes stronger. A good ego is a strong ego, which
can adapt to the environment in which it is located.

The ego counseling model, individual psychology and also commonly called
inner psychology. All of these models basically have a great similarity with the
views of Classical Psychoanalysis (Taufik, 2012: 45). These similarities include:
first, prioritizing the lives of children under five years old or toddlers, secondly,
 both using the concept of ego, and third are equally concerned with the concepts
of consciousness, unconsciousness and unconsciousness.

Basically counseling activities are efforts to strengthen "ego strength" which

means ego strength. Thus the problematic people are people who have weak egos.

The difference between the ego according to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic

view and the ego according to the new psychoanalytic view is that the ego grows
out of the id or is a continuation of the thought id according to the new
Psychoanalysis, the ego is not bound to the id, so it grows itself which is the
whole personality. Ego is what grows and becomes a person's personality. This
type of diffuse ego is also called the creative ego.

B. Stages of Personality Development

Erikson (in Taufik, 2012: 48) put more emphasis on the discussion of
psychosocial development. In his theory, Erikson (in Taufik, 2012: 49-57)
formulates the characteristics of personality development into eight stages,
namely:

1. Early Infant (0 - 1 year)

Successful development is characterized by trustworthiness. If the child gets

enough love from his parents and needs are met properly. Development that fails
if at this time the child is often abandoned and abused by parents, then in him will
develop an attitude of distrust.

2. Late Infancy (1-3 years)

Successful developments are characterized by autonomy while failures are

characterized by feelings of doubt and shame. At this age children need to have
the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. If parents do too
much for the benefit of children, this can hamper autonomy and undermine their
ability to deal with the world successfully. The attitude of parents who tend to
forbid, scold, and regret their children's actions will foster feelings of doubt and
shame both in the present and in the later stages of development.
3. Early childhood (3-5 years)

Successful developments are marked by initiatives. While the failure of

development is marked by feelings of guilt. According to Erikson the individual's
task at this time was to form a sense of belonging ability and initiative. The
attitude that should be taken by parents in educating is to always provide
opportunities for children to actualize themselves with the various experiments
they want to do and if it stimulates them to carry out various types of experiments
even though showing minimal results.

4. Middle Childhood (6-11 years)

Taufik (2012: 52) successful development is characterized by results, while

development that fails is characterized by inferiority. Children who are successful
through their development are willing to do something, for example sweeping
homes, doing homework, and cleaning their own shoes. Obligation to do so is a
hallmark of success called being able to produce responsibilities. Conversely,
disadvantaged children experience low self-esteem, such as fear of going to
school, fear of singing, and sulking tendencies. Children at this stage have the
task of forming personal values from social activities, learning to accept and
understand others. Failure at this time will form a sense of disability as a class
adult, and the next stage of development will lead negative.

5. Puberty and Youth (12-20 years)

Successful development is characterized by the ability to recognize one's

own identity. Failed developments are characterized by confusion both in gender
roles, confusion with the state of the self and future aspirations. According to
Erikson, the main crisis that often occurs at this time is a crisis of identity towards
individual development in adulthood. Teenagers who fail in determining
themselves will tend to experience pra conflict, lose their purpose and direction in
life.

6. Early Adulthood (21 - 30 years)

Successful development is characterized by intimacy, while development that

fails is characterized by isolation. Intimate is meant to have a good ability to get
 along with others and not like yourself. Good development during this period was
marked by the maturity to enter the institution of marriage. Conversely, people
who like to be alone are actually in a chaos of development. Distrust of others
and the lack of courage to work together to make the individual to confine
themselves, have difficulties in fostering a harmonious household and are
difficult to work with others.

7. Middle Adulthood (30 - 55 years)

Successful developments are characterized by active activities in various

fields in general. In general, individuals who are at this time are able to involve
themselves widely which is manifested in the ability to love well, work well, and
be friendly. This is what is called full maturity and maturity. Successful
individuals will be able to perform well in the field they are practicing. At this
stage it has reached perfect maturity both socially, economically, emotionally,
and intellectually.

8. Late adulthood (55 years and over)

Successful development is characterized by cohesiveness and failure is

marked by despair. Integrated success means that what he has done can be
interpreted properly, for example if he already has grandchildren, he will love his
grandchildren and son-in-law. Conversely, a failed development tends to hate
son-in-law and grandchildren and many regrets.

C. Personality Development Process

Erikson (in Taufik, 2012: 58 - 59) divides into four stages as follows:

a. The ego develops on the strength of itself.

b. Normal ego growth is the development of children's skills in communication.

Because through communication individuals can measure and assess their
behavior based on the reactions of others.

c. Language development also adds individual skills to distinguish an object in

the environment with an individual language capable of communicating with
others.
 d. Individual personality develops continuously through the process of self-
relations with the outside world or its environment (there is a connection between
one relationship with another).

In communicating with the environment there are four aspects that need
attention, namely:

1) Individuals learn to distinguish an object from other objects.

2) Individuals must be able to involve themselves in a special environment that

is increasingly expanding and deeper.

3) The process of socialization, the intention is to relate to other people, with a

relationship with other people the individual can adjust to the circumstances
expected by his social environment.

4) The development of a good personality if that personality leads to the

formation of "coping behavior". Coping behavior is the ability or behavior of
individuals who can handle a problem appropriately and the results are good.
For coping behavior to be effective, it must have the following two
characteristics:

 Coping behavior is well-organized patterns of behavior through several

stages that are correct, structured and meaningful. For example if a
student needs a book and only one in the library, he borrows to be
photocopied first or notes important things from the book.

 Behavior that contains coping behavior is done consciously and

impulsively.

Coping behavior according to Taufik (2012: 61) is a basic concept in the ego
counseling and one of the goals of the ego counseling is the formation of coping
behavior on the client. While the ultimate goal of personality development is the
automatic formation of coping behavior.

D. Ego function

The function of the ego according to Taufik (2012: 62) in individuals is

divided into three parts, namely:
a. Economic boost function

The function of the ego is to channel it by manifesting in the form of good

behavior that is good and environmentally acceptable, useful and beneficial both
to individuals themselves and others in their environment.

b. Cognitive function

The functioning of the ego in an individual to receive stimuli from outside

then save it and after that can use it for the purposes of coping behavior. In this
case the individual uses his cognitive abilities accompanied by reasoning and
reasoning considerations.

c. Oversight function

It is also called a control function, meaning that the behavior that is raised by
individuals is behavior that is patterned and in accordance with the rules.
Specifically, this ego function controls feelings and emotions towards the
behaviors that arise.
 References

Hansen, C. James. 1977. Counseling Theory and Process. Boston: Allyn Inc.

Taufik. 2012. Model – Model Konseling. Padang: Jurusan Bimbingan

Konseling Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Negeri
Padang

Taufik. 2012. Pendekatan Dalam Konseling. Padang: Jurusan Bimbingan dan

Konseling Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Negeri Padang.