In this assignment, we will discuss the personality theory of Sigmund Freud and compare

it with Erickson psychology theory. And also give some real life examples regarding for the said
thesis. We will firstly familiarize ourselves to the two theories respectively and then we will
further compare the similarities and differences of the mentioned theories and finally come to a
conclusion of the assignment.

Psychology Theory is one in which patients treated for mental disorders are viewed
within a model of illness that attempts to identify something that may be not in the realm of
awareness of the individual concerned. Each individual is perceived to be made up from a
dynamic that begins in early childhood and continually progresses throughout life. This way of
thinking, however, is generally considered a watered down version of the more conservative and
rigid psychoanalytic school of thought. Psychoanalysis emphasizes the belief that all adult
problems are directly related to events in one’s childhood. (Ryckman, R. M. (2012)).

Therapists who practice this theory have a tendency to look at individuals as the
composite of their parental upbringing. Their focus is on the means for settling conflicts between
themselves and their parents as well as within themselves. Psychodynamic therapists tend to
believe in the theoretical constructs of the ego (which acts as a force similar to a referee) and the
superego (known as the conscience) as well as an id that exists inside all of us that tends to act as
the devil’s advocate working against the thought process of the conscience. All of these
constructs work together to make up the personality and the role of the unconscious is
emphasized meaning that contrary to what else one may think, what one does not know can
indeed hurt the person and more often than not, it does just that.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Freud developed a technique that he called
psychoanalysis and used it to treat mental disorders. He formed his theory of psychoanalysis by
observing his patients. According to psychological theory, personality development takes place
as a result of the attempts to resolve conflicts between unconscious sexual and aggressive
impulses and societal demands to restrain these impulses.
 Freud believed that most mental processes are unconscious. He proposed that people
have three levels of awareness: The Preconscious, the conscious and the unconscious, the
conscious contains all the information that a person is paying attention to at any given time. An
example of a full aware mental process is when a person is reading, the objects in his field of
vision, the sounds he can hear, and any thirst, hunger, or pain he is experiencing at the moment
are all in his conscious.

Whereas the preconscious mental process, Thoughts are preconscious when they are
unconscious at a particular moment, but are not repressed. Therefore, preconscious thoughts are
available for recall and easily 'capable of becoming conscious. For example, a close friend’s
telephone number, the make of one’s car, and many of the past experiences are in the
preconscious.

The unconscious is the vast sum of operations of the mind that take place below the level
of conscious awareness. The conscious mind contains all the thoughts, feelings, cognitions, and
memories we acknowledge, while the unconscious consists of deeper mental processes not
readily available to the conscious mind. For example you set your alarm to 7 a.m. and find
yourself waking up at 6:59 a.m. therefore we may conclude by saying an unconscious mental
process is an autonomous process.

In relation to Ahmed, S. (2012) .Freud believed that personality gets well established during
childhood, largely before the age of five years. He proposed five stages of psychosexual
development: the oral stage, the anal stage, the phallic stage, the latency stage, and the genital
stage. Each stage has unique conflicts, and the manner in which these conflicts are resolved and
the child develops and grows up and passes to the next stage of development, determines what
type of personality the child would have.

The stages of development from infancy to adulthood were based on sex drive which
included all pleasurable experiences in different organs. For instance in infancy sucking the
breast, swallowing and ingesting the food make the infant feel pleasure as there is gratification of
the hunger need. Thus at this stage the organ involved in providing pleasurable experience is the
oral area. As the individual grows up and enters the 2nd and 3rd years, the pleasurable region
shifts from oral to anal areas.
 Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of the best-known theories of
personality in psychology. Much like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops
in a series of stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes
the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. (Boeree, G. (2009).)

One of the main elements of Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory is the development of
ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social
interaction. According to Erikson, our ego identity is constantly changing due to new experience
and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others.

In addition according to (Lapsley, D. K., & Stey, P. C. (2011)) ego identity, Erikson also
believed that a sense of competence also motivates behaviors and actions. Each stage in
Erikson’s theory is concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the stage is handled
well, the person will feel a sense of mastery, which he sometimes referred to as ego strength or
ego quality. If the stage is managed poorly, the person will emerge with a sense of inadequacy.

In each stage, Erikson believed that people experience a conflict that serves as a turning
point in development. In Erikson’s view, these conflicts are centered on either developing a
psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for
personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure.

Similarly to Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of determined

stages and that much of people’s development occurred early in life. The psychologists also
believed that a conflict had to be resolved in order to progress onto the next stage. They both
agreed that human development is mainly an unconscious growth, and when development occurs
it is a gradual process. With both theories similar in this sense the id, ego and super ego play
important roles in development.

Freud believed that people are born with the id and as we gradually develop, the second
part of our personality begins to develop, the ego. By the end of the phallic stage the superego
develops. Freud, S. (2014). Erikson accepted this theory, but saw the ego of utmost importance.
He believed that part of the ego is able to function autonomously of the id and superego. He
claimed that a person’s ego gains or loses strength through the resolution of the eight
developmental stages.
 Erikson’s developmental theory was much more comprehensive compared to Freud. His
theory describes the impact of social experiences on an individual’s lifetime, unlike Freud who
described development solely based on sexuality. The stages in Erikson’s psychosocial
development theory highlighted the importance of social experiences as he theorized how all the
stages are unconditionally present at birth but start to expand according to one’s upbringing in
their family, social development and own culture. Each of Erikson’s stages are characterized by a
crisis, which is emphasized on parental and societal impact. Each crisis is defined by a pair of
opposing possibilities e.g. trust vs. mistrust, and according to Erikson a healthy development
requires a favorable ratio of positive to negative. (Benveniste, D. (2015)).

Another major difference between Freud and Erikson’s developmental theory is the
outcome of the stages. Freud believed that when an individual is fixated on a certain stage, the
problems associated with that particular stage would be carried out throughout his/her life.
Where as in Erikson’s psychosocial stages, the outcome of a particular stage is not permanent
and can be changed by later experiences.

Further notable difference between Freud and Erickson where that from birth to the age
of one, Freud called it an Oral Stage and claimed focus on eating and taking things into mouth.
Erikson’s Trust vs. Mistrust Stage concentrated on developing trust in the primary caregiver and
them-selves.

From the age of one to three, Freudian Anal Stage emphasized toilet training, in contrast
to Eriksonian Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Stage where child is learning self-control and
establishing autonomy.

From the age of three to six, Freud’s Phallic Stage focused on an increase in sexual urges
arousing curiosity and making children aware of gender diversity, this period forms gender
identity. Erikson’s Initiative vs. Guilt Stage forms ability to create activities around a goal and
children can experience more assertiveness and aggressiveness.
 From the age of six to twelve, in Freud’s Latency Stage children restrain sexual urges and
priories education and identify with peers. Erikson’s Industry vs. Inferiority Stage focuses on
competence and cultural skills and norms.

From the age of twelve onwards, Freud called it a Genital Stage and claimed focus on
developing mature sexual intimacy and the need for reproduction. Whereas, Erikson thought that
development goes beyond the age of twelve, and thought that from 12-18 Identity vs. Role
Confusion Stage occurs, and then from 18-30 Intimacy vs. Isolation Stage, from 30 to late
adulthood Generativity vs. Stagnation Stage takes part, and lastly in late adulthood Integrity vs.
Despair Stage.

In conclusion, although Erickson’s theories was initially based on the study of Freud’s
work, they have the validity to stand on their own. Both men attempted to define the stages that
we all go through as we develop and grow. Freud’s general approach is through the basic sexual
needs attributed to each stage of development (Boeree, 2009). Erickson focuses more of the
challenges faced by the individual navigating between two outcomes based on the relationship of
the caregiver (Chapman, 2006-2010). Although they both come from different perspectives, they
also both give us invaluable insight into our own psyche and shows us the importance of our first
relationships.
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