COMPARATIVE PRESENTATION IN THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

1. Title Psychoanalysis Analytical Psychology Individual Psychology

2. Author Sigmund Freud Carl Jung Alfred Adler

3. Year Founded 1896 1913 1912

4. Principles or Concepts Psychoanalysis — Freud’s theory of Analytical Psychology — a wholistic Individual Psychology — focused on the
personality and system of therapy for methodology which utilizes empiricism to uniqueness of each person and denied the
treating mental disorders. The first formal investigate the human psyche. universality of biological motives and goals.
and best known theory of personality made a Psychic Energy: The Basis of Jung’s System Inferiority Feelings: The Source of All
tremendous impact on the way we look at Libido — a diffuse and general life energy and a Human Striving
human nature in general. narrower psychic energy that fuels the work of Inferiority feelings — are a constant
The Propelling Forces of the Personality personality which is called psyche. motivating force in all behavior.
Instincts — a form of energy (physiological Principles of Psychic Energy: Compensation — motivation to overcome
energy) that connects the needs of the body 1. Principle of Opposites — noted the our real or imagined inferiorities.
with the wishes of the mind and are the basic existence of opposites or polarities in Inferiority Complex — condition that
elements of the personality, the motivating physical energy in the universe. Every develops when a person is unable to
forces that drive behavior and determine its wish or feeling has its opposite. The compensate for normal inferiority feelings.
direction. conflict between polarities is the primary Causes of Inferiority Complexes:
Two types of instincts: motivator of behavior and generator of Organic Inferiority — defective parts or
1. Life instincts — the drive for energy. The sharper the conflict between organs of the body shape personality
 ensuring survival of the individual polarities, the greater will be the energy through the person's efforts to compensate
and the species by satisfying the produced. for the defect of weakness.
needs for food, water, air, and sex. 2. Principle of Equivalence — energy Spoiling — develops the idea to the child
Libido is the form of psychic energy, expended in bringing about some that they are the most important people and
manifested by the life instincts, that condition is not lost but rather is shifted to that others should always defer to them.
drives a person toward pleasurable another part of the personality. The new Neglecting — characterized by a lack of
behaviors and thoughts; it can be area to which energy has shifted must love and security.
attached to or invested in objects, a have an equal psychic value; energy is Superiority Complex — condition that
concept called cathexis. continually redistributed within the develops when a person overcompensates
2. Death Instincts — the unconscious personality. for formal inferiority feelings.
drive toward decay, destruction, and 3. Principle of Entropy — the equalization Striving for Superiority/Perfection
aggression. Aggression drive is a of energy differences. Proposing that — urge toward perfection or completion
component of the death instincts, there is a tendency toward maintaining a that motivates each of us.
compels us to destroy, conquer, and balance or equilibrium in the personality. Fictional Finalism — the notion that
kill. Aspects of Personality fictional ideas guide our behavior as we
The Levels of Personality The Ego — the part of the psyche concerned with strive toward a complete or whole state of
1. Conscious — it includes all the perceiving, thinking, feeling, and remembering. being.
sensations and experiences of which The Attitudes: The Style of Life
we are aware at any given moment. Extraversion — open, sociable, and socially — unique pattern of characteristics,
Considered to be a limited aspect of assertive, oriented toward other people and the behaviors, and habits, called a distinctive
personality. external world. character.
2. Preconscious — the storehouse of all Introversion — withdrawn and often shy, and Creative Power of the Self — the ability to
 our memories, perceptions, and tend to focus on themselves, on their own create an appropriate style of life.
thoughts of which we are not aware thoughts and feelings. Four Basic Styles of Life:
at the moment but that we can easily Dominant attitude — tends to direct our behavior 1. Dominant type — displays a ruling
summon into consciousness. and consciousness. attitude with little social awareness.
3. Unconscious — the focus of Non dominant attitude — still remains 2. Getting type — expects to receive
psychoanalytic theory. The home of influential, however, and becomes part of the satisfaction from other people and
the instincts and contains the major personal unconscious, where it can affect so becomes dependent on them.
driving power behind all behaviors. behavior. 3. Avoiding type — makes no attempt
The Structure of Personality Psychological Functions to face life’s problems.
1. Id — the reservoir for the instincts — refer to different and opposing ways of 4. Socially useful type — cooperates
and libido; vitally and directly related perceiving both the external world and our with others and acts in accordance
to the satisfaction of bodily needs. It subjective inner world. with their needs.
supplies all the energy for the two Four functions of psyche: Social Interest
components. Operates according to Sensing and Intuiting — grouped together as non — the individual's innate potential to
the pleasure principle, concerned rational functions because they do not use the cooperate with other people in order to
with tension reduction. processes of reason. They accept experiences and achieve personal and societal goals.
2. Ego — the rational master of the do not evaluate them. Birth Order
personality and is aware of reality, Thinking and Feeling — are rational functions — a major social influence in childhood,
determining appropriate and socially that involve making judgements and evaluations one from one which we create our lifestyle.
acceptable times, places, and objects. about our experiences. Both are concerned with First-Born Child — are in a unique and
Helps the id obtain the tension organizing and categorizing experience. enviable situation, at least for a while.
reduction. Operates in accordance Psychological Types Typically receive their parents’ instant and
 with the reality principle, perceives Extraverted thinking types — live strictly in undivided attention until the second-born
and manipulates the environment in a accordance with society’s rule. child appears.
practical and realistic manner. Extraverted feeling types — tend to repress the Dethronement — no longer the focus of
3. Superego — a powerful and large thinking mode and are highly emotional. They attention, no longer receiving constant love
unconscious set of dictates or beliefs conform to the traditional; values and moral and care.
that we acquire in childhood, our codes. Characteristics of First-Borns
ideas of right and wrong. It is the Extraverted sensing types — focus on pleasure — often oriented toward the past, locked in
internal morality we call conscience and happiness and on seeking new experiences. nostalgia, and pessimistic about the future.
and it constantly strives for moral Extraverted intuiting types — they are attached to Take an unusual interest in maintaining
perfection. new ideas, tend to be creative, and are able to order and authority.
Anxiety: A Threat to the Ego inspire others to accomplish and achieve. Second-Born Child — they never
Anxiety — an objectless fear that we cannot Introverted thinking types — they focus on experience the powerful position once
point to its source, to a specific object that thoughts rather than feelings and have poor occupied by the first–borns. Parents may be
caused it. It is fundamental to the practical judgements. less concerned and anxious about their
development of all neurotic and psychotic Introverted feeling types — they are capable of behavior and may take a more relaxed
behavior. deep emotion but avoid any outward expression approach.
Different types of anxiety: of it. Characteristics of Second-Borns — more
1. Reality Anxiety — a fear of real Introverted sensing types — appear passive, optimistic about the future and are likely to
dangers in the real world. calm, and detached from the everyday world. be competitive and ambitious.
2. Neurotic Anxiety — an unconscious Introverted intuiting types — focus so intently on Youngest Child — never face the shock of
fear of being punished for intuition that they have little contact with reality. dethronement by another child and often
impulsively displaying id-dominated Personal Unconscious become the pet of the family.
 behavior. — a reservoir of material that was once conscious Characteristics of Youngest Child — often
3. Moral Anxiety — a fear of one’s but has been forgotten or suppressed because it high achievers in whatever work or may
conscience; a conflict between the id was trivial or disturbing. retain the helplessness and dependency.
and superego. Complexes Only Child — remain the focus and center
Purpose of Anxiety — serves as a warning to — a core or pattern of emotions, memories, of attention. May experience problems
the person that something is amiss within the perceptions, and wishes organized around a when they find that in areas of life outside
personality. common theme. the home.
Defenses against Anxiety Collective Unconscious
Defense Mechanisms — strategies the ego — store the experiences of all our human and
uses to defend itself against the anxiety pre-human ancestors and is passed to each new
provoked by conflicts of everyday life. generation.
Involves denials or distortions and operates Archetypes
unconsciously. — recurring themes or patterns
Some Freudian defense mechanisms: Major Archetypes:
1. Repression — involuntary removal of The Persona — a mask that an actor wears to
something from conscious display various roles of faces to the audience.
awareness; unconscious type of The Anima and Animus — recognition that
forgetting something that brings us humans are essentially bisexual.
discomfort or pain. The Shadow — which contains the basic,
2. Denial — denying the existence of primitive animal instincts and therefore has the
some external threat or traumatic deepest roots of all archetypes.
event. The Self — represents the unity, integration, and
 3. Reaction formation — actively harmony of total personality.
expressing the opposite impulse. Individuation: How to Reach Fulfillment
4. Projection — attributing a disturbing Individuation
impulse to someone else. — becoming an individual, fulfilling one’s
5. Regression — retreats to an earlier capacities, and developing one’s self.
period of life that was more pleasant 1. Confront the Unconscious — middle-aged
and free from the current level of people must abandon the behaviors and
frustration and anxiety. values that guided the first half of their
6. Rationalization — justifying a lives.
threatening action or thought by 2. Dethrone the Persona — we must
persuading ourselves that there is a recognize that our public personality may
rational explanation for it. not represent our true nature.
7. Displacement — shifting an id 3. Accept Our Dark Sides — simply accept
impulses from a threatening object to their existence; concealing the forces of
the object that is available. the shadow from others, we also conceal
8. Sublimation — finding a substitute them from ourselves.
object to satisfy if impulses into 4. Accept our Anima and Animu — it
socially acceptable behaviors. represents the greatest change in our
self-image; opens new sources of
Growing up Is Not Easy creativity and serves as the final release
Fixation — a portion of libido or psychic from parental influences.
energy remains invested in that 5. Transcend — innate tendency toward
 developmental stage.
5. Stages of Development Psychosexual Stages of Development:
1. Oral Stage: Taking In or Spitting Out
(birth-1) — infant’s principal source
of pleasure is the mouth; derives
pleasure from sucking, biting, and
swallowing. Infant is totally
dependent on the mother or caregiver
who becomes the primary object of
the child's libido.
Two ways of behaving during this
stage:
Oral incorporative behavior — taking
in; occurs first and involves the
pleasurable stimulation of the mouth
by other people and by food.
Oral aggressive/sadistic behavior —
biting or spitting out; occurs during
the painful frustrating eruption of
teeth.
2. Anal Stage: Letting Go or Holding
unity or wholeness in the personality.
The Development of the Personality:
1. Childhood — ego development begins
when the child distinguishes between self
and others.
2. Puberty to young adulthood —
adolescents must adapt to the growing
demands of reality. Focus is on external,
on education, career, and family; our
consciousness is dominant.
3. Middle Age — natural time of transition
to undergo drastic personality changes,
from external to internal in order to
attempt balance.
 Back (1-3) — toilet training and
principal source of pleasure is the
anus; defecation produces erotic
pleasure for the child.
3. Phallic Stage ( 4-5) — principal
source of pleasure are the genitals;
exploring and manipulating the
genitals. Involves incentious
fantasies.
Oedipus Complex — the unconscious
desire of a boy for his mother,
accompanied by a desire to replace or
destroy his father.
Electra Complex — the unconscious
desire of a girl for her father,
accompanied by a desire to replace or
destroy her mother. Girl develops
penis envy, the envy the female feels
toward the male because the male
possesses a penis.
Phallic Personality — lingering
forms of castration anxiety and penis
 envy because of poorly resolved
conflicts.
4. Latency Period ( 5-puberty) — the
six instinct is dormant, sublimated in
school activities, hobbies, and sports
and in developing friendships.
5. Genital Stage (adolescence-
adulthood) — development of
sex-role identity and adult social
relationships.

6. Methods/ Strategies/ Freud's two methods of assessment:
Approaches/ Free Association — a technique in which the
Assessments patient says whatever comes to mind. It is
kind of daydreaming out loud.
Dream Analysis — as Freud believes that
dreams represent in symbolic form,
repressed desires, fears, and conflicts. It can
either be the manifest content or the latent
content. Dreams reveal conflicts in a
condensed, intensified form.
Formal techniques Jung used: Assessment in Adler’s Theory
1. Word Association — a subject responds Evaluating their verbalizations and behavior
to a stimulus word with whatever comes in a more relaxed and informal way.
immediately to mind; it uncovers the Observing everything about the patient: the
complexes in his patients. way they walked and sat, shook hands etc.
2. Symptom Analysis — focuses on the Early Recollections — assessment
symptoms reported by the patient and is technique in which or earliest memories,
based on the person’s free associations to whether of real events or fantasies, are
those symptoms. assumed to reveal the primary interest of
3. Dream Analysis — the “royal road” into our life.
consciousness; and are prospective, and Dream Analysis — involves our feelings
 compensatory. Worked with a series of about a current problem and what we intend
dreams reported by a patient over a period to do about it.
of time. Measures of Social Interest — designed to
Myers-briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assess lifestyle as well as degree of social
— an assessment instrument related to Jung’s interest.
personality theory. The most visible practical
outgrowth of Jung’s work on human personality.
Life History Reconstruction
— involved an extensive recollection of a
person’s past experiences in which Jung sought to
identify the developmental patterns he believed to
lead to the present neurotic condition.

7. Criticisms Criticisms of Freud’s Research Jung’s theory was not received enthusiastically Freud charged that Adler’s psychology was
A fundamental criticism of Frued’s case by psychologists concerning the difficulty of oversimplified and would appeal to many
studies involves the nature of his data. He understanding Jungian concepts. Reading his people because it eliminated the
did not keep verbatim records of therapy work can be frustrating, because his books complicated nature of the unconscious, had
sessions, he warned analysts against taking contain many inconsistencies and contradictions. no difficult concepts, and ignored the
notes during the sessions, believing it would They are difficult to comprehend and lack problems of sex.
distract their attention from their patients’ internal consistency and systematization. Adler’s concepts appear to rely heavily on
words. Jung embracing the occult and the supernatural commonsense observations from everyday
It is not possible that his memory of the is the source of most of the criticisms directed at life. Critics allege that Adler was
sessions was selective and that he recorded his theory. In an era where reason and science are inconsistent and unsystematic in his
only experiences that supported his theory, or considered the most legitimate approaches to thinking and that his theory contains gaps
that he interpreted those experiences in ways knowledge and understanding. Critics charge that and unanswered questions.
that would support his theory. Jung accepted as scientific evidence the mythical
The first step in Freud’s research, the and mystical occurrences his patients reported.
collection of data, must be characterized as
incomplete and possibly inaccurate. Critics
suggest that Freud’s patients did not actually
reveal childhood sexual experiences, in most
cases those experiences had never occured. It
was argued that Freud inferred the stories of
sexual seduction in childhood from his
anaysis of the patients’ symtoms. Critics
agree that Freud was suggesting accounts of
childhood seduction. Others charged that
Freud may have used the power of
suggestion to implant alleged memories of
childhood seduction that never had taken
place.
Another criticism of Freud’s research is that
it is based on a small and representative
sample of people. It is said to be difficult to
generalize from this limited sample to the
population at large. In addition, there may be
discrepancies between Freud’s notes on his
therapy sessions and the case histories he
published, which supposedly were based on
these notes. It is not possible to determine
whether Freud deliberately made these
changes to bolster his theory or whether they
were the products of his unconsciousness.
It has been argued that none of Freud’s
handful of published case histories provides
compelling supporting evidence for his
theory.
Criticisms of Psychoanalysis
Some argue that Freud placed too great an
emphasis on instinctual biological forces as
determinants of personality. Others challenge
Freud’s focus on sex and aggression as major
motivating forces and believe that we are
shaped more by social experiences than by
sexual ones. Some theorists argue with
Freud’s deterministic view of human nature,
suggesting that we have more free will than
Freud acknowledged. Another criticism
focuses on Freud’s emphasis on past
behavior to the exclusion of our goals and
aspirations, that we are also influenced by
the future, by our hopes and plans, as much
more than by our experiences before age 5.
Theorists think Freud paid too much
attention to the emotionally disturbed, to the
exclusion of the psychologically healthy and
emotionally mature. Theorists also take
exception to Freud’s views on women,
specifically to the concepts of penis envy,
women’s inferiority feelings about their
body. Critics point to confusion and
contradiction in such terms as id, ego,
superego.