Comparing Freud And Erikson's Theories Of Personality

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During this essay I will be looking at two behaviourist Erikson and Freud. Erikson and Freud both have their theories on the human personality. The essay will inform the reader of the two different theories as well as strengths and the weaknesses of Freud’s and Erikson’s theories on personality, including how each of them believe an individual’s personality is arranged, influenced and completed. Erikson’s theory Many different theories have been made on how a personality is made, developed and influenced. Erik Erikson believed that a personality is not affected by the human instinct installed inside all of us or the sexuality of an individual. Erikson believed that an individual’s personality is shaped much more by relationship formed between …show more content…

Freud believed that we are driven by, beliefs, fears, memories and wishes that we are not aware that they are present. Freud came up with three concepts these are: Id, superego and ego. Sigmund Freud believed that personality is developed through 5 different psychosexual stages starting as an infant up to puberty. Id The id is the instinctive, primitive component of the personality. The id consists of all the inherited components of the personality. The id is the impulsive and unconscious part of physe which responses directly from our instincts. Id requires immediate satisfaction and we feel pleasure, when we are denied we experience pain or unpleased. The id is not influenced by reality or the everyday world. …show more content…

Most of the child’s energy is channelled towards the child’s development and gaining knowledge and skills. Genital stage (puberty) This is the last stage of the psychosexual development, sexual instinct is directed towards heterosexual pleasure rather than self-pleasure during the phallic stage. A resolution occurs when we settle down in and one on one relation in our 20s. Strengths and weaknesses of the Freud’s theory -Freud’s came up with the first theory on personality which then kicked started the field and more personality theories came up. - Freud’s theory aloud personality disorders more easily understood and treated - He only made case studies rather than the whole population, specifically adults and never made an observation on a child. - Freud’s theory cannot be proven, concepts such as libido are impossible to measure therefore impossible to prove. In conclusion Freud’s theory of personality was the first theory which did cause other theories to be made but it lacks scientific backing, whereas Erikson’s theory goes into more detailed of how our personality’s vary by our

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