Identity of Humans

1952 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Synopsis of psychodynamic theory

What is a human being? A human being is a combination of the biological makeup of the individual and the state of being. The state of being can be characterized by the individual’s state of consciousness, and an individual’s state of consciousness is characterized by his or her identity. In the most general sense, identity refers to one’s answer to the question, who am I? 1 To fully understand and grasp the concepts and ideas related to identity, two different psychological perspectives will be explored, as well as three theorists including Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers.
Freud - Psychic Structures
Sigmund Freud explored identity through the psychodynamic theory of Psychosexual Development. According to psychodynamic theory, the human personality is characterized by a dynamic struggle as basic physiological drives come into conflict with laws and social codes.2 Freud then categorized human personality into elements, or psychic structures. Freud hypothesized the existence of three psychic structures: the ID, the EGO, and the SUPEREGO. 3 The ID is present at birth, represents physiological drives, and is unconscious. The ID follows the pleasure principle, which demands instant gratification of instincts without consideration for the law, social norms, or the needs of others. The EGO begins to develop during the first year of life when the child learns that his or her demands for instant gratification cannot always be met immediately. The EGO stands for reason, good sense, and for rational ways of coping with frustration. The EGO is guided through the reality principle, which takes into consideration what is practical and possible in gratifying needs. According to Freud, it is the EGO, which provides the conscious sense of self. The SUPEREGO is the third and final psychic structure, which develops throughout early childhood. The SUPEREGO incorporates moral standards and values into the individual though the moral principle, which sets moral standards and enforces adherence to them. The SUPEREGO monitors the actions of the EGO and judges them right or wrong. If the SUPEREGO judges an action as ‘wrong’ then the SUPEREGO floods the EGO with feelings of guilt and shame.4
Freud - Psychosexual Stages of Development
Freud theorized the Psychosexual Stages of Development, which is the process by which libid...

... middle of paper ...

... form to another based on exposure to the environment. Through exploration of these various vies on identity development, a better understanding can be reached for what a human being is.

Bibliography

Benner, David G., and Peter C. Hill., ed. Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology and Counseling. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1999
Elkind, David. “Erik Erikson’s Eight Ages of Man” New York Times Magazine April 1970: 25ff
Erikson, Erik H. Identity: Youth & Crisis. New York: Norton and Co., 1968
Kroger, Jane. Identity in Adolescence – The Balance between Self and Other. London: Routledge, 1989
Kunkel, John H. Encounters with Great Psychologists: Twelve Dramatic Portraits. Toronto: Wall & Thompson, 1989
McDavid, John W., and Gary Garwood. Understanding Children: Promoting Human Growth. Lexington, Massachusstts: D.C. Health Company, 1978
Papalia, Diane E., and Sally W. Olds. Human Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986
Rathus, Spencer A. Psychology. Fourth edition. Orlando, Fl: Moore and Moore Publishing, 1990
Tarnecki, James. Personal interview. 11 March 2001.
Tarnecki, James. Personal interview. 2 April 2001
Tarnecki, James. Personal interview. 10 April 2001

Show More
Related

  • Still Alice by Lisa Genova

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crandell, Thomas. Crandell, Corinne Haines. Zanden, James W. Vander. (2009). Human Development. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Read More

  • Separation Anxiety and Attachment in Infants and Toddlers

    2903 Words  | 6 Pages

    Schuster, C. S., and Ashburn, S. S., (1980). The Process of Human Development: A Holistic Approach. Boston: Little, Brown and Company Inc.

    Read More

  • Identity in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Isaac Babel’s My First Goose

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical Utilitarianism

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ethical utilitarianism theory is when the moral rightness of an action or activity can be determined by looking at its consequences. The consequences are determined right or wrong depending on whether the outcome is favorable than more unfavorable by those who are affected by the action or activity. So this means as long as the actions or activity that are performed bring out the most happiness and pleasure overall, the action is then considered morally and ethically right, but if the action brings sadness and displeasure then the action or activity is wrong. There is another way ethical utilitarianism is looked at, which is when the action or activity is judged by the people involved are

    Read More

  • A Zero Increase Again Case Study

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    He is considering raising wages due to the lack of increase in previous years. Mark spoke with his accountant and constructed a plan to give the employees a raise. With consequences for every decision is made, Mark is not sure what he should do. In this case, there is one goal and it is to keep the business running and to do so, he must keep his employees happy. To achieve this desired outcome he needs to come to a conclusion about raising wages or not. Without a doubt, he wants to reward the ones that deserve. But within a business, managers cannot always pick favorites; therefore he needs to make a decision about wages because in the long run it can affect his

    Read More

  • The South China Sea Channels

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    The South China Sea channels a third of the world’s shipping and is rich with fisheries, oil and gas deposits. It is also one of the most disputed areas in Southeast Asia and there have been scuffles between countries in recent years. Seven sovereign states, namely Brunei, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, have been contending over territory within the region of the South China Sea for centuries. Examples of these territorial clashes include claims in the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin as well as in maritime boundaries off the coasts of Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Of course, the argument also involves overlapping claims among the various island chains of the South China Sea basin, including the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, of which have contributed to the intensifying strains between several countries lately.

    Read More

  • Psychological foundations behind Personal Identity

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a question, ‘who am I?’ poses many complications. Each of us are aware of being someone “with a past, a present and a future…” however, it is the fact that we are not “only aware of inhabiting a distinct personal world, but also…social and cultural…” which leads to confusion. This essay will therefore explore the Psychological foundations behind the question, in regards to evidence provided by the ‘Twenty Statement Test’. Analysis of this study made it apparent that ‘the self’ could be classified into three main groups; social, relational and personal selves, with each of these being readily related to the various theoretical assumptions. This essay will examine how each of these categories seek to answer the question ‘who am I?’, as well as briefly discussing how cultural variation may influence both social and individualistic approaches to the self.

    Read More

  • Sigmund Freud Versus Albert Ellis

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    He believed everyone is born with the id. All humans when they are babies, according to Freud, are pleasure seeking and concerned with having their needs met. This is the original or unconscious personality. The ego is where decision-making occurs, judgments are made and memory is stored. Lastly, the superego contains the individual’s values, beliefs, and morals, which they get from their parents. According to Freud, women get their morals and beliefs from their mothers and men get it from their fathers. He also believes that...

    Read More

  • Sigmund Freud and Everyday Use

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sigmund Freud is best known for his development and use of psychoanalysis. The theory of psychoanalysis focuses on the concept of how our unconscious thoughts, feelings, and emotions play an active role in our daily lives. The id, ego, and superego are the three mental zones that encompass our psyche. Each zone has a specific function: The id functions on the pleasure principle; the ego on the protection of the individual; and the superego on protection of society. The degree of which each zone has been developed can be broken down and then analyzed. These three zones can be visualized by imagining a pie cut into three slices.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of the Main Approaches to Personality Psychology

    2250 Words  | 5 Pages

    The basis of this approach is that psychological factors play a major role in determining behaviour and shaping personality. Freud argued that personality is composed of three major systems the id, the ego, and the superego. The id (biological part of personality) is present at birth and consists of inherited instincts and all psychological energies. The id operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking to reduce tension, avoid pain and obtain pleasure. The ego (executive part of personality) is conscious part of the mind, the “real” us.

    Read More

  • Freud vs Piaget

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    In examining the Freudian view of human development, the main characteristic of human development is one of a primitive and sexual nature. Freud defines the id as a unconscious part of the mind focused on the primitive self and is the source of the demands of basic needs. Freud explains that the mind of an infant consists only of the id, driving the basic needs for comfort, food, warmth, and love. In later stages of early development, as a child’s mind begins to grow, the ego is formed. The ego is defined as the connection between consciousness and reality that controls one’s thought and behavior. In late pre-school years a child begins to develop what is called a superego. At this stage values are internalized, and the complex connection between the id, ego, and supere...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Utilitarianism

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The utilitarianism theory holds that an action is moral if it produces the greatest amount of good for the largest amount of people that are affected by the consequences of the action DeGeorge 44). Jeremy Bentham believed that one should measure the intensity, duration, certainty, remoteness, or purity and their opposites when evaluating for each person that is affected (DeGeorge 46). For example, a consequence that gives a more desirable quality like pleasure would be favored, just like if one would receive a good immediately rather than at a later time, the sooner would be favored. To know whether the action produces the absolute greatest good, one must compare it with alternative actions as well. To determine whether an action is moral or not, one should calculate the action and its opposite. An action is moral if it produces more good than harm and its opposite produces more harm than good. Utilitarianism should also be interpreted as requiring one to choose the best action among good actions. For example, if two actions produce the same amount of good, then they are both moral and either may be done (DeGeorge 47).

    Read More

  • The Origins of Identity

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    You got curly hair from your mother and big brown eyes from your father. But where did you get your talents and opinions? Did you learn your interest from environmental factors or was this already embedded within you? We know appearance, for the most part, is something we cannot control, but we can control what we like or dislike. These things we learn from our society shape our identity. For a better perspective, identity is the strongest influence on our personalities. We all have a deep wish to stay true to how we characterize ourselves. Any conversion we make within ourselves will depend upon our surroundings. By building off given characteristics, we can create an everlasting change within our lives. This change can be a good or a bad thing; the identity we develop depends on us. Nurture is the development of certain characteristics that was influenced by the environment. These characteristics include your favorite styles or your talents. No matter who we chose to become, we will always seek for the best. Therefore, by developing characteristics as we continue to live our lives, nurture is the ultimate cause of identity.

    Read More

  • What Is A Observation In A Child Observation

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through this observation I could see the teacher’s efforts to encourage the students to get along with other students. For example, when the boy was crying and sticking his mother, the assistant teacher were gently inviting the boy to play with her and other students. Also, she talked to two student who tended to fight when they shared toys with others, “I am glad to see you guys sharing the car!” The assistant teacher used coaching to teach pro-social skills (Bullard,

    Read More

  • Importance of Utilitarianism

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it comes to utilitarianism, the definition or what it actually is differs from one person to another depending on their situation. It all boils down to one question: “What will make the most people the most happy?” Even though it seems like an easy question to answer, the decisions you must face in answering it are not. Should you make yourself happy or should you make others happy? Is it okay to sacrifice the happiness of a couple of people if it makes everyone else happy? What happens to the few who get sacrificed for the happiness of the many others? Philosophically speaking, utilitarianism is the belief that a morally good action is one that helps the greatest number of people. John Stuart Mill starts off by stating very little progress has been made when it comes to setting standards to judge what is morally right or wrong. Mill’s thoughts and reasoning on what he believes utilitarianism counts for, especially in the specific categories he has mentioned, are correct in many eyes.

    Read More

More about Identity of Humans

Open Document