Psychological Perspectives of Human Growth and Development

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Psychological Perspectives of Human Growth and Development

The following will analyse the Psychodynamic theory founded by Sigmund Freud. It will focus on the components of the ‘mind’ including the Conscious, the pre-conscious proper and the Unconscious. Examining his structure of Personality with reference to The’ Id’, ‘Ego’ and ‘Super-ego’. It will discuss Freud’s proposal of stages within his ‘psychosexual development’. It will then focus on Carl Rogers Humanistic theory, explaining his concept of the ‘Actualizing tendency’ and incorporating his creations of ‘Self concept’, the ‘Organismic self’ and the ‘Ideal self’. As a contribution to Roger’s work also highlighting Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of needs’. Freud and Rogers will then be compared and contrasted, focusing on the human developmental stage of childhood.

According to Freud there are three levels of Consciousness within the mind. ‘The conscious’ holds thoughts and feelings that we are fully aware of, it can be verbalised and logically thought about.

‘The pre-conscious proper’ holds memories that only when thought of can be brought back into the ‘Conscious’. Information is easily shared between the conscious and the pre-conscious proper.

The ‘Unconscious’. Material here is deemed painful and ‘repressed’ (locked away) yet still has strength to influence our actions. ‘We have conscious thoughts that we are aware of and unconscious thoughts that appear in our mind in the form of dreams. Moreover, what happens in our conscious mind in turn influences what thoughts filter through to our unconscious mind’ (Gross, The Science of Mind and Behaviour, 2010) (Ingleby, 2006, p. 7)

Freud related this to a model Iceberg. The tip acts as 10% relating to the Conscious as only th...

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