Sigmund Freud Versus Albert Ellis

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Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis Therapy Vs. Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy Tracy Asencio Dr. Pam Cingel PSY 420 Theories of Personality 16 April 2014 Sigmund Freud and Albert Ellis are widely recognized as two of the most influential psychotherapists of the twentieth century. “It is argued that the striking differences in their therapeutic systems, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and psychoanalysis, respectively, are rooted in more fundamental theoretical differences concerning the essential nature of client personality” (Ziegler 75). This paper will discuss in detail, both Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytical Therapy and Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy, as well as compare and contrast both theories. Sigmund Freud believed that adults seduced children and this is where their problems came up in adulthood. As for all things, many people did not agree with Freud’s theory. “Freud believed that people could be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations, thus gaining insight” (McLeod, “Psychoanalysis”). According to Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory, there are three elements of personality the id, ego and superego. The id is an individual’s inner child. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...s, feelings, and thoughts. However, Freud does this by resurfacing the unconscious to consciousness. While, Ellis’ theory focuses on what the client thinks rather than what they do. He believes that irrational thinking leads to irrational behaviour while Freud believes that childhood experiences have an affect on behaviour. Work Cited Cherry, Kendra . "Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development." About.com. 14 Apr. 2014. . Feist, Jess, and Gregory Feist. Theories of personality. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2014. McLeod, Saul . "Psychoanalysis." Simply Psychology. 2007. 14 Apr. 2014. . Ziegler, Daniel J. "Freud, Rogers, and Ellis: A Co." Journal of Rational-Emotive an 20 (2002): 75-91. 13 Apr. .

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