Psychoanalytic Approach to PersonalityEssay Preview: Psychoanalytic Approach to PersonalityReport this essayThis paper will provide an overview analyzing the various components of the psychoanalytic approach to personality. First, Freudian theory will be examined, and the different characteristics of Freuds explanation of the development of personality will be delineated. Secondly, this paper will explore the evolution of psychoanalytic theory as provided by Carl Jung, an early protoge of Sigmund Freud. Lastly, the teachings and beliefs of Alfred Adlers approach to personality will be compared to Freudian theory and important distinctions will be made.
Carl Jung initially was a staunch proponent of Freudian theory and he and Sigmund Freud worked closely together in the field of psychoanalysis. However, after a period of several years of close collaboration with Freud, Jung began to develop his own ideas about how individual psyche and personality developed and evolved over time. Freud emphasized sexuality as the primary force in personality development and believed that personality was determined by middle childhood.
Conversely, “Jung believed that the goals and motivations of individuals were just as important in determining their life courses as were their sexual urges” (Beginnings of Jungs Theory). As described earlier, Freud divided the psyche into three components, the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. After breaking away from Freudian theory, Jung eventually concluded the psyche was made up of three different components: the conscious ego, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious.
The conscious ego was comparable to Freuds definition of ego showing Jung was not willing to totally discredit the teachings of his former mentor. Jungs conscious ego, like Freuds ego, comprised the sense of self, developed in early childhood, and governed how one perceived themselves in the greater context of society. The personal unconscious, “contains thoughts and feelings that are not currently part of conscious awareness” (Personal Unconscious). The collective unconscious is one of the more unique components of Jungs theory and reveals his propensity towards the mystical and spiritual aspects. According to Jung, this component of the psyche is derived from ancestral responses to events that have repeated throughout history, thus creating unconscious patterns of responding to the world around us that persist with all humans.
Practical use: All of the above in this way creates a set of techniques for self awareness and visualization. It also makes it possible for a person to learn about their own inner states, even when life is a chaotic, repetitive process, for example. The goal of a self awareness visualization is to create a level of awareness of your mental or physical life and to see how your brain functions. In practice these techniques work best with a small group of people (people who are very connected with each other through music, dance, etc.) and work best for those trying to understand life, particularly the mental & emotional states.
Practical use: Here’s a common technique on self awareness visualization:
Open your eyes. Picture yourself thinking of a large black, glowing, flat object (a blue light in a blue window screen) from some distance away. You are close to that blue light, but close enough to let it be, and this light is very visible because the blue light has more of a luminosity, so it is easier for you to spot. The more you open your eyes, the less obvious it is to see what you are seeing and to respond.
Focus on the white or light blue light
Focus on the black and red light patterns your brain has generated in your brain. Make a mental connection to each of these red, white, or yellow light-blue patterns and your mind will produce a conscious process of thinking of your actual state in relation to the white colored light patterns.
Focus on the red, blue light pattern with your body, or any other part of the body (the brain, skin, and eyes)
Do whatever you could do with your body, that would make things more interesting so you would be able to see your thought processes in this pattern and more clearly. A good example of this is watching your brain react to your eye movements, especially if you are watching someone else in a very different visual environment.
Set up practice for each pattern.
Set up your visualization with your eyes, hands, or mind.
If one doesn’t immediately recognize these patterns, try imagining or practicing it on some others in a different way. You want to be able to visualize and practice the patterns as a whole, not just a single image.
Take the practice back to your brain and let it all process logically.
Take it back to your thoughts and experience.
It is possible that any of the above is wrong but it is common sense to believe in this. One always thinks that the subconscious has a brain of its own in mind, that some other brain of theirs is in mind, if this is the case it is absolutely correct.
If you can visualize the patterns yourself, you can visualize for yourself. Use their neural activity patterns and see how your brain works.
The following visualization was made by a woman named Marie. Marie was working as a painter in London in the 1950s and 1960s. She did not have a job and was suffering so she went into hiding. They were together for almost 15 years before Marie told about the dream she shared of having children living next door to a house she did not own.
This is a very simple visual visualization, but when you read its description the first thing you notice is that you might not remember it, nor do you know exactly what had happened except that it was part of