Psychology Theories Essay Research Paper Sigmund Freud

Psychology Theories Essay, Research Paper Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous psychologists to ever hit the study of psychology. His name alone symbolizes the importance of his theories, and the name that comes to most people’s heads when saying the word psychology is Sigmund Freud. Freud was a psychodynamic psychologist and came from the conservative point of view which states that man is bad and society is good, which I do not agree with 100% because not all man’s actions are necessarily bad and with bad intentions. Freud was a real pessimist when it came to human nature. He identifies man’s weaknesses in saying that man is a biological creature with biological drives. He reflected these ideas off of Darwin’s original ideas. I do agree with this theory because man’s drives are survival and self-preservation. Freud also stated that mankind’s aggression helps him to survive, he says that man has an innate sense of survival. I also agree with this theory because aggression and dominance guarantees our survival. He also believed that over the many thousands of years that man has been alive man developed rational thought. Freud stated that people do not have to live like animals because overtime we developed a society that has rules and regulations in order to keep our animal nature in check. I agree with Freud on this because of many cases when a person has some bad intentions in mind but let’s them go when they know the consequences. Another thing Freud said was the idea of Opposing Instincts which when comes to mind creates conflict. The first of the two opposing instincts is the Eros, which is the life instinct, which also ensures the organisms life. The ID presses us to survive and pushes us to produce. The Eros seeks pleasure and then we rationalize it. Next comes the Thanatos, which is the death instinct, and this instinct says that all organisms have a death wish towards themselves and I agree completely. This he says becomes our own destruction. Freud says it is natural to move towards death and this I think is obvious. The feelings we have must be expressed and released and we direct our feelings outward. This becomes our aggression toward others. Freud’s view on the mind is in the shape of an iceberg. He believes that mankind’s mind works in the unconscious, which I do not agree with at all I feel that man is mostly conscious when it comes to behaviors. Every choice that mankind makes he is aware of, but maybe the consequences of our action might be unknown. The Structure of Personality which is another interesting part of Freud’s theory basically states that we have an ID, a Superego and an Ego. The ID is a biological reservoir of urges and impulses that need to be gratified. He says the ID does not have a conscious, it acts on instinct. It seeks out gratification and pleasure. It is the pleasure principle. The Superego is the Morality Principle, and the Superego knows the difference between right and wrong. The Superego is a bunch of learned internalized morals and values of society. This is basically the thing that keeps the ID in check. Freud said that Superego is our conscious, and that the Superego is the most powerful tool (guilt and pride). Last but not least is the Ego, which is the reality principle. The Ego finds socially acceptable ways to satisfy the ID. It finds the balance between the ID and reality. The functions of the Ego is to find a compromise between the ID and the Superego. The Ego must also learn to deal with anxiety, and it also helps to boost the self-esteem. Without the Ego there would be no mental health. I completely agree with Freud’s theory of the Structure of Personality because I feel we have different parts of our behavior that we can control and that we are conscious about and there are other behaviors that come directly from our unconscious. Our ego lies to us, denies, falsifies, and distorts reality which in turn causes us to create what Freud likes to call the seven defense mechanisms. The first of the seven defense mechanisms is Repression. Repression pushes the problem to the subconscious. It is the exclusion of impulses and thoughts from the conscious mind. Next comes Denial, and denial is the cutting of the conscious mind from external threats. An example of this would be when you are walking in the mall with your girlfriend and a beautiful woman walks by and you look but when your girlfriend asks you say, "I wasn’t looking at her." Next there is a defense mechanism called Sublimation which is the changing of bad behavior and impulses into socially acceptable behavior and impulses. One example of this could be playing football for a scholarship in order to go to college. Another defense mechanism is Reaction Formation which is a development of behavior opposite of that which brings you anxiety. Somebody saying that they hate homosexuals would be a clear example of this defense mechanism. The next mechanism is called Projection which is when the unconscious attribution of your thoughts and feelings is brought onto others. Finding flaws in others is a good example of Projection. Displacement is the next defense mechanism, and this is when an urge is placed onto another object. Taking out anger onto others when you really should be mad at yourself. Last but not least is the defense mechanism of Rationalization which is giving a good reason in place of the true reason. A great example of this would be when a person fails a test and they blame it on work, or some other corny reason instead of saying that they were to lazy to study. With all the different defense mechanisms of the ego I feel that we use all of them some time or another in order to hide our true instincts. Even though I agree with a majority of what Freud says I do not believe that man is completely bad and that society is good. Both man and society play a big role when it comes to behavior. Another well known psychologist which is actually a student of Freuds’ is Carl Jung who is also a psychodynamic psychologist which means he also comes from the conservative point of view which I mentioned earlier meant he felt man is bad and society is good. Carl Jung went a little deeper than Freud did in his theories and he challenges some of his ideas. One that I agree with the most is that Jung’s iceberg is right side up and at the top of the iceberg is the ego, and the level underneath that is the personal unconscious, and the final level of the iceberg is finally the collective unconscious which is almost the exact opposites of Freud’s. What I mean by deeper is that he feels that man is not just sexual but spiritual as well. He says that the major difference in man is based on the Libido which is your sex drive. As you can see Jung has a much broader level of human interest. Jung theories are strongly based on Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Jung thinks we evolved behaviorally which has allowed us to prosper and move forward in order to keep up with society. I do not agree once again that man is bad and society is good, I feel both play a big part in human behavior. Another part of Jung’s theory as well as Freud’s theory that I don’t like is that I don’t feel that man is mainly sexual. The part of Jung’s theory that I do agree with is that man has evolved behaviorally overtime because if we didn’t we would still be behaving like the cave men did thousands of years ago. It’s clearly obvious that man has evolved behaviorally. The next part of Carl Jung’s theory is the Archetypal Complex, which are common ways of dealing with the world. In other words it’s a genetically transmitted response strategy. It ensures survival. There are two examples of Archetypal Complexes and they are the enemy archetype and the social archetype. The enemy archetype means that something that is different is threatening to us which I could not agree with more. There are examples in everyday life when a person does not know what something is they immediately show some sort of aggression or frustration which proves they are afraid of what is different or what they do not really know or understand. The social archetype basically means strength in numbers. Also the social archetype is what we look to for support and look to interact and socialize with. The response strategy is to develop a need to conform. With the whole idea of Archetypal Complexes I agree that different people use different ways to deal with the world’s problems, and I also think the enemy archetype could not be more precise about mankind being threatened by something that is different. The next part of Jung’s theory is the idea of Individuation which is the integration of our conscious perceptions of the outside world with our unconscious archetypal experiences. Polarities, which are opposite extremes, which ties in the Principle of entropy which, is a state of disorder and a randomness of energy. The last thing Jung states in his theory is the idea of Wholeness which is having both polarities of our life met. Carl Jung’s theory challenges much of Freud’s, but in some ways is similar. Jung gets more into man being more spiritual than sexual which is almost the opposite of Freud. I probably only agree with Jung’s theories of the Archetypal Complexes and the examples that I stated with them. The next psychologist that I will mention will be a social psychodynamic psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler. Alfred Adler came from the liberal point of view in which he felt man is good and society is bad. He was much less of a pessimist than Freud was; Almost a complete opposite from Freud. Adler believed that society impedes humans. His view of the mind is much like Carl Jung’s, but instead of having the ego at the top he has the conscious alone at the top with the unconscious on the bottom, which I probably agree with the most. He felt that social interests drive motivation, which is an innate drive to be social and to belong. He also stated in his theory that mankind is dependent on others and their reactions and their acceptance which in turn leaves mankind very vulnerable. The main idea of this theory is that he feels that mankind is more social than biological. I mostly agree with this because humans these days try to be something there not. They go to the extremes to try to fit in. A great example of this would definitely be that in today’s schools there are cliques and clans of different people that feel that they are cooler or better and than the people who are not as popular do whatever they can to fit in with a certain group. Teenagers nowadays are probably the best example there is of Adler’s theory of social interest. Another part of Adler’s theory that he brings up is the idea of the creative self which he says drives us toward human nature. There are two parts to this theory and they are the superiority complex and the inferiority complex. First the superiority complex states mankind tries to better themselves in order to overcome our weaknesses. I agree with this because I am living proof. In everything I do I always try to make myself better. I don’t give up until I feel I have completely given it everything I have got. On every weakness that I have especially when it comes to fitness I kill myself everyday to look my greatest and to feel the best that I can feel. This takes much hard work and dedication, but I do not even think about it when I think about how I am going to feel and look when I accomplish my goals. The second part of this theory is the inferiority complex which is when society measures us up to their standards. This is also when we begin to avoid our weaknesses instead of trying to overcome them. I have many examples when there is person who is not so good at an activity whatever the case may be, and completely get frustrated and give up instead of bettering themselves. I have even probably done this as well as most mankind which I feel is going to be the downfall of our society and our race. Alfred Adler’s entire theory I feel is a great one and I feel he has a great perspective on human behavior and I would agree with Adler on almost all of his theory. I feel he is the most accurate in his interpretation of human behavior. B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist which means he is neutral in his theories; all men start as blank slates. He believed that men are controlled by their environment and they can be molded. All behavior is learned and conscious. Operant Conditioning is the idea that man is shaped by repetition and/or reinforcement. Reinforcement can be broken down into many different categories. First is primary reinforcement which meets biological and psychological needs. Next comes secondary reinforcement which is a conditioned reinforcer and it is a learned value. An example of this would be money. Positive reinforcement is the next part, and it is anything someone wants that increases positive behavior. Negative reinforcement is oftenly mistaken for punishment which it is not. Negative reinforcement is basically avoidance or behaving in a way to avoid a negative stimulus or consequence. Escape is another part of negative reinforcement which is avoiding something that is already there. Punishment which decreases the likelihood of a negative behavior. Examples of this could be jail or other sorts of consequences. Punishment has limited effects. There are short-term residual effects. Another part of Skinner’s theory is something by the name of Beyond Freedom and Dignity which says that man does not have free will. He is a product of reinforcement. Skinner says free will is an illusion and that man should have no pride. He also says that whatever mankind accomplishes he accomplishes because of a system which has certain limitations. B.F. Skinner says that "Man’s Biggest Problem" is that mankind’s behavior is more easily influenced by small or immediate reinforcers than it is by large but distant and uncertain reinforcers. In other words Skinner feels that we will take immediate gratification and not look at the long-term results. He feels man is very short cited. The part of Skinner’s theory that I do not agree with completely is that he thinks that man is a blank slate and he can be shaped and molded by his society. I feel that society should not take full credit for all of mankind’s behavior. Also I do not fully agree that all behavior is learned. I feel some is genetically inherited. Operant Conditioning is the part of Skinner’s theory I feel is pretty accurate because in daily life the more you do an activity the more it gets processed in your mind and becomes almost automatic. The idea that man has no free will I do not agree with because I believe all of mankind has freewill. When Skinner says that Man’s Biggest Problem is that he will take immediate gratification before looking into long term effects I completely agree with him on that. People these days only think about what is going to happen now without thinking about what will happen in the future. Skinner’s theory of Man’s Biggest Problem is probably one of the most accurate theory’s I that I could ever agree with. Erich Fromm who is a liberal social psychodynamic psychologist who was also a student of Freuds’. He believes that man is innately good and society is the thing that corrupts him. He also feels that the conscious mind dominates over the unconscious. Fromm says man is a social creature and he believes that mankind has social needs. He says life is a struggle and society makes our lives difficult. Fromm feels that the four needs of mans’ social life are relatedness, frame of reference, identity, and transcendence. Relatedness is a basic need and it states that man needs to feel connected to humanity whether it be friends, family, or activities. It also states that man has to be interacted with other in order to belong. The problems start when a person feels that they are not a part of something. Relatedness is probably the most powerful need. Frame of Reference are common ideas and beliefs of looking at the world. This is when we seek out a belief system or a value system. We receive our frame of reference from where we find our relatedness. Without frame of reference there is no meaning to life. Identity is the next out of the four needs of mans’ social life which is when you know who you are and what you stand for. With identity you have to establish your own uniqueness or identity. Recognizing differences in others help you to find your own identity. Next comes transcendence which is rarely achieved and this means to rise above societies conformities in order to be an individual. With transcendence there is a risk of losing your relatedness, and for this not to happen relatedness must allow you rise above society. A conflict of freedom and loneliness means that the more that we become transcendent the more we lose the relatedness. I agree with Fromm when he states that society corrupts man. I also feel that the conscious mind dominates over the unconscious. I do not agree that man is 100% social either. When Fromm says that the four needs of social life are relatedness, frame of reference, identity, and transcendence I could not agree with more. Everyday you see people that have to be well connected in the social pipeline and without it I do not think they would function normally. There are plenty of people that have to be liked and be in a certain group in order to be mentally stable. People think it is a bad thing when you are not in the popular group or not cool enough to be liked and accepted by a certain group. I also do feel that there are some people who know who they are and what they stand for. These are the people that survive the longest is the long run because they know who they are and they will not change for anything. Realizing other people’s differences also helps to boost your identity which in turn causes a person to create their own uniqueness. I think that I am a perfect example of a person who has all four needs met at all times and that I know exactly what I am and who I stand for. I would not change who I am and my behavior just to fit into the social pipeline. I have to plenty of parties where there has been everything from drinking to sex and I have never given in to the peer pressure of drinking, smoking or anything else while I was there, but I still had all the fun in the world. The reason why I don’t give in is because I care about my health I have set values for myself and I like to follow them exactly like I planned. This way I will never do something that I would regret. All of Fromm’s theories are very accurate when it comes to social needs, but when it comes to human behavior in general I don’t feel that man is completely social. Michael Itsines is the next psychologist which is a mixture between a psychodynamic psychologist and a behaviorist. I feel that behavior is an upside down iceberg and consciousness is at the top and the unconscious is on the bottom. I think that most behavior is conscious. Neither man or society is bad just at times it seems like one of the two influences a little more of behavior. I feel that man is both biological and social. The part that I think is biological is the part of Freud’s theory where he states there is an ID, Superego and an Ego. Another thing that I agree with is Freud’s theory of the Defense Mechanisms. I feel that mankind uses each one of them in everyday life. Another thing that is a great example of man being biological is that at sometimes man can have animal drives and desires. The only thing that keeps us from behaving like an animal is the thing that man developed thousands of years ago and that is rational thought. This is the difference between human and animal behavior. That’s what separates man from animal. We do this in order to curb our human nature. Another reason why I think man partially biological is because of Carl Jung’s theory of Archetypal complexes which are genetically transmitted response strategies and I feel that mankind has this. On the social side I feel that man is partially motivated by social needs such the four needs of man’s social life which are relatedness, frame of reference, identity, and transcendence. I agree with Fromm on this theory. This is probably on the most accurate examples of man being a social creature. Also Adler stated in his theory that social interests motivate us. Social Interest is an innate drive to be social and to belong. B.F. Skinner states in his theory that behavior is driven by external rewards. Also he says that reinforcement plays a huge role mankind’s behavior. I feel that man is also driven by the idea of free will which to Skinner seems to be an illusion. I think mankind has free will but maybe takes it for granted. Overall I feel that man can be both good and bad at times but then again so can society. Sometimes society has a great deal of influence on human behavior. An example of this would be that man pushes himself in order to be the best he can be and to reach the top. Mankind will stop at nothing in order to be number one. Selfishness and greediness are probably going to be the downfall of the human race. If mankind could actually see differences in other people instead of making them look like something there are not everybody and everything would be much happier and they would live a much more fuller life. In my theory I think that mankind should be much more grateful and appreciative for the environment that is created and for what they have become due to their environment. Man’s behavior just can not be either biological or social because I feel that mankind also passes on behavior through genetic inheritance. Man has to be both according to my own theory and I stand by it.