Psychodynamic theory
Sigmund Freud argued that every individual progresses along certain stages of psychosocial development based on the structure of the mind and the functions of that mind (Pervin, 2005, pp. 76-77). Biology is the most important factor within this progress in that the psyche is involved in the control of the drives on a basic level (Pervin, 2005, p. 31). An individual either progresses smoothly along this path, or he or she fails to progress and becomes “fixated” at one level or another (Pervin, 2005, p. 123). His stages of psychosocial development are:
1) Oral, from birth to 18 months
2) 18 months to three years
3) Phallic, from three to six
4) Latency, from six to puberty, and
5) Genital, puberty and post-puberty (AllPsych Online, 2004, pars. 2-8).
Freud would find my .personality development to be almost distressingly normal. If I were fixated in the oral stage, I might be a smoker or given to drink too much. Although I do enjoy good food, my life does not revolve around it in any excessive fashion. In that case, I would say that I am not orally fixated. Freud would state, too, that a person fixated in the anal stage is either excessively concerned with retaining things or excessively concerned with expelling them. In many cases, this fixation appears as excessive cleanliness or sloppiness around the home (AllPsych Online, 2004, par. 3).
Although I do demand cleanliness in certain aspects of my life, I do not consider myself a “neat freak.” Certainly, the desktop in front of me as I type attests to that! However, I am not very sloppy, either. I know where every possession is kept and I feel happier in a neat environment, even if it. is not clean to the point of being sterile.
The phallic period is described as being where sexual identity is formed. Although Freud never approved of labeling an “Electra complex,” which corresponded to his Oedipus Complex, I did experience extreme emotional attachment for my father at that age. My affection for my father remained, however, even well after the phallic period age. Freud believes that with this stage of development, the human personality is all but formed.
After six, Freud’s psychodynamics state that individuals repress their sexual feelings, which will not appear again until the last stage of development. I am uncertain of what purpose Freud really believed this stage had, other than children forming bonds with others of their own sex. Although I had many young friends to play with at that age, I always felt equally as comfortable with boys as I did with girls.
Freud makes it clear that the genital stage lasts from puberty throughout an individual’s adult life, during which time the individual’s pleasure is supposed to be derived primarily from the genitals. Although I believe that there is nothing wrong with genital pleasure, I believe that life’s pleasures come from far more than merely that source.
I was confident and open to new experiences throughout my life , based on my traits, I realize how I determine college majors and careers. I always choose what fit my personality and therefore offer me a greater chance of success. Information regarding my personality, interaction, and beliefs about myself and the world enabled me to understand which traits allow me to do good in college, in relationships and in a specific career. Knowing my personality I was able to move forwards to a more agreeable future because I knew my limitations and strong points. I always strive hard to accomplish my goals and I do not quit until I am content I did my best. Few of the characteristics who followed me through my life are achievement; I always did the best possible out of all my responsibilities and tasks. Endurance, I kept up physically and mentally with all duties until they were fulfilled as required. Nurturance, I provide moral support to those who needed. Orderliness, I always been detailed oriented and was able to organized my thoughts and tools in order to achieve all needed goals. Being introvert at times enabled me to graduate from college and finish the projects in due time for my career and know in this course. At times being extrovert it helped me to maintain friendships and obtain the needed network to succeed at school and work.
Trait Theory
Gordon Allport sought to correct the mistake that he believed Freud had made in seeking hidden motives behind all things that an individual did (Ewen, 2003, p. 256). For this reason, he developed a theory that described a set series of basic drives or traits that were common to all people and were measured empirically, rather than by observation. Unlike Freud, Allport believed that personality developed over a lifetime (Ewen, 2003, p. 261). Later, Raymond Cattell expanded on Allport’s theories, as a means of determining which traits had the most value, through testing using factor analysis (Ewen, 2003, p. 282).
AllPsych Online (2004) lists these traits, the “Big Five, as being 1) Openness to experience, 2) Conscientiousness, 3) Extroversion/introversion, 4) Agreeableness, and 5) Neuroticism (par. 2). People exhibit these traits along a “continuum,” from either extreme of possessing a high degree to a low degree of a trait, or falling somewhere in the middle (AllPsych Online, 2004, par. 3).
Unfortunately, I find that on the agreeableness scale that I am becoming more suspicious and less trusting of the people around me. I try to be helpful whenever possible, but find that my increasing suspiciousness sometimes leads to my being perceived as unfriendly or even disagreeable.
If I am honest, I will say that I am a little on the high side of the neuroticism scale. I wouldn’t say that I am unstable, but there are times that I am easily upset and have minor mood swings. These things are, I think, part of normal life rather than approaching unbalanced thinking. However, as with any of these scales, I feel that my own reactions are less reliable than any empirical data would be.
These theories of personality development are very different in their focus. Although psychodynamics and trait theory both result in drawing a picture of how an individual interacts with the world, it seems that neither is more “accurate” or more “reliable” than the other. Rather, both methods of measurement simply draw different pictures, each with a different focus than the other.
References
AllPsych Online. (2004). Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. Chapter 3: Personality Development. Retrieved 9 Jun 2006 from: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/sexual_development.html
AllPsych Online. (2004a). Personality synopsis. Chapter 7: Trait theory. Retrieved 9 Jun 2006 from: http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/trait_application.html
Ewen, R. B. (2003). An introduction to theories of personality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pervin, L. A. (2005). Personality: Theory and Research. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
