Psychoanalytic and Trait Approaches to Personality There are several different aspects of analyzing a persons personality. No two people will be the exact same.

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Psychoanalytic and Trait Approaches to Personality

Dyanne Kelley

Psy 250

Dr. Leslie Brougham

December 15, 2008

Psychoanalytic and Trait Approaches to Personality

There are several different aspects of analyzing a person's personality. No two people will be the exact same. One theory, the psychoanalytic approach, states that the traits of a person's personality are directly related to his or her unconscious mind. On the other hand, the trait approach suggests that personality constant and reoccurring characteristics define personality. Each theory presents a host of valuable information when assessing someone's personality.

One major theory of lifespan development that appeals to me is Freud's Personality Theory. Sigmund Freud's theory both describes the complex functioning of the adult personality and offers an explanation of the processes and progress of its development throughout childhood (Blewitt & Broderick, 2006). Through use of the id, ego, and superego, Freud explains three major functions of the human psyche: the pleasure principle, the reality principle, and a "bridge" to keep the two in check. The pleasure principle (id) is what drives us until the reality principle (ego) can develop as we get older. From there, the superego develops to keep