Personality Theories Essay -- essays research papers Freud Psychology

Personality Theories   Table of Contents Freud Jung Adler Rogers Maslow Humanistic strengths and weakness Psychodynamic strengths and weakness Some similarities of both Web Resources Freud Biography Biography Sigmund Freud was born May 6, 1856, in a small town -- Freiberg -- in Moravia. His father was a wool merchant with a keen mind and a good sense of humor. His mother was a lively woman, her husband's second wife and 20 years younger. She was 21 years old when she gave birth to her first son, her darling, Sigmund. Sigmund had two older half-brothers and six younger siblings. When he was four or five -- he wasn't sure -- the family moved to Vienna, where he lived most of his life. A brilliant child, always at the head of his class, he went to medical school, one of the few viable options for a bright Jewish boy in Vienna those days. There, he became involved in research under the direction of a physiology professor named Ernst Brà ¼cke. Brà ¼cke believed in what was then a popular, if radical, notion, which we now call reductionism: "No other forces than the common physical-chemical ones are active within the organism." Freud would spend many years trying to "reduce" personality to neurology, a cause he later gave up on. Freud was very good at his research, concentrating on neurophysiology, even inventing a special cell-staining technique. But only a limited number of positions were available, and there were others ahead of him. Brà ¼cke helped him to get a grant to study, first with the great psychiatrist Charcot in Paris, then with his rival Bernheim in Nancy. Both these gentlemen were investigating the use of hypnosis with hysterics. After spending a short time as a resident in neurology and director of a children's ward in Berlin, he came back to Vienna, married his fiancà ©e of many years Martha Bernays, and set up a practice in neuropsychiatry, with the help of Joseph Breuer. Freud's books and lectures brought him both fame and ostracism from the mainstream of the medical community. He drew around him a number of very bright sympathizers who became the core of the psychoanalytic movement. Unfortunately, Freud had a penchant for rejecting people who did not totally agree with him. Some separated from him on friendly terms; others did not, and went on to found competing schools of thought. Freud emigrated to England j... ... capacity for a psychologically healthy human evolutionary process. These theorists are upbeat and positive about life and seem to have genuine empathy and liking for their fellow humankind. There were also some large theoretical differences observed among the theorists. 1. When is personality fixed ? Adler argued basic personality was fixed at age five, and Jung thought that the thirties and forties were an important time of intense personality development. 2. What is the goal of the personality theorist ? Cattell was in the traditional "understand and control" camp of psychology, while Carl Rogers argued it is pathological to try to control other peoples behavior. 3. What is the role of the client during treatment ? Here, we have seen somewhat of an evolution in treatment philosophy. Early theorists such as Jung and Freud were very directive in their therapy, and controlled much of the interpretations of thoughts and behaviors. More recently, theorists have tried to make the cl ient a full partner in the research, even to the point of having the client suggest solutions. Web Resources www.webster.edu www.mccc.edu www.reference.com www.wynja.com www.rpi.edu classweb.gmu.edu