One of the most important fields of study in psychology and psychoanalysis is personality, this can be defined as the mental characteristics that are part of an individual and differentiate them from others. Personality is a very difficult construct to analyze since we can only infer it through people’s behavior, which is why today many researches are focused on studying this very important part of our psyche.
Sigmund Freud is known for the great contribution that his theory made to the world of psychology; he dedicated much of his life and efforts to shedding some light on the intricate corners of our minds. In the following Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the personality types in psychology according to Sigmund Freud.
Freud’s theory: psychoanalysis
He was a doctor of Austrian origin who focused much of his career on studying and trying to understand the intricate human mind. He is recognized as the father of psychoanalysis and thanks to his theories, mental health therapies began to be given importance.
Psychoanalytic theory: summary
Psychoanalysis is a discipline of psychology focused on investigating beyond visible behaviors. This theory maintains that personality is the result of the interaction between internal conflicts and external demands. Furthermore, psychoanalysis affirms that there are impulses and thoughts outside our consciousness (unconscious) that guide and mark our temperament.
Freud stated that the mind was made up of different levels or layers. These levels are called conscious, preconscious and unconscious. Each layer has specific information about our personality and our way of behaving with others. Likewise, the deeper the layer, the more hidden information there is.
- Aware: It is the most visible level of our thoughts, we can access it through a reflection exercise, the conscious part of our mind encompasses our most explicit desires and ideas.
- Preconscious: This layer of the human mind is considered the bridge between direct thoughts and more subconscious impulses. At this level there are thoughts that are a little more difficult to access. One of the tools in psychoanalytic therapy is based on taking the contents of the unconscious to the preconscious in order to access them.
- Unconscious: For Freud, the unconscious is the unknown and inaccessible part of the human mind, we do not know with certainty what happens in that layer of our mind, however, psychoanalysis maintains that it greatly influences our personality. The unconscious includes content related to lived experiences, personal traumas and animal impulses.
The theory of psychoanalysis aims to explain the entire functioning of the human being, from the most visible behaviors to the most repressed emotions, including traumas and psychological disorders that began to be documented since the birth of this discipline.
Personality structure according to Freud
Freud develops different personality models to try to understand how individual differences work. Among these theories, we highlight the structural model. This model separates our mind into three concepts: . This personality theory divides the human psyche according to the functions each element performs.
The It
We define the id as the most primary and instinctive part of the human being, the main objective of the id is to satisfy impulses (also known as drives). Aggressiveness, sexual desire, the search for pleasure… all these feelings are managed through the It and thanks to the pleasure principle. This element of the human psyche accompanies us from the moment we are born and aims to cover our most basic needs.
The I
This element is responsible for connecting us with the reality that surrounds us, we understand then that the Self works thanks to the reality principle. The objective of the Self is to satisfy the desires of the id using the reality we have as tools. The reality principle analyzes the situation and makes decisions based on the costs and benefits of each action. The ego regulates the instincts and desires of the id.
The Superego
The last element of Freud’s structural model is the Superego. This level includes the ethical and moral ideas of each individual. The Superego also controls the impulses of the id, however, it does so through the ego ideal and moral conscience. According to Freud, this element does not accompany us from birth but rather we learn it through parents and other authority figures.
Theory of personality development: genetic model
Sigmund Freud’s genetic model seeks to understand personality through psychological and sexual development. According to this theory, people’s behavior will be strongly influenced by the search for pleasure during childhood in different erogenous zones of the body. Depending on the developmental stage the child is in, the erogenous zone will be different. Likewise, if too much gratification or a feeling of sudden frustration occurs at a particular stage, a specific type of personality will develop during adulthood.
Personality stages
- Oral stage: In this initial stage, the erogenous zone involved is the mouth. It is established from birth until after the first year. Frustration at this stage can generate an aggressive and reactive personality.
- Anal stage: This phase ranges from the first year to four years. It is characterized by experimenting with the retention and expulsion of feces and focuses its pleasure on the anus. A problem during this stage can make an individual very withdrawn or, on the contrary, lax and wasteful.
- Phallic stage: Between four and seven years of age, according to this theory, the infant has the focus of pleasure in the phallus and genitals. The first masturbatory acts begin and frustration during this process can develop the famous Oedipus complex and the Electra complex.
- Latency stage: During this stage (between the ages of seven and adolescence) there is no specific focus of erogenous pleasure. Freud believed that the sexual drive was put aside to allow the individual to learn correctly about the environment.
- Genital stage: Finally, during this stage the child has grown enough and allows the sexual drive to take over his individual. It is in the genital stage where people experiment with sexuality and reaffirm themselves as a man or woman (according to their theory).
Conception of personality
Sigmund Freud described numerous personality models, these models constantly interact with each other and complement each other at a theoretical level. The two models described in this article are only a small part of Freud’s entire theory of personality and must be understood as a process in search of the broadest and most absolute definition that can be made of the human psyche.
Over the years, the conception of personality has changed radically. What in its beginnings was an aspect full of enigmas, individual definitions and extensive personal analyses, today can be reduced to some statistical ideas. Some experts have provided great ones, Maslow with his pyramid or Cattell with his famous 16-factor test.
However, simplifying the conception of personality to factors and statistics is somewhat reductionist. Each person is unique and it would not be entirely correct to abbreviate an entire life to a number or a factor. This is why the practice of psychology should take into account all theoretical perspectives to integrate what most benefits each patient.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Personality types in psychology according to Sigmund Freudwe recommend that you enter our category.