Personality
Theories – Freud and Jung
Two
of the most influential psychologists when it comes to the psychodynamic
perspective are Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Although the two men used to have
a close relationship, both personally and professionally, irreconcilable
differences in ideas and perspectives brought an end to their friendship. However,
even though the psychologists grew apart, the psychology world gained so much
knowledge and information from their different theories, which are still
valued, respected and applied, even if both theories were highly criticized.
Underlying
Assumptions
Sigmund
Freud
Sigmund
Freud was the first psychologist to create a theory based on the idea of
unconscious processes, and how they influence our lives. In fact, his
proposition about the unconscious mental processes was the main aspect that
differentiated psychoanalysis from other theories at the time it was exposed.
It is safe to say that two of the main concepts in Freud’s theory are sex and
aggression, on which most of it is based. By analyzing patients and observing
his own dreams, Freud developed the theory based on the influence that
unconscious mental processes have on behavior (Feist & Feist, 2009).
The
main idea behind Freud’s theory is the group of fundamental elements present in
the human mind, which are the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious.
The first, the conscious mind, represents what humans are aware of any time,
like thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories and fantasies. The preconscious
is the part of the mind associated with the part of the memory that can be
easily accessed and brought up. The unconscious, on the other hand, which was
considered by Freud to be the most influential aspect of the human mind,
represents the instincts and drives that humans are not aware of. Those drives
were created within the unconscious, and are the main source of motivation in
humans.
Carl
Jung
Carl
Gustav Jung, also commonly referred to as C.G. Jung, was born in Kesswil, in
the Swiss canton of Thurgau, in 1875. Jung and Freud were originally friends
and colleagues, and Jung was elected as a member of the International
Psychoanalytical Association with the help and support of Freud. However, after
several disagreements and conflicting ideas, the relationship ended, resulting
in Jung’s withdraw from the association, and consequently, the formation of his
own analytical psychology theory.
Unlike
Freud’s psychoanalysis, which presented the unconscious mind as the primary
force behind human motivations, Carl Jung believed that repressed memories,
associated with the collective unconscious, is what provoked human motivation
the most. The analytical psychology theory has its foundation on the idea that
the human mind resides in the world, and plays an important role in influencing
behaviors and thought processes in humans (Feist & Feist, 2009). The
collective unconscious is a collection of inherited characteristics and
repressed experiences. One of the concepts most referred to by Jung is the idea
of self-realization, which could only be accomplished by having different the
personalities existing within the self being balanced. In other words, this
internal opposition and its balance are the main concepts in this theory, as
Jung believed that people are formed by opposing forces and ideas – introversion
and extroversion, rationality and irrationality, conscious and unconscious. By
balancing these opposing forces, wholeness could be achieved (Feist &
Feist, 2009).
The
important differentiation between Freud’s and Jung’s theory is that Freud did
not considered inherited characteristics as an important part of the mind
unless he could not find any other explanations for the case, whereas Jung
believed the collective unconscious to be a crucial element in human
motivation.
Determinism
versus Free Will
Freud’s
belief was that most behaviors had their foundation in events from the past,
primarily from early childhood experiences. Most of these experiences lied in
the unconscious mind, and Freud believed that it was important for humans to
bring this suppressed memories to surface and become aware of where their
motivations truly came from, at the risk of living life being controlled by unconscious
strings. Although most individuals tend to believe that they are in control of
their lives and destinies, Freud disagreed. He once stated that "the ego
is not master in its own house" (Freud, 1933, p. 143 as cited by Feist
& Feist, 2009). Based on these facts, it is safe to say that psychoanalysis
was primarily deterministic, as Freud explained that experiences from the past
influenced behaviors the most.
Jung’s
opinion on the matter was not as extreme as Freud’s, as he believed in the
existence of conflicting poles within each individual. Unlike Freud, Jung did
not believe that past childhood experiences were the only source of motivation
present in humans, and they could participate in the decision-making processes
of their lives and destinies. Jung believed that the collective unconscious
represented the possibility for individuals to work towards self-realization.
Analysis
of Self Awareness
Freud’s
belief was that human behavior was motivated exclusively by unconscious
directives, which individuals had no control over. He also believed that humans
may be aware of behaviors and thoughts, but they are usually not aware of the
mental processes behind those behaviors.
Because of Freud’s deterministic views, he believed that individuals
themselves and the environment had little influence on the person’s destiny,
and the unconscious was where the entire individual’s motivation came from.
Jung,
on the other hand, believed that individuals must make an aware decision to
find balance between opposed forces within themselves, to finally achieve the
ultimate goal of self-realization. To achieve that self-realization, both the
conscious and the unconscious worked together to bring motivation, in the hopes
of reaching self-realization. Jung’s ideas were not as extreme as Freud’s, as
he believed that humans made conscious decisions towards their goals.
Conclusion
It
is safe to say that although Jung’s and Freud’s ideas had some conflicting
points, both psychologists have tremendously impacted the psychology community.
Their ideas on the self, the conscious and the unconscious mind were
ground-breaking, at a time when only observable behaviors were considered valid
for study. The most important conflicting points studied in this essay were
Freud’s idea of exclusively unconscious sources of motivation, and Jung’s
combination of the collective unconscious and past experiences. Freud’s
psychoanalysis was the foundation for Jung’s theory, as he learned many
concepts and ideas from his old mentor. However, he was able to express his own
individual ideas and create the analytical psychology theory, which was just as
important as Freud’s, even if not as popularly recognized.
References
Cherry,
K. (2013). The conscious and unconscious
mind. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/consciousuncon.htm
on September 30, 2013.
Feist,
J. & Feist, G. J. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw Hill.
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