Comparing Sigmund Freud's Theory Of Personality And

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History of Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and the father of modern psychotherapy, also known as the talking cure. Before psychotherapy early psychology focused mainly on the conscious human experience (Wolitzky, 2011). Freud changed the face of psychology in a dramatic way proposing that personality emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind, rather than the conscious. Freud worked with patients suffering from hysteria which lead him to believe that early childhood experiences and unconscious urges transferred to development of adult personality and behavior (Storr, 1989). His comprehensive theory of personality and psychopathology had a great impact on the 20th-century thought and culture, unlike any …show more content…
The unconscious factors have the potential to produce unhappiness, expressed through a multitude of symptoms like social issues, disturbing personality traits, lack of self-esteem or general temperament (Thurschwell, 2000). Freud saw patients being motivated by a desire to seek gratification of wishes but also to keep the wish and its associated affect out of awareness if it were dangerous or unacceptable (Wolitzky, 20ll, pg. 36.) Psychoanalysis seeks to explain the relationship between the body and the mind and further the understanding of the role emotions play in medical illness and health (Storr, 1989). Freud believed that people were driven by sex or aggression. These drives were representative of internal instincts one had. These drives powered everything a human would do and want to do. Freud thought that life was about pleasure and avoiding pain, also called determinism (Wolitzky, 2011). Governing these drives were the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id was defined as a person’s instinct or want, the pleasure principle; the Ego the reality of the situation, what was actually occurring and a balance between the Id and Superego, and lastly the Superego was a person’s moral compass. These three ideas in combination with one another controlled how a person sorted out their …show more content…
Cognitive theory attempts to relieve pain and anguish as fast as possible by re-educating the mind to replace dysfunctional patterns, perceptions, and behaviors with more realistic or helpful ones to change the behavior and emotions associated (Sapp, 2004). Advocates of psychoanalysis argue that for most problems, a more ingrained treatment is required for permanent change. On the other hand, advocates for cognitive theory argue that briefer methods are just as

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