Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler and Carl Jung were among the first to develop original personality theories and to study human consciousness in terms of behavior, though every theorists is famous for his own interpretation of personality.
Nevertheless, the founder of personality study school is claimed to be Sigmund Freud because he was the first to pay attention to affect of consciousness on human behavioral patterns. Further, Freud drew the term “psychodynamics”. Freud took the idea that heat is converted into mechanical energy and, therefore, psychic energy is converted into behavioral patterns.His theory of personality is the central to studying unconscious psychological conflicts and situation. According to Sigmund Freud, human personality divided into ego, superego and id.
(Engler 2006) Freud defines id as the source of sexual energy which is necessarily to be released and expressed in a particular way. The id stimulates pleasure principle. Then, ego is defined as the structure assisting people in expressing themselves and their id. Ego is necessary when realistically meeting demands and wishes of personality according to the outer world.Actually, ego is reality principle.
Thirdly, the idea of superego is based on moral judgment and societal orders and rules. Superego is obliged to keep id and ego in check. Freud says that superego is “the last function of the personality to develop and may be seen as an outcome of the interactions with one’s parents during the long period of childhood dependency”. (Ryckman 2004) Thus, Freud argues that human personality is based on combination of these components which are constantly interacting.It is necessary also to outline that sexuality is dominating component of Freud’s theory. As Ryckman notes, “Freud believed that humans are sexual throughout childhood, though Freud’s broad understanding of sexuality inclined all kinds of pleasurable feelings expressed by the human body”.
(Ryckman 2004) Alfred Adler supported Freud’s idea of personality agreeing that early childhood experiences was very important for future development and he claimed that birth order influenced personality development.However, he admitted that human personality was to be explained teleologically and should be guided by individual’s unconscious self. Social and ethical demands form the desires of the self ideal fostering in such a way egocentrism, aggression and developing hunger for power. Despite Adler didn’t believe in personality types, he distinguished five types. Firstly, getting type are people being selfish and willing to take and not to give back. Such people aren’t social and they are characterized by low levels of activities.
Then, avoiding types are people who hate when being defeated. Such people can be successful, though they avoid risky situations. The ruling dominant type are those who have hunger for power and who want to manipulate other people to achieve the desired outcome. Finally, the social useful type are those who tend to be very active and outgoing.
Such people are striving for better future for everybody. (Engler 2006) Speaking about Carl Jung it is necessary to underline that he opposes Freudian and Adler’s philosophy of personality.Jung and Freud had different ideas of human mind and consciousness as Jung’s theory depends of human abilities to be socially active. Jung developed his own theory concerning personality types. According to Jung humans are divided into extroverts and introverts.
Introverts prefer their internal world of thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and dreams. Extroverts prefer to be involved in external world, activities and people’s interactions. According to Jung in order not to confuse words like sociability and shyness, extroverts tend to be social, whereas introverts tend to be shy and calm.Actually introvert is more mature if compared with extrovert. Otherwise, extroverts are associated with more cultural values then introverts. Introverts and extroverts have to deal with the inner and outer world preferring their own way of dealing with it.
(Jung 1991) Summing up, personality types help people to find themselves and to understand better their abilities and desires. Personality types direct people in a right way, although a person shouldn’t consider them as his destiny. (Ryckman 2004)
