Lesson 6: Freud and Jung's Analyses of Personality

Psychoanalytic Theories of Personality

According to Psychoanalytic theories of personality, the differences in behavior, attitude, and emotional temperament derive from unconscious motives and desires. Sigmund Freud originated this view of personality and proposed that personality was structured around conflict between the id, which is the unconscious structure that includes the basic impulses, and superego, the moral self which is motivated by social needs. The two personality components are moderated by the ego. During development, the id develops first, then the ego then the superego. If the family life is perfect, the individual will develop into a healthy well-adjusted adult. However, conflicts arise during development and these conflicts unconsciously motivate behavior.

 

TakeNotes.jpgTake a minute to take some notes: Distinguish between the id, ego and superego

 

Jung – Type Theory

Jung viewed the self as constantly growing through the lifespan toward an ‘optimal’ self. This optimal self would be achieved through a balance of opposing aspects of personality, a process called individuation Links to an external site. (Jung, 1921). Specifically, according to Jung (1921), our libido is our general life force; in other words, our personal energy that can be directed toward anything: eating, creating art, working, watching T.V. etc. The direction of this libido comprises the general personality types: introversion vs. extraversion, i.e. the difference between these 2 is how the libido is directed. If one is an introvert their libido/life force is directed inward toward the self. An introvert would tend to be preoccupied with their inner life and be resistant to outside influences. In contrast, an extravert would direct that life force outward toward objects or other people and see themselves in relation to those objects and people. Extraverts tend to be motivated by extrinsic rewards and adapt more quickly to their environment.

In addition to how an individual directs libido energy, Jung specified four functions of personality that describe how we gain knowledge about the world. Again, Jung believed the psyche was structured around opposing forces so these 4 functions are divided into 2 dichotomies; the first is sensation vs. intuition. Someone who is considered high in sensation will gain knowledge by focusing on external stimuli and through observation of concrete facts about the world whereas someone who is high in intuition makes use of unconscious ‘hunches” and transforms sensory data into meaningful patterns.

These ideas were expanded upon by adding another dichotomy reflecting how we respond to situations. This is the distinction between thinking vs. feeling. The thinking personality responds objectively - trying to be neutral and rational and to understand the situation intellectually. In contrast, the feeling personality makes decisions using more internal, subjective values.

Thus, 8 psychological profiles are possible in Jung’s typology:

INT     ENT

INF     ENF

IST     EST

ISF     ESF

 

So, an INT will direct energy toward his or her inner world, gaining knowledge by looking for patterns in the external world and making decisions on the basis of rational, objective thought. In contrast, an ESF will direct his or her energy outward, gaining knowledge through observation and making decisions on the basis of how things feel internally.

Later, Myers and Briggs (1980) added another dimension: judging vs. perceiving to complete what we now refer to as the 16 Myers-Briggs types. This dimension “reflects how a person implements the information he or she has processed. Judging means that a person organizes all of his life events and, as a rule, sticks to his plans. Perceiving means that he or she is inclined to improvise and explore alternative options (para. 6).”

Take a minute to take some notes: How might an ENTJ differ from an 

ISFP?

 

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Freud or Jung?