FREUD AND NEO-FREUDIANS IN PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT Freud was the first to comprehensively study personality and pathologies associated with one s personality. He studied a few patients extensively and uncovered the talking cure, which was the basis for modern psychotherapy. He compared the mind to an iceberg, of which only a small proportion is the conscious mind. About 90 percent is unconscious. Things like Freudian slips of the tongue were felt to be related to things deep within one s subconscious. Freud believed that personality is based on conflicts that arise between two different forces. These are biological, aggressive, and pleasure-seeking drives, and internalized control over these drives. Freud labeled three factors or systems in the mind. These were the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is subconscious, which is primitive urges or drives. It is present from the time of birth and represents urges related to thirst, hunger, and sex. It seeks immediate gratification. The superego is like the internal parent, that understands right from wrong and is the person s conscience. It judges and controls one s behaviors, which can lead to self-pride, or guilty feelings, depending on the superego s success. The ego is rational and is part of the personality seen by others. It balances the controversy between the id and the superego. As you can imagine, the superego and the id are in continual conflict so it takes the ego to find a rational middle ground between them. Those with a healthy personality have a strong ego. Any imbalance in this personality system is considered likely to result in neurosis. Strong superegos involve being guilty and denying the person s ability to have pleasure, while strong ids can indicate a psychopath. According to Freud, people have certain defense mechanisms or protections they use to defend themselves. These are largely anxiety-reducing factors that are subconscious. Everyone, even healthy individuals, use defense mechanisms. Some of these include the following:
141
