Freuds Theories on Personality free essay sample

Sigmund Freud developed psychodynamic theories on personality. He believed that there are three elements to our personality. The first is the ID, the second is the ego, and the third is the superego. He believed that each element keeps the others in check; therefore if all elements are well balanced the person had a healthy personality. Freud also developed a theory in which he believed our subconscious developed defense mechanisms to help us cope with anxiety and conflict. Finally, and quite possibly the most controversial and most known of his theories, he developed what he called the ‘psychosexual stages’. According to Sean McLeod, Freud believed life was composed of either pleasure or tension, and that tension was just built up sexual energy and pleasure was the only way to release the tension. (McLeod, 2008) As you can imagine, his theories were not widely accepted and are still hot topics of debate amongst psychoanalysts today. Freud believed the only element of our personality that is present at birth is the ID. He believed it to be the unconscious and included all of our natural and primitive instincts, or survival instincts. Freud was convinced that the ID is ruled by the pleasure principle. McLeod’s impression of the pleasure principle is that when the id doesn’t receive the gratification it seeks it begins to experience unpleasure. (McLeod, 2008) For instance, when an infant is hungry it will cry until it is fed. Being fed is part of the ID because it is a survival instinct and when that need is fulfilled it provides pleasure in a feeling of being full or satisfied. If the infant is not fed he/she goes into a sort of panic and experiences the unpleasure feeling. Freud also believed this was where the vast majority of libido energy was stored. The ID could be considered the devil on one’s shoulder, encouraging them to do whatever it takes to achieve pleasure. Regardless of the risk or complications, it wants what it wants and when it wants it. In comparison to the ID, the second element, the ego, is more realistic and down to earth. It uses logic and reason to help control the behavior of the ID. According to Freud, the ego is both conscious and unconscious. It is driven by the same instincts as the ID but uses common sense and reasoning to try to achieve the goal. McLeod points out that Freud mentions a comparison of the ID being a horse and the ego is the rider. This comparison makes perfect sense. (McLeod, 2008) Both the ID and ego share the same goal, as in a horse a rider attempting to reach a location, but they serve different functions in obtaining it. The id is perhaps the wild side to the calmer ego. It is the egos job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality and logic. The final element for the structure of one’s personality is the superego. The superego could be considered our conscious. It has developed morals and learned its idea of right from wrong, usually with guidance from the child’s mentors and role models. If the ID is the horse and the ego is the rider, then then superego is like a map to guide it. It has a clearer understanding of what is acceptable in society. The superego is what provides us with feelings of pride or guilt. Just like the ego, it shares the same goals as the ID. Its primary function is to keep the ego in check and ensure that actions are socially acceptable. Even though the ID is logical, it cannot necessarily decide what is acceptable in society. The ID throws a fit and wants something, the ego determines a way to get it because it knows that a fit won’t get the job done, and the superego comes along and perfects the plan by making it normal to society so that it does not cause embarrassment. Where the ID can be thought of as the devil on one’s shoulder, the superego balances it by being the angel on their shoulder. When the ego cannot satisfy the needs of both the ID and the superego it can become overwhelmed. When this happens the ego uses a defense mechanism to help ward off the unpleasant feelings. There are several different defense mechanisms that can be used. Each helps the ego and/or the person avoid anxiety in a stressful situation. The defense mechanisms job description is to protect from the reality of the stressful situation. One example of a defense mechanism would be repression. Repression allows the ego to ignore and block distressing thoughts and feelings from becoming conscious. Repression ultimately pushes the thoughts out of the conscious mind. A person might use repression to block the memory of their mother’s funeral to avoid the feelings of grief and hurt. Another defense mechanism used by the ego is denial. Denial, unlike repression does not block the thought or feeling; rather it refuses to acknowledge its presence. The most common examples of denial would be a person in an abusive relationship. No matter how many bruises or broken bones they end up with, they will deny that there is a problem. Denial is often used by addicts. Almost everyone can recognize the statement ‘the first step is admitting you have a problem’. Rationalization is another ego defense form. When a person rationalizes something they make up a reasonable explanation for the threatening behavior. An example of rationalization would be when a person thinks that it is okay for them to cheat on a test one time because they have never done it before. Projection, displacement, regression and identification are additional examples of defense mechanisms. Defense mechanisms are very healthy for a person’s psyche as long as they are not abused. A person using denial to avoid confronting the fact they have an alcohol addiction would be an example of abusing a defense mechanism. Freud proposed a theory that a child’s personality develops in five stages. He called these stages psychosexual stages. Each stage represented a different sexual energy and was focused on certain areas of the body. Each stage also presented a challenge to the child. It was Freud’s belief that, starting from birth, sexual energy would start to accumulate and need to be released. Once the energy was released the person could then go on to the next stage. The first stage in Freud’s theory is the oral stage. This stage starts from birth and lasts until about one year old. Just as it sounds, everything in this stage is focused on the mouth. An infant’s primary focus for his or her first year is their mouth. They eat and generally form a habit of sucking on a thumb or some other object. Both the eating and the thumb sucking are pleasure releases for an infant. They draw a comfort from the actions. To bring back Freud’s ideas of the ID, when the infant is hungry he or she uses their mouth to cry and make noise so that they can achieve the pleasure they seek. Freud argued that if a person were to get stuck in this phase he would have an oral fixation. (McLeod, 2008) Examples of oral fixations include smoking, overeating, or anything in general that they use their mouth for, particularly in stressful situations. Stage two in Freud’s theory is the anal stage. This stage starts at around one and can last until about the age of three. This stage focuses on toilet training. Freud believed that the manner in which a child is toilet trained directly relates to his manners with authority. (McLeod, 2008) It was his belief that if a child’s parents set the expectations to high or too soon the child was likely to become anal-retentive. Anal-retentive is when everything is held in. These people like cleanliness and order. On the opposite end of that spectrum is anal-expulsive. Anal-expulsive personalities are often rebellious and disorganized. Dino Felluga interpreted this stage as one in which the child is pleased because after defecation he or she feels they have made something of their own. (Felluga, 2011) Obviously the child would have to have approval and praise from his or her parents and that would bring about a sense of gratification and pride. Between the ages of three and six children go through what Freud called the phallic stage. This has been believed to be the most important stage in the personality development theory. The genitals become the obsession in this stage. This is also the stage of gender identity discovery. He called this the Oedipus Complex. During this time the child will desire the parent of the opposite sex. In his own interpretation of the Oedipus Complex, James Phelan thought the boys would often fabricate a jealous rivalry with their father and then at some point they begin to fear that their father will discover their jealousy and render a punishment. (Phelan, 2005) The most tragic consequence a young boy can think of is his penis being taken away. Freud referred to this as â€Å"castration anxiety†. Once this fear is realized the little boy will start to connect with his father more than his mother. It was during this time he believed the most influential bonding could take place between a father and son. (Phalen, 2005) Freud was convinced that once a little girl realized she didn’t have penis she would begin to feel inferior to her father. Ultimately she faulted her mother for this and focused her attention and love onto her father. Freud referred to this concept as â€Å"penis envy†. There was concern if a person did not overcome the Oedipus Complex. In order to concur the challenge in this stage the child must concur the trust issues with the opposite sex parent. If this did not happen, as in previous stages, the child would get fixated in this stage. The direct reaction for this is trouble in relationships. Phalen thought that the males would not be intimate. In his research he also mention’s Freud’s belief that this is where homosexuality develops. (Phalen, 2005) Freud’s theories on if a female were to get stuck in this stage are weak at best. As the evidence shows, Freud did not have a good handle on females and how they developed. He assumed that if a female did get fixated in the Oedipus Complex stage it was because she was deeply ashamed and rather than face her father she gravitated towards the female sex. (Phalen, 2005). The next stage in the psychosexual stages is the latency stage, occurring between the ages of about 6 to puberty. This is the stage for learning. The sexual needs expressed in the previous stages are repressed and the child begins to focus on the reality principle. As previously discussed, the reality principle is important for the function of the ego and superego. It is during this time that a child can behave like a child. They focus on playing with children their age and enjoy learning new concepts. Usually they develop a sense of independence while at the same time learning to love and care for others. (Felluga, 2011) In general it is a calm and creative stage. The final stage in Freud’s theory is the genital stage. Simply put, this is the young adult. The libido comes back and in full gear and the goal is to find a sex object. John Garcia interpreted this stage as the stage in which the child becomes an adult and begins to seek out ways to channel his sexual energy in meaningful ways. (Garcia, 1995, p. 2). The primary focus is still the libido and that means they are on the hunt for a satisfactory partner of the opposite gender. The difference between this stage and earlier stages is that the energy is now focused on the opposite sex rather than selfish pleasure. (McLeod, 2008) In retrospect, Freud’s theories may have been too bizarre for general audience acceptance. Regardless of the sanity of his ideas, Brian Rock Peter Fonagy thought Freud to be an intellectual genius. (Rock Fonagy, 2006) Amongst other things Freud also developed theories on memory and dream interpretation. His ideas laid the groundwork for several other psychoanalysts to begin theirs. The remarkable thing about his theories is that they all played a role on each other and intertwined. The id, ego and superego play imperative parts in each of the psychosexual stages. It is clear that his basis of theory wrapped around sexual energy, or the libido. As Rock Fonagy mentioned, Freud’s ideas will be and have been helpful in exploring ourselves and are irreplaceable.

Reincarnation Essays (1704 words) - Religion, Philosophy, Belief

Reincarnation Do human beings live only once, or are we granted the opportunity to return after death and experience many different lives? The question of reincarnation has been examined for thousands of years and has been embraced in various degrees by numerous religions. Scientists speculate that even the people who lived during the New Stone Age (10,000B.C.E - 5,000B.C.E.) believed that once a person died, their journey had not yet concluded (Christie-Murray p.16). Because ideas about a society that lived so long ago are frequently not concrete and can be difficult for present day culture to grasp, many scholars point towards Hinduism as being one of the earliest religions to offer explanations of reincarnation. Hinduism, originating sometime during the fourth millennium BCE is the most ancient of the surviving great religions (Christie-Murray p.30). The adoption of the belief of rebirth can be found in Hindu scriptures dating around 600 BCE As time progressed, suggestions of reincarnation began to be found in Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, and Christianity. While this is certainly not a complete list, or a statement that each of these religions embraces and in turn teaches the theory of rebirth, it does shed light to the fact that among very diverse beliefs and lifestyles there is a great desire to know what happens after death. In addition to the search about what transpires posthumously, many people see reincarnation as an explanation for many of the great questions about life. Such as, why is there suffering in the world? is there a meaning to life? how can child prodigies be explained? and are memories about past lives valid? Following is a discussion of how the theory of rebirth can answer some of life's most difficult questions and provide supportive evidence collected throughout the years for Western minds who find the idea of multiple lives difficult to grasp. Religion in the Western region of the world is predominately Christian. Among the people practicing Christianity, the idea that God is omnipotent is very prevalent. However, the idea of the all-powerful God brings up and interesting dilemma. If God is responsible for all that happens in the universe, why is there widespread suffering? Is this God an unsympathetic God and does he feel the need to punish some people? Many people cannot accept the idea that the center of their worship would have cruel tendencies. Therefore, many are of the belief that God is a loving and kind God. But if God controls the universe with a loving hand, why have there been floods, deadly famines, children born into poverty or deformed, and why do some people seem to live such difficult lives? There are no clear answers to any of these questions. However, reincarnation suggests the idea that there is in fact justice in the world. "Ancient wisdom teaches that divine justice does rule the world and that there is a meaning and purpose behind human life. Despite the appearance of injustice, perfect justice is in fact insured to every human being by the operation of a compensatory law, the law of cause and effect known in the East as Karma" (Hodson, p.5). The Law of Karma is the law of causality extended in the world of human action. More simply stated, every human action, mental, emotional or physical, produces and exactly appropriate reaction. However, the reaction may not be received in during the current life (Hodson, p.56). Therefore, suffering is an expression of past deeds and a entrance to pending life experiences and is not a result of God's hatred or indifference, but rather a definite universal law. Reincarnation offers the hope for a better future because it suggests that with each "life" we gain more knowledge and are more prepared for the next life. If suffering is an unavoidable part of life, many people can't help but ask is life worth living? Is there a purpose to human existence if it can be extremely painful or just end suddenly? In broad terms, it can be said that the purpose of life is the evolution of the human soul (Hodson). The process of growth through physical experience continues until death and is continuous throughout different bodies. The time and how the death occurs is governed by the Law of Cause and Effect. The final stage of the cycle occurs when the soul is free from desire and is perfectly happy with life and everything that has been experienced. At the end of the journey, "the [soul] is reabsorbed into the higher self from whence it came" (Hodson p.53).This is often

Research Essay Topics - Use These Tips to Avoid the Most Common Research Essay Mistakes

Research Essay Topics - Use These Tips to Avoid the Most Common Research Essay MistakesResearch essay topics are the basis of your final essay. They provide the initial focus of your paper and can make or break it. As such, they must be well planned and well researched in order to avoid your essay from looking unfocused. The two most common mistake made by students who do not plan their research topic well is choosing the wrong topic and not including all relevant material in the essay.Research essay topics should be selected carefully and according to the topic of the book you will be using as a basis for your essay. For example, if your topic is on tropical fish, then choose a topic on tropical fish. If your topic is on coffee, then choose a topic on coffee.If you choose the wrong topic, you may end up with a poorly written essay. One of the best ways to avoid this is to choose a topic that you really want to write an essay about. Then you will have a topic that you know about and therefore, you won't be afraid to include a lot of information about it. This will go a long way towards making your research essay very interesting and informative.The second reason for choosing research essay topics carefully is that you don't want to find yourself bogged down in research. Even if the topic you select is interesting, you still need to write an interesting essay in order to achieve success. So, don't forget that it's all about writing and take the time to think about your topic carefully. You may also want to consider the topic of the other essays you plan to write with the same topic in mind.The third reason for carefully selecting your topic is that this is an important part of your essay. Your research paper will be the foundation for your final essay. If your topic doesn't get enough attention, then you will struggle to write an effective research paper.A research essay, however, is not just about learning facts. It is also about establishing the central thesis of your research paper. Therefore, you need to pick a topic that supports your central argument.The best research topics are those that stand out from the rest because they clearly support the subject's viewpoint. While the essay may be more exciting than usual if you have chosen the wrong topic, it will also be more successful if you choose a good topic.If you want to be successful with your research essay, then be sure to keep these three things in mind. Then you will be sure to write an engaging research paper that you can be proud of.

Lord of the Flies2 essays

Lord of the Flies2 essays Lord of the Flies, is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are stranded on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate, and a band of savage tribal hunters are formed. Eventually the boys almost entirely shake off the civilization of the world they once knew. When all the confusion of behaviour leads them to a manhunt the reader realizes the sudden decay of law and order and loss of civilization when adults aren`t among them. Which also brings out the underlying savage side existent in all humans. In Lord of the Flies, there were numerous themes that were portrayed throughout the novel. The Need for Civilisation, is the most obvious theme. Our beliefs were always lead to believe that man is innocent and that our society is evil. But what the statement is hiding from our peers is that without laws, rules, and order, our world would revert to a more primitive part of his nature. Which of course is a more darker and cruel place to live our lives. "There aren`t any grown-ups. We shall have to look after ourselves."1 The Innocence and the Loss of It is the existence of civilization that allows man to remain in captivity with his innocence or ignorance about his true nature. Although man needs civilization, it is also important that he be aware of his primal instincts. As William Golding the author of Lord of the Flies stated, "This loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive" Which is, to reach true maturity you must first realizes the reality of our world today, as it is not the same as it was many years ago. "I`m not going to be part of Ralph`s lot He looked along the right-hand logs, numbering the hunters that had been a choir. I`m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too. He blu ...

Bloom Research and Response Paper

Larkin and Burton’s abstract preface the Joint Commission’s directive for effective communication among caregivers during handoff to ensure patient safety (Larkin Burton, 2008, p. 360). The case study reviews the lack of handoff practice and its effect on continuum of care provided to â€Å"Ms. C, a 64-year-old woman, presented to the ambulatory surgery center for an open cholecystectomy† (p. 390), and the subsequent workshop utilizing Bloom’s Taxonomy of Education Objectives to educate and change clinical practice among the staff members. From this reader’s vantage Ms. C’s respiratory de-compensation was a result of the nurses’ failure to communicate patients medical history and critical findings during unit-to-unit transfer and shift report, inadequate nurse to patient ratio along with incomplete charting, failure to recognize early signs and symptoms of respiratory compromise, and lack of critical thinking skills. Evidenced by the case study’s assertions, Ms. C required oxygen in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) but was transferred without it. Second, the PACU nurse did not communicate to the patient’s need for oxygen to the receiving nurse during handoff report. It is unclear if the surgeon wrote vital sign parameters and pulmonary toilet orders, or if there were standard protocols for this post operative unit. Ms. C’s incomplete graphic record indicate she was placed on four liters of oxygen within two hours of her arrival to the unit at 1630; however, fail to adequately trend abnormal vital signs such as low grade temperature and tachycardia (Larkin Burton, 2008, p. 392). The record does not document any nurse-initiated interventions or call to the doctor requesting a chest x-ray or recommending a respiratory therapy consult for breathing treatment and incentive spirometer. On post-op day two Ms. C’s respiratory status declined requiring a non-rebreather mask, rapid response team consult, and a transfer to the intensive care unit for a diagnosis of respiratory distress (p. 392). There were multiply factors that contributed to the above scenario; Larkin and Burton writes that â€Å"after this near-miss, failure to rescue incident† (p. 94) a task force consisting of management, clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and unit educator convened to discuss the event. The task force concluded that the nursing staff members were ineffectual in critically evaluating the patient’s signs and symptoms. The CNS chose a framework that utilized â€Å"Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives†, that provided measurable outcomes to the ed ucational activity and enabled the nursing team to optimize their critical skill levels. A workshop to assist staff to navigate through the case study in a realistic manner was implemented (Larkin Burton, 2008, p. 95). The cognitive domain contains six intellectual skills that measure: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information received. The affective domain contains five emotional factors: receiving, responding, valuing, organizing, also conceptualizing and characterizing by value concept. It is during this phase that individual buy-in occurs or not. Finally, the psychomotor domain contains five motor skills functions of imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation, and naturalization. The individual learn to adapt his or her movements intuitively to a given situation (Larkin Burton, 2008, p. 395). The key component of continued nursing education is to advance and apply evidenced based practice at the bedside. The use of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives as the framework promote the transfer of evidence based information, in a setting that allow the nurse educators to evaluate and measure the learner’s: cognitive, affective and psychomotor processes. It allows the learner (nurse) to assess his or her level of application within each domain. Both the educator and the nurse can reinforce successes and target learning opportunities to areas of inefficiency. References Blais, K. K. , Hayes, J. S. (2011). Professional Nursing Practice Concepts and Perspective (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Bouchard, G. J. (2011, November). In Full Bloom: Helping Students Grow Using the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The Journal of Physican Assistance Education, 22(4), 44-46. Larkin, B. G. , Burton, K. J. (2008, September). Evaluating a Case Study Using Blooms Taxonomy of Education. AORN, 88(3), 390-402.

Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Stress - Essay Example After the re-structuring there is no real motivation to inspire the employees because they fear that they could lose their jobs just like their past colleagues.   Part of the stress suffered by the employees has to do with the rapid transformation that the company has undertaken. This may be unavoidable because the company either has a limited budget or must make the transition by a deadline. This extra work load has required every employee to contribute more to the organization as a whole. Although not a perfect option, one method could be to give a raise to employees who choose to work longer hours. If finances are out of the question, then the company could introduce more work breaks so that employees do not feel tired as much. Another cause of stress can often be job security. The only way to remedy this is to make sure that every employee has a defined set of work responsibilities and no one else is trying to take over their job. Finally, the last cause of stress can be insufficient skills for the job. If an employee is unsure about how to complete their job tasks, then they will likely stress over it. This can be prevented by encouragin g open communication channels between employees and management and transfer employees who do not feel that they are capable of performing their job. Other co-workers can be located or new staff can be hired to help fill the

The economics of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The economics of Crime - Essay Example There are two aspects to consider when undertaking a study of the death penalty. The first aspect is whether or not the penalty is effective as a crime preventative measure. The second is whether or not the effectiveness of the prevention, no matter how effective it may or may not be, is worth the immorality of the taking of another’s life. The question relates to whether or not the right of the state to forfeit a life falls within the expectation of moral and ethical behavior that the worldwide community believes is fair and just. In considering the final nature of the death penalty and the lack of truly effective prevention from the threat of the death penalty, the forfeiture of life by the state does not seem to have merit. World wide opinion on the use of the death penalty as an effective tool for the prevention of crime has been diminished over the last two decades. According to Amnesty International (2010), two-thirds of the countries of the world do not have the death penalty and of the 58 remaining countries, most do not use the death penalty although they have it as an option. The United States, an economic and social leader in the world, still uses the death penalty as a punishment for crime. According to the American website Death Penalty Information Center (2010), 2009 saw 52 executions, all but one of which was done through lethal injection. Larry Bill Elliot was executed in the state of Virginia through the use of an electric chair. It has only been in recent history within the United States that the death penalty for juveniles was abolished. A sum total of 228 juvenile offenders were sentenced for life ending measures between the years of 1973 and 2004 with 22 of those ending in executions and 134 received commuted sentences (Lawrence & Hemmens, 2008, p. 34). A United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Roper v Simmons abolished the