Personality types in psychology according to Sigmund Freud

One of the most important fields of study in psychology and psychoanalysis is personality. can be defined as the mental characteristics that are part of an individual and differentiate it from the rest. Personality is a very difficult construct to analyze since we can only infer it through the behavior of individuals. people, that is why today many investigations are focused on studying this important part of our Psyche.

Sigmund Freud is known for the great contribution that his theory made to the world of psychology, he dedicated much of his life and his efforts to shed some light on the intricate corners of our mind. In the following Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the personality types in psychology according to Sigmund Freud.

Index

1. Freud's theory: psychoanalysis
2. Personality structure according to Freud
3. Theory of personality development: genetic model
4. Conception of personality

Sigmund Freud he was an Austrian-born physician who focused much of his career on studying and trying to understand the intricate human mind. He is recognized as the father of psychoanalysis and thanks to his theories began to give importance to mental health therapies.

Psychoanalytic theory: summary

Psychoanalysis is a discipline of psychology focused on investigating beyond the visible behaviors. This theory holds that personality is the result of the interaction between internal conflicts and external demands. In addition, psychoanalysis affirms that there are impulses and thoughts outside our consciousness (unconscious) that guide and mark our temperament.

Freud claimed that the mind was composed of different levels or layers. These levels are named conscious, preconscious and unconscious. Each layer has specific information about our personality and our way of behaving with others, also, the deeper the layer, the more hidden information there is.

• Aware: It is the most visible level of our thoughts, we can access it through an exercise of reflection, the conscious part of our mind encompasses our most explicit desires and ideas.
• Preconscious: This layer of the human mind is considered the bridge between direct thoughts and the most subconscious impulses. At this level there are thoughts of access a little more difficult. One of the tools in psychoanalytic therapy is based on taking the contents of the unconscious to the preconscious in order to access them.
• Unconscious: for Freud, the unconscious is the unknown and inaccessible of the human mind, we do not know for sure what happens in that layer of our mind, however, psychoanalysis maintains that it greatly influences our personality. The unconscious comprises the contents related to lived experiences, personal traumas and animal impulses.

The theory of psychoanalysis aims to explain the entire functioning of the human being, from the most visible behaviors to the more repressed emotions, going through trauma and psychological disorders that began to be documented since the birth of this discipline.

Freud develops different personality models to try to understand how individual differences work, among these theories, we highlight the structural model. This model separates our mind into three concepts: the id, the ego and the superego. This personality theory divides the human psyche according to the functions that each element performs.

The it

We define the id as the most primary and instinctive part of the human being, the main objective of the id is to satisfy the impulses (also known as drives). Aggression, sexual desire, the search for pleasure... all these feelings are managed through the id and thanks to the pleasure principle. This element of the human psyche accompanies us since we are born and aims to meet our most basic needs.

The I

This element is responsible for connecting us with the reality that surrounds us, we therefore understand that the I works thanks to the reality principle. The objective of the I is to satisfy the desires of the id using the reality that we have as tools. The reality principle analyzes the situation and makes decisions based on the costs and benefits of each action. The ego regulates the instincts and desires of the id.

The superego

The last element in Freud's structural model is the superego. This level includes the ethical and moral ideas of each individual. The superego also controls id impulses, however, it does so through the ego ideal and moral conscience. According to Freud, this element does not accompany us from birth but we learn it through parents and other authority figures.

Sigmund Freud's genetic model seeks to understand personality through psychological and sexual development. According to this theory, people's behavior will be strongly influenced by the pursuit of pleasure during childhood in different erogenous zones of the body. Depending on the evolutionary stage in which the child is, the erogenous zone will be different. Also, if there is too much gratification or a feeling of sudden frustration at a certain stage, a specific type of personality will develop during adulthood.

Stages of personality

1. Oral stage: In this initial stage, the erogenous zone involved is the mouth. It is established from birth until after the first year. Frustration at this stage can lead to an aggressive and reactive personality.
2. Anal stage: This phase ranges from the first year to four years. It is characterized by experimenting with the retention and expulsion of stool and focuses its pleasure in the anus. A problem during this stage can make an individual very withdrawn or, on the contrary, lax and wasteful.
3. Phallic stage: Between four and seven years of age, according to this theory, the infant has the focus of pleasure on the phallus and genitalia. The first masturbatory acts are initiated and a frustration during this process can develop the famous Oedipus complex and the Electra complex.
4. Latency stage: during this stage (between the ages of seven and adolescence) there is no specific focus of erogenous pleasure, Freud believed that the sexual drive was put aside to allow the individual a correct learning of the environment.
5. Genital stage: finally, during this stage the child has grown enough and allows the sexual drive to take over his individual. It is in the genital stage where people experiment with sexuality and reaffirm themselves as male or female (according to his theory).

Sigmund Freud described numerous personality models, these models constantly interact with each other and complement each other at the theoretical level. The two models described in this article are only a small part of the whole theory of Freud's personality and should be understood as a process in search of the broadest and most absolute definition that can be made of the human psyche.

Over the years, the conception of personality has radically changed. What in its beginnings was an aspect full of enigmas, individual definitions and extensive personal analyzes, today can be reduced to statistical ideas. Some experts who have provided great personality theories are Eyesenk, Maslow with his pyramid or Cattell with his famous 16-factor test.

However, simplifying the conception of personality to factors and statistics is somewhat reductionist. Each person is unique and it would not be entirely correct to abbreviate a lifetime to a number or a factor. That is why the exercise of psychology should take into account all theoretical perspectives to integrate what most benefits each patient.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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