A Reaction Paper On The Freudian Psychoa

A Reaction Paper on the Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, personality develops through a series of

stages, each characterized by a certain internal psychological conflict. Sigmund Freud's
psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human behavior is the result of the interactions
among three component parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego.
This "structural theory" of personality places great importance on how conflicts among
the parts of the mind shape behavior and personality. These conflicts are mostly unconscious.
Furthermore, personality develops during childhood and is critically shaped through a series of
five psychosexual stages, which he called his psychosexual theory of development. During each
stage, a child is presented with a conflict between biological drives and social expectations;
successful navigation of these internal conflicts will lead to mastery of each developmental stage,
and ultimately to a fully mature personality; our personality develops from the interactions
among what he proposed as the three fundamental structures of the human mind: the id, ego, and
superego. Conflicts among these three structures, and our efforts to find balance among what
each of them "desires," determines how we behave and approach the world. What balance we
strike in any given situation determines how we will resolve the conflict between two
overarching behavioral tendencies: our biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives vs. our
socialized internal control over those drives.
Although Freud's theories have many advantages that helped to expand our psychological
understanding of personality, they are not without limits.
In his singular emphasis on the structure of the human mind, Freud paid little to no attention to
the impact of environment, sociology, or culture. His theories were highly focused on pathology
and largely ignored "normal," healthy functioning. He has also been criticized for his myopic
view of human sexuality to the exclusion of other important factors. The strengths of Freud's
theory of psychoanalysis is that one must consider a few of the qualities that make a theory of
personality or behavior "great." Among the many qualities that people consider to be important
are that the theory addresses its problem, can be applied in practical ways, fits with other
theories, and withstands the test of time. In addition, a good theory, according to many
philosophers of science, is falsifiable, able to be generalized, leads to new theories and ideas, and
is recognized by others in the field. Clearly psychoanalysis meets many of these criteria.
As noted previously, Freud coined the term "psychoanalysis" in 1856. The acceptance and
popularity of psychoanalysis is apparent through the existence of numerous institutes,
organizations, and conferences established around the world with psychoanalysis as their focus.
The theory of psychoanalysis was innovative and revolutionary, and clearly has withstood the
test of time.
Perhaps even more noteworthy than the longevity of psychoanalysis is the fact that it has
served as a catalyst to many professionals in the field of psychology and prompted them to see
connections that they otherwise would have missed. Psychoanalysis enlightened health
professionals about many aspects of the human mind and its inner workings, phenomena that had
previously been inexplicable. As a direct result of psychoanalysis, approaches to psychological
treatment now considered routine or commonplace were developed worldwide. By far one of the
greatest strengths of psychoanalysis is that it is a very comprehensive theory. Psychoanalysis,
originally intended as a theory to explain therapeutic or psychological concepts, explains the
nature of human development and all aspects of mental functioning. However, many experts
contend that psychoanalysis can also be used to describe or explain a vast array of other concepts
outside of the realm of the psychological field. For example, religion, Shakespeare's character
"Hamlet," the nature of companies and their leaders, or an artist's paintings can all be explained
by the principles of psychoanalysis. This comprehensiveness suggests that the theory of
psychoanalysis is, at least to some extent, pointing in the general direction of the truth.
In conclusion, it appears as if common sense does not have a place in psychoanalytic

theory and, as a result, I believe irrelevant and false assumptions are made all too frequently. In
addition, parts of Freudian theory are too generalized and fail to leave adequate room for
exceptions to the general rule. Finally, I find it hard to accept that all mental problems stem from
issues concerning aspects of sex, such as unresolved Oedipal and Electra complexes. I believe
that this is a gross exaggeration and overgeneralization. Despite the weaknesses of
psychoanalysis, I believe that the many strengths of the theory are extremely significant.
Therefore, I maintain that psychoanalysis is a theory that should not be disregarded. I contend
that at least significant parts of the theory are accurate. Second, I believe that psychoanalysis is a
scientific theory due to the fact that it is falsifiable and has, in fact, been proven false because
other methods of treatment have been proven effective. Third, I believe that psychoanalysis is
comprehensive, can be applied in practical ways, and contains valid arguments. Finally, I believe
that psychoanalysis is a substantial theory of personality because it is directly responsible for the
development of additional psychological theories and hypotheses that otherwise may have been
missed.
Although I am hardly an expert on psychoanalytic theory, I believe that to dismiss the

theory completely would be a tremendous oversight because without it many other valuable
psychological techniques and theories most likely would have remained undiscovered
Republic of the Philippines
Samar State University
COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Catbalogan City
Activity
in
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TEACHERS AND SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATION
A Reaction Paper on the Freudian

Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
Submitted by
GINGERALPH O. LUAY
Student
Submitted to
ALFREDO D. DACURO, Ph.D., CESO VI
Professor

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A Reaction Paper on the Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, personality develops through a series of

In conclusion, it appears as if common sense does not have a place in psychoanalytic

Although I am hardly an expert on psychoanalytic theory, I believe that to dismiss the

ENGLISH COMPOSITION FOR

A Reaction Paper on the Freudian

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