FREE ESSAY ON SIGMUND FREUD

SIGMUND FREUD

Psychology Theories
Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous psychologists to 
ever hit the study of psychology. His name alone 
symbolizes the importance of his theories, and the name 
that comes to most people's heads when saying the word 
psychology is Sigmund Freud. Freud was a psychodynamic 
psychologist and came from the conservative point of view 
which states that man is bad and society is good, which I 
do not agree with 100% because not all man's actions are 
necessarily bad and with bad intentions. 
Freud was a real pessimist when it came to human nature. 
He identifies man's weaknesses in saying that man is a 
biological creature with biological drives. He reflected these 
ideas off of Darwin's original ideas. I do agree with this 
theory because man's drives are survival and 
self-preservation. Freud also stated that mankind's 
aggression helps him to survive, he says that man has an 
innate sense of survival. I also agree with this theory 
because aggression and dominance guarantees our survival. 
He also believed that over the many thousands of years that 
man has been alive man developed rational thought. Freud 
stated that people do not have to live like animals because 
overtime we developed a society that has rules and 
regulations in order to keep our animal nature in check. I 
agree with Freud on this because of many cases when a 
person has some bad intentions in mind but let's them go 
when they know the consequences. 
Another thing Freud said was the idea of Opposing 
Instincts which when comes to mind creates conflict. The 
first of the two opposing instincts is the Eros, which is the 
life instinct, which also ensures the organisms life. The ID 
presses us to survive and pushes us to produce. The Eros 
seeks pleasure and then we rationalize it. Next comes the 
Thanatos, which is the death instinct, and this instinct says 
that all organisms have a death wish towards themselves 
and I agree completely. This he says becomes our own 
destruction. Freud says it is natural to move towards death 
and this I think is obvious. The feelings we have must be 
expressed and released and we direct our feelings outward. 
This becomes our aggression toward others. Freud's view 
on the mind is in the shape of an iceberg. He believes that 
mankind's mind works in the unconscious, which I do not 
agree with at all I feel that man is mostly conscious when it 
comes to behaviors. Every choice that mankind makes he 
is aware of, but maybe the consequences of our action 
might be unknown. 
The Structure of Personality which is another interesting 
part of Freud's theory basically states that we have an ID, a 
Superego and an Ego. The ID is a biological reservoir of 
urges and impulses that need to be gratified. He says the ID 
does not have a conscious, it acts on instinct. It seeks out 
gratification and pleasure. It is the pleasure principle. The 
Superego is the Morality Principle, and the Superego 
knows the difference between right and wrong. The 
Superego is a bunch of learned internalized morals and 
values of society. This is basically the thing that keeps the 
ID in check. Freud said that Superego is our conscious, 
and that the Superego is the most powerful tool (guilt and 
pride). Last but not least is the Ego, which is the reality 
principle. The Ego finds socially acceptable ways to satisfy 
the ID. It finds the balance between the ID and reality. The 
functions of the Ego is to find a compromise between the 
ID and the Superego. The Ego must also learn to deal with 
anxiety, and it also helps to boost the self-esteem. Without 
the Ego there would be no mental health. I completely 
agree with Freud's theory of the Structure of Personality 
because I feel we have different parts of our behavior that 
we can control and that we are conscious about and there 
are other behaviors that come directly from our 
unconscious. Our ego lies to us, denies, falsifies, and 
distorts reality which in turn causes us to create what Freud 
likes to call the seven defense mechanisms. 
The first of the seven defense mechanisms is Repression. 
Repression pushes the problem to the subconscious. It is 
the exclusion of impulses and thoughts from the conscious 
mind. Next comes Denial, and denial is the cutting of the 
conscious mind from external threats. An example of this 
would be when you are walking in the mall with your 
girlfriend and a beautiful woman walks by and you look but 
when your girlfriend asks you say, I wasn't looking at her. 
Next there is a defense mechanism called Sublimation 
which is the changing of bad behavior and impulses into 
socially acceptable behavior and impulses. One example of 
this could be playing football for a scholarship in order to 
go to college. Another defense mechanism is Reaction 
Formation which is a development of behavior opposite of 
that which brings you anxiety. Somebody saying that they 
hate homosexuals would be a clear example of this defense 
mechanism. The next mechanism is called Projection which 
is when the unconscious attribution of your thoughts and 
feelings is brought onto others. Finding flaws in others is a 
good example of Projection. Displacement is the next 
defense mechanism, and this is when an urge is placed onto 
another object. Taking out anger onto others when you 
really should be mad at yourself. Last but not least is the 
defense mechanism of Rationalization which is giving a 
good reason in place of the true reason. A great example of 
this would be when a person fails a test and they blame it 
on work, or some other corny reason instead of saying that 
they were to lazy to study. With all the different defense 
mechanisms of the ego I feel that we use all of them some 
time or another in order to hide our true instincts. Even 
though I agree with a majority of what Freud says I do not 
believe that man is completely bad and that society is good. 
Both man and society play a big role when it comes to 
behavior. 
Another well known psychologist which is actually a 
student of Freuds' is Carl Jung who is also a 
psychodynamic psychologist which means he also comes 
from the conservative point of view which I mentioned 
earlier meant he felt man is bad and society is good. Carl 
Jung went a little deeper than Freud did in his theories and 
he challenges some of his ideas. One that I agree with the 
most is that Jung's iceberg is right side up and at the top of 
the iceberg is the ego, and the level underneath that is the 
personal unconscious, and the final level of the iceberg is 
finally the collective unconscious which is almost the exact 
opposites of Freud's. What I mean by deeper is that he 
feels that man is not just sexual but spiritual as well. He 
says that the major difference in man is based on the Libido 
which is your sex drive. As you can see Jung has a much 
broader level of human interest. Jung theories are strongly 
based on Darwin's theory of Evolution. Jung thinks we 
evolved behaviorally which has allowed us to prosper and 
move forward in order to keep up with society. I do not 
agree once again that man is bad and society is good, I feel 
both play a big part in human behavior. Another part of 
Jung's theory as well as Freud's theory that I don't like is 
that I don't feel that man is mainly sexual. The part of Jung's 
theory that I do agree with is that man has evolved 
behaviorally overtime because if we didn't we would still be 
behaving like the cave men did thousands of years ago. It's 
clearly obvious that man has evolved behaviorally. 
The next part of Carl Jung's theory is the Archetypal 
Complex, which are common ways of dealing with the 
world. In other words it's a genetically transmitted response 
strategy. It ensures survival. There are two examples of 
Archetypal Complexes and they are the enemy archetype 
and the social archetype. The enemy archetype means that 
something that is different is threatening to us which I could 
not agree with more. There are examples in everyday life 
when a person does not know what something is they 
immediately show some sort of aggression or frustration 
which proves they are afraid of what is different or what 
they do not really know or understand. The social 
archetype basically means strength in numbers. Also the 
social archetype is what we look to for support and look to 
interact and socialize with. The response strategy is to 
develop a need to conform. With the whole idea of 
Archetypal Complexes I agree that different people use 
different ways to deal with the world's problems, and I also 
think the enemy archetype could not be more precise about 
mankind being threatened by something that is different. 
The next part of Jung's theory is the idea of Individuation 
which is the integration of our conscious perceptions of the 
outside world with our unconscious archetypal experiences. 
Polarities, which are opposite extremes, which ties in the 
Principle of entropy which, is a state of disorder and a 
randomness of energy. The last thing Jung states in his 
theory is the idea of Wholeness which is having both 
polarities of our life met. Carl Jung's theory challenges 
much of Freud's, but in some ways is similar. Jung gets 
more into man being more spiritual than sexual which is 
almost the opposite of Freud. I probably only agree with 
Jung's theories of the Archetypal Complexes and the 
examples that I stated with them. 
The next psychologist that I will mention will be a social 
psychodynamic psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler. 
Alfred 
Adler came from the liberal point of view in which he felt 
man is good and society is bad. He was much less of a 
pessimist than Freud was; Almost a complete opposite 
from Freud. Adler believed that society impedes humans. 
His view of the mind is much like Carl Jung's, but instead of 
having the ego at the top he has the conscious alone at the 
top with the unconscious on the bottom, which I probably 
agree with the most. He felt that social interests drive 
motivation, which is an innate drive to be social and to 
belong. He also stated in his theory that mankind is 
dependent on others and their reactions and their 
acceptance which in turn leaves mankind very vulnerable. 
The main idea of this theory is that he feels that mankind is 
more social than biological. I mostly agree with this 
because humans these days try to be something there not. 
They go to the extremes to try to fit in. A great example of 
this would definitely be that in today's schools there are 
cliques and clans of different people that feel that they are 
cooler or better and than the people who are not as 
popular do whatever they can to fit in with a certain group. 
Teenagers nowadays are probably the best example there 
is of Adler's theory of social interest. 
Another part of Adler's theory that he brings up is the idea 
of the creative self which he says drives us toward human 
nature. There are two parts to this theory and they are the 
superiority complex and the inferiority complex. First the 
superiority complex states mankind tries to better 
themselves in order to overcome our weaknesses. I agree 
with this because I am living proof. In everything I do I 
always try to make myself better. I don't give up until I feel 
I have completely given it everything I have got. On every 
weakness that I have especially when it comes to fitness I 
kill myself everyday to look my greatest and to feel the best 
that I can feel. This takes much hard work and dedication, 
but I do not even think about it when I think about how I 
am going to feel and look when I accomplish my goals. The 
second part of this theory is the inferiority complex which is 
when society measures us up to their standards. This is also 
when we begin to avoid our weaknesses instead of trying 
to overcome them. I have many examples when there is 
person who is not so good at an activity whatever the case 
may be, and completely get frustrated and give up instead 
of bettering themselves. I have even probably done this as 
well as most mankind which I feel is going to be the 
downfall of our society and our race. Alfred Adler's entire 
theory I feel is a great one and I feel he has a great 
perspective on human behavior and I would agree with 
Adler on almost all of his theory. I feel he is the most 
accurate in his interpretation of human behavior. 
B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist which means he is neutral 
in his theories; all men start as blank slates. He believed 
that men are controlled by their environment and they can 
be molded. All behavior is learned and conscious. 
Operant Conditioning is the idea that man is shaped by 
repetition and/or reinforcement. Reinforcement can be 
broken down into many different categories. First is 
primary reinforcement which meets biological and 
psychological needs. Next comes secondary reinforcement 
which is a conditioned reinforcer and it is a learned value. 
An example of this would be money. Positive reinforcement 
is the next part, and it is anything someone wants that 
increases positive behavior. Negative reinforcement is 
oftenly mistaken for punishment which it is not. Negative 
reinforcement is basically avoidance or behaving in a way 
to avoid a negative stimulus or consequence. Escape is 
another part of negative reinforcement which is avoiding 
something that is already there. Punishment which 
decreases the likelihood of a negative behavior. Examples 
of this could be jail or other sorts of consequences. 
Punishment has limited effects. There are short-term 
residual effects. 
Another part of Skinner's theory is something by the 
name of Beyond Freedom and Dignity which says that man 
does not have free will. He is a product of reinforcement. 
Skinner says free will is an illusion and that man should 
have no pride. He also says that whatever mankind 
accomplishes he accomplishes because of a system which 
has certain limitations. 
B.F. Skinner says that Man's Biggest Problem is that 
mankind's behavior is more easily influenced by small or 
immediate reinforcers than it is by large but distant and 
uncertain reinforcers. In other words Skinner feels that we 
will take immediate gratification and not look at the 
long-term results. He feels man is very short cited. 
The part of Skinner's theory that I do not agree with 
completely is that he thinks that man is a blank slate and he 
can be shaped and molded by his society. I feel that society 
should not take full credit for all of mankind's behavior. 
Also I do not fully agree that all behavior is learned. I feel 
some is genetically inherited. Operant Conditioning is the 
part of Skinner's theory I feel is pretty accurate because in 
daily life the more you do an activity the more it gets 
processed in your mind and becomes almost automatic. 
The idea that man has no free will I do not agree with 
because I believe all of mankind has freewill. When Skinner 
says that Man's Biggest Problem is that he will take 
immediate gratification before looking into long term effects 
I completely agree with him on that. People these days only 
think about what is going to happen now without thinking 
about what will happen in the future. Skinner's theory of 
Man's Biggest Problem is probably one of the most 
accurate theory's I that I could ever agree with. 
Erich Fromm who is a liberal social psychodynamic 
psychologist who was also a student of Freuds'. He 
believes that man is innately good and society is the thing 
that corrupts him. He also feels that the conscious mind 
dominates over the unconscious. Fromm says man is a 
social creature and he believes that mankind has social 
needs. He says life is a struggle and society makes our lives 
difficult. 
Fromm feels that the four needs of mans' social life are 
relatedness, frame of reference, identity, and 
transcendence. Relatedness is a basic need and it states 
that man needs to feel connected to humanity whether it be 
friends, family, or activities. It also states that man has to be 
interacted with other in order to belong. The problems start 
when a person feels that they are not a part of something. 
Relatedness is probably the most powerful need. Frame of 
Reference are common ideas and beliefs of looking at the 
world. This is when we seek out a belief system or a value 
system. We receive our frame of reference from where we 
find our relatedness. Without frame of reference there is no 
meaning to life. Identity is the next out of the four needs of 
mans' social life which is when you know who you are and 
what you stand for. With identity you have to establish your 
own uniqueness or identity. Recognizing differences in 
others help you to find your own identity. Next comes 
transcendence which is rarely achieved and this means to 
rise above societies conformities in order to be an 
individual. With transcendence there is a risk of losing your 
relatedness, and for this not to happen relatedness must 
allow you rise above society. A conflict of freedom and 
loneliness means that the more that we become 
transcendent the more we lose the relatedness. I agree with 
Fromm when he states that society corrupts man. I also feel 
that the conscious mind dominates over the unconscious. I 
do not agree that man is 100% social either. When Fromm 
says that the four needs of social life are relatedness, frame 
of reference, identity, and transcendence I could not agree 
with more. Everyday you see people that have to be well 
connected in the social pipeline and without it I do not think 
they would function normally. There are plenty of people 
that have to be liked and be in a certain group in order to 
be mentally stable. People think it is a bad thing when you 
are not in the popular group or not cool enough to be liked 
and accepted by a certain group. I also do feel that there 
are some people who know who they are and what they 
stand for. These are the people that survive the longest is 
the long run because they know who they are and they will 
not change for anything. Realizing other people's 
differences also helps to boost your identity which in turn 
causes a person to create their own uniqueness. I think that 
I am a perfect example of a person who has all four needs 
met at all times and that I know exactly what I am and who 
I stand for. I would not change who I am and my behavior 
just to fit into the social pipeline. I have to plenty of parties 
where there has been everything from drinking to sex and I 
have never given in to the peer pressure of drinking, 
smoking or anything else while I was there, but I still had all 
the fun in the world. The reason why I don't give in is 
because I care about my health I have set values for myself 
and I like to follow them exactly like I planned. This way I 
will never do something that I would regret. All of Fromm's 
theories are very accurate when it comes to social needs, 
but when it comes to human behavior in general I don't feel 
that man is completely social. 
Michael Itsines is the next psychologist which is a 
mixture between a psychodynamic psychologist and a 
behaviorist. I feel that behavior is an upside down iceberg 
and consciousness is at the top and the unconscious is on 
the bottom. I think that most behavior is conscious. Neither 
man or society is bad just at times it seems like one of the 
two influences a little more of behavior. I feel that man is 
both biological and social. The part that I think is biological 
is the part of Freud's theory where he states there is an ID, 
Superego and an Ego. Another thing that I agree with is 
Freud's theory of the Defense Mechanisms. I feel that 
mankind uses each one of them in everyday life. Another 
thing that is a great example of man being biological is that 
at sometimes man can have animal drives and desires. The 
only thing that keeps us from behaving like an animal is the 
thing that man developed thousands of years ago and that is 
rational thought. This is the difference between human and 
animal behavior. That's what separates man from animal. 
We do this in order to curb our human nature. Another 
reason why I think man partially biological is because of 
Carl Jung's theory of Archetypal complexes which are 
genetically transmitted response strategies and I feel that 
mankind has this. 
On the social side I feel that man is partially motivated by 
social needs such the four needs of man's social life which 
are relatedness, frame of reference, identity, and 
transcendence. I agree with Fromm on this theory. This is 
probably on the most accurate examples of man being a 
social creature. Also Adler stated in his theory that social 
interests motivate us. Social Interest is an innate drive to be 
social and to belong. B.F. Skinner states in his theory that 
behavior is driven by external rewards. Also he says that 
reinforcement plays a huge role mankind's behavior. I feel 
that man is also driven by the idea of free will which to 
Skinner seems to be an illusion. I think mankind has free 
will but maybe takes it for granted. Overall I feel that man 
can be both good and bad at times but then again so can 
society. Sometimes society has a great deal of influence on 
human behavior. An example of this would be that man 
pushes himself in order to be the best he can be and to 
reach the top. Mankind will stop at nothing in order to be 
number one. Selfishness and greediness are probably going 
to be the downfall of the human race. If mankind could 
actually see differences in other people instead of making 
them look like something there are not everybody and 
everything would be much happier and they would live a 
much more fuller life. In my theory I think that mankind 
should be much more grateful and appreciative for the 
environment that is created and for what they have become 
due to their environment. Man's behavior just can not be 
either biological or social because I feel that mankind also 
passes on behavior through genetic inheritance. Man has to 
be both according to my own theory and I stand by it.