Individuals often share many things. However, every person is unique because of human individuality. Human individuality, also known as the personality, has been explained by many theorists. Hence, the paper will talk about the psychoanalytic-social personality views.
1. What Makes The Psychoanalytic Social Perspective of Personality Unique?
The psychoanalytic perspective founded by Freud focuses on the influence of the unconscious, significance of sexual and aggressive instincts, and early childhood experiences on an individual (Mitchell & Black, 2016). People who failed to experience affection or love from their caregivers were more likely to display aggressive behaviours, which could result in different types of anxieties. The psychoanalytic social perspective believes that human personality develops due to a resultant conflict between aggressive and pleasure demanding impulses and the innate social restraints against them. Therefore, individual’s personality develops as they as they try to resolve these conflicts. However, instead of solely focusing on the individual like Freud had done in his works, Erikson suggested a psychoanalytic approach that looked into social and cultural units. The uniqueness of this school of thought is that encompasses the social, cultural, and cognitive aspects of an individual to give deeper and clearer insights into the development of personality. Most importantly, one proponent that contributed to the perspective by researching and theorizing was Karen Horney.
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2. What Are The Main Components of Each of The Psychoanalytic-Social Personality Theories? What Are Some of The Main Differences Between Theories?
It is important to recognize the main contributors to this particular perspective, Sigmund Freud, and Karen Horney. First Sigmund Freud believed that personality develops as a result of instincts and environment during the first years of a child. He talked about the psychosexual stages of development, the tripartite parts of personality, which included the Id, Ego, and Superego, the three levels of awareness, the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious, and the defense mechanisms. Secondly, Karen Horney was brought up in a home with unhealthy relationships. She was exposed to deep conflicts between her anxieties and helplessness towards her parents. Hence, she developed a particular defensive restructuring of the self. Horney came up with four defensive natures of the self, which included the despised real self, real self, actual self and the ideal self. Under real self, children are made to realize they are unworthy and unlovable because of the inconsistent, ambiguous reactions and treatments they receive from parents or their caregivers.
The hostility they experience because of this turns them against the real self because of the false evaluations. Children will necessarily start to develop defensive restructuring regarding the despised real self and idealized image of the self they should be for them to survive their hostile environment and receive love and approval. The idealized self-image often acts as a substitute for confidence and pride. People often develop wishful thinking and neurotic feelings of how other things or they should be. Horney termed this as the “tyranny of them should.” Simply, the contradictory and the hostile nature of the thing in the “should be” list contribute to the process of personality distortion because of the creation of idealized self-image (Horney, 2013).
Furthermore, among the major components of the theory are the coping styles children develop when they experience anxiety. Thus, when their basic needs are not met, children develop the coping techniques of moving towards people, away from people, and against people. Some of the differences existing between these theories include psychoanalysis, neurosis, and inner conflicts. When it comes to psychoanalysis, Freud avoids self-realization as compared to Horney who seeks self-realization (Horney, 1991). Secondly, Freud believes in instinctual and biological drives, but Horney believes that culture and emotional forces determine feelings and attitudes in explaining neurosis. Lastly, the Freud perceived the inner conflicts to compromise healthy human growth because of mainly the repression, but Horney saw the internal conflicts to be decent, and that man had the capability of changing.
3. Choose One of The Psychoanalytic-Social Personality Theories, And Apply It To Your Life. Explain Your Personality And Personality Development Through This Theory.
I will use Karen Horney’s view to explain my personality development. As a child, I grew up in a close-knit family unit that comprised of my mother, father, and two siblings. My father and mother were employed, and they worked most time of the day. Being the first born, I was obligated to take care of my siblings, although we had a half day caregiver. Initially, when I saw my parents leave for work, it was okay. However, after one week, I felt more attached to the caregiver as compared to my parents. Somehow, I realized I depended on her love and approval more as compared to my parents. Whenever my parents disapproved my homework, I went to her for reassurance. During these moments, I could say that my coping strategy as per Horney’s ideas was moving towards people. I turned to the caregiver to conceal anger, which was below the surface of the real self. My needs to be approved by the caregiver concealed my subconscious aggressive need. However, the technique of moving towards others gave me self-efficacy because I had the ability to identify my ideal self. Currently, I still tend to seek approval and appreciation from close family members and friends in almost every decision I make in life.
References
Horney, K. (2013). New ways in psychoanalysis (Vol. 16). Routledge.
Horney, K. (1991). Neurosis and human growth: The struggle toward self-realization . WW Norton & Company.
Mitchell, S. A., & Black, M. (2016). Freud and beyond: A history of modern psychoanalytic thought . Basic Books.
