There are certain elements which greatly influence an individual’s personality and behavior. Mostly, during childhood development, one has experiences and memories which can be good or bad which affects the future conduct and character of this individual. For example, bad memories and experiences during childhood can make one aggressive and violent when interacting with other people. Freud explains that early childhood activities are essential in the development and formation of one’s personality. Jung, on the other hand, explains important concepts which influence an individual’s personality and behavior. The memories and experience of my parents’ separated life made me violent and aggressive when I was in high school, and I could not interact with other people except my friends who we used drugs together. Jung and Freud's theories focus on how childhood activities, memories, and experiences influence an individual’s personality and behavior.
I am Michelle Smith and was born on October 23, 1994, in California. My parents were Michael Smith and Edna Smith but they are deceased, and this makes me emotional most times. My mother died aged 46 years due to lung cancer which she developed because of high smoking. My dad died due to a heart attack which was as a result of the high level of drinking alcohol. However, my parents divorced when I was five years old, and both remarried after a few months but did not stay in their new marriages for long. The divorce of my parents significantly affected my childhood development as it made me emotional in most cases and I felt isolated from the other children hence I developed the habit of being aggressive and violent when wronged. Growing with divorced and separated parents was difficult for me, and I sincerely missed seeing my parents together as many of my friends. I used to live with my mother until the age of 15 years when I joined high school. I started hanging around with friends who introduced me to smoking pot and drinking alcohol which made become aggressive and violent and could not socially interact with other people except my friends.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Luckily, my dad noticed my behavior and he took me to live with him. This made me change my high school and friends hence I had to change my behavior to fit in my new environment. I finished my high school and joined the university to pursue my dream career. I made new friends with some of them drinking and smoking which made me have the urge of joining them. However, when I remembered my childhood, high school experiences and how I lost my parents because of drinking and smoking I kept away from taking these substances and concentrated on my studies. Currently, I am in my 5th year doing my engineering degree, but the memories of my parents keep on affecting me emotionally. This makes me feel the urge of losing my focus, but I remind myself I am the only person in my family and should make my parents proud even in their death world.
The psychoanalytic theory has various principles including the psychic determinism, internal structure, psychic conflict and compromise which affect personality and behavior of individuals. Psychic determinism principle indicates that mental process does not occur spontaneously but have various determinants including unconscious and existing psychological complexes. This principle depends on causality principle which is connected with psychic occurrences which shows that no activity or practice occurs by chance or random arbitrary manner. Freud explained about this principle indicating that practices such as a slip of the tongues occur due to unconscious impulses and desires. Freud explains about the internal structure of the psychoanalytic theory stating that the mind is made up of three parts including the conscious, the preconscious and unconscious parts. Conscious part represents one’s thoughts that focus on his current attention and preconscious contains what is retrieved from memory. The unconscious which represents processes that are responsible for our behavior. The unconscious part has events and desires which are accountable for frightening and causing pain in individuals. For people to live a peaceful life, this information should be locked in this part through a process known as repression process.
Freud explains about the principle of psychic conflict and compromise in the psychoanalytic theory by identifying three psychic elements including id, ego, and superego. Id is the pleasure principle which plays a role of satisfying one’s main instincts which are of two types the Eros and Thanatos (Freud, 2018). Eros is the life instincts which aid individuals to live and are the direct life-sustaining activities like sex and respiration. Thanatos is the death instincts which constitutes of destructive forces in people known to cause aggression and violence in the society. Ego is created from Id during childhood and aims at gratifying one’s demands and desires in a socially accepted way. The ego principle is based on the reality principle and is carried out on the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind. Superego principle is created during childhood development and focuses on maintaining moral standards as the community demands. It is based on the principle of morality and encourages people to behave in socially accepted ways. Freud explains that the psychic principles cause inner conflict in an individual as it makes demands on people (Freud, 2015). For example, superego makes an individual guilty when his actions are not moral and are unaccepted in the society
Sigmund Freud theory emphasizes the role of early childhood activities in influencing the unconscious and sexual instincts in the formation and development of an individual personality (Freud, 2017). The events of childhood development significantly affect adult lives and contribute to shaping our character. . Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is similar to that of John Bowlby which indicates that mental and behavioral issues should be attributed to childhood development. Bowlby suggests that kids are biologically programmed to freely interact with other people to help them in their survival. However, Bowlby states that attachment behaviors are unconscious and can be activated by various situations which affect attainment of closeness such as separation and insecurity. This will change the future personality and behavior of the individual involved.
Freud theory helps me in explaining my personality because the elements he describes in his approach are applicable in my personality and behavior. Despite the childhood situations and challenges which interferes with my emotional and psychological health, my consciousness helps me to remain focus in achieving my dreams. Many of my university friends have persuaded me to join them in drinking and smoking but my past experiences with drugs and the damage they had on my parents I stood my ground not to engage in smoking and drinking. Similar to Bowlby’s explanation on concept of separation anxiety, my parents’ divorce which made them separated affected by personality and behavior making me engage in drinking and smoking to fight my emotions and thoughts.
I had to change my behavior to interact with other people and had to bury these death instincts and focus on developing Eros concept which are the life instincts to help me survive and relate well with other people. Although I have the urge of joining my friends in smoking and drinking, I avoid engaging in these acts to retain my superego and remain morally upright in the community. Freud theory is essential when one is explaining their personality and behavior because Freud explains the development process an individual undergoes since childhood. The argument indicates how childhood experiences and acts affect one’s personality and behavior and how one should control the activities of the mind to fit in the society and live a peaceful life.
Carl Jung theory emphasizes various concepts including archetypes, unconsciousness and psychological type (Jung, 2014). Jung indicates that libido is sexual energy and a generalized psychic force which encourages individuals in various ways such as creatively, spiritually and intellectually. Jung theory explains that psyche consists of three separate and interacting principles including ego, personal and collective unconscious. Ego principle stands for the conscious mind which includes of thoughts, emotions, and memories which brings feelings for continuity and identity (Jung, 2014). Collective unconscious principle represents the personality approach which shows the unconscious level which is shared to the other people. Personal psyche represents the temporally forgotten information and has complexes which are a collection of feelings, thoughts, memories, and attitudes which emphasize one concept.
Jung explains about archetypes which are images and thoughts having an ordinary meaning in different cultures which are experienced in dreams, religion, literature or art (Jung, 2014). Jung theory indicates that different cultures have similar symbols which are as a result of archetypes which are shared by the human race. The theory explains that people’s past directly forms the basis of their human psych and influence individuals’ personalities and behaviors. Jung explains about persona or mask which refers to an individual’s face which he shows to the world concealing his real self. This indicates conformity archetype in which an individual represents a different face from whom they were. Jung explains about anima archetype which represents the mirror image of people’s biological sex. For example, it indicates the feminine part in men and masculine side in the female. He states that every sex shows the attitude and behavior of the opposite sex through the virtue of living together for centuries.
Carl Jung theory helps me in explaining my personality and behavior as I use the explanation processes and elements in reflecting how my childhood development and experiences affected my present character. As Jung states that ego comprises of thoughts, emotions, and memories which brings about feelings reflects my childhood life. When my parents divorced, despite my parents provided and being there for me when I needed them, I developed many thoughts and emotions. This made me develop feelings and could not interact with people making me violent and aggressive to people. Although I changed my life and decided to focus on my dreams and achieve my desires, the memories of my past affect me, and this sometimes makes me emotional. Carl Jung theory is essential when reflecting on one’s personality and behavior because it explains about childhood memories, thoughts, and emotions which greatly influence one’s future character.
Both Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud theories focus on how childhood experiences and memories influence people’s personality and behavior. Freud focuses on elements developed during childhood development which affects adult behavior and personality. My parents divorced when I was five years old, and though both mom and dad were there for me when I needed them, their divorce affected my development. These childhood experiences of having separate parents affected my personality making me engage in drinking and smoking when I was in high school. Carl Jung theory emphasizes how memories affect one’s future personality and behavior. Although I decided to move on and focus on achieving my dreams, the memories of my parents’ divorce and death affect me, and most of the times they make me emotional. This makes me develop unnecessary emotional feelings as I miss parental love but my focus makes me remain focused to achieve my desires.
References
Freud, A. (2018). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of development. Routledge.
Freud, S. (2015). Beyond the pleasure principle. Psychoanalysis and History, 17(2), 151-204.
Freud, S. (2017). Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality: The 1905 Edition. Verso Books.
Jung, C. G. (2014). Analytical psychology: Its theory and practice. Routledge.
Jung, C. G. (2014). The development of personality. Routledge.
Jung, C. G. (2014). Two essays on analytical psychology. Routledge.
