Theorist:
Sigmund Freud
Focus: Two
models to understanding personality: the Topographic Model and the Structural
Model. The Topographic Model divides the human personality into three parts:
the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The Structural Model
which divides the personality down even further into three parts: the id, the
ego, and the superego.
Strengths:
development of our personality through the eternal state of tension between a
desire for self-indulgence, a concern for reality, and the enforcement of a
strict moral code; growth and maturity from facing repressed internal conflicts.
Weaknesses:
too much opposition can cause the use of defense mechanisms; to achieve growth
and maturity often requires the individual to dig into the negative aspects of
life, focusing on situations that we painful and unpleasant.
Personal
Example: When I was a freshman
in college, I was engaged. My fiancé was a police officer, and he was killed on
duty. I repressed all my feelings from the event, and I shut everyone out. I
started to do poorly in school, and I stopped hanging out with my friends. When
my friends finally held an intervention, and forced me to confront my true
inner feelings, I was able to accept the fact that Alex had died. I was able to
move forward with my life; I started to do better in school, and I put myself back
into social situations.
