Paper Example on Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality Development

Introduction

For this reflection paper, I will refer to the psychoanalytic theory of personality development laid out by Sigmund Freud around the 19th century. The psychoanalytic theory by Freud was one of the incentives that motivated my fascination in psychology because of its unique therapeutic model (Robert and Ewen, 2014). Conversely, as time as passed by and with my increased level of education maturity, I have come to realize that even though the psychoanalytic theory is regarded to have provided the foundation upon which other personality theories were formed, it does not possibly answer all the psychological questions. However, the idea of becoming acquainted with this personality development theory and its perspective of psychotherapy is more appealing because it gives a rejuvenated feeling of inspiration as well as fascination about psychoanalysis. I, therefore, highly appreciate the aspects of psychoanalysis which include the significance of childhood experiences, the ideas of regression, fixation and defense mechanisms together with the fact that our lives are determined by the type of choices we make at every stage of development. However, I am not in terms with the concept of sexuality on which Freud over-emphasizes on as well as the concept of this theory to direct blames on women for dysfunction together with the anonymous role of a therapist in fostering transference.

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I believe in the significance of the past in determining the future way of life of individuals, for instance, the type of people we grow into and the type of life challenges we undergo. On the other hand, it appears Freud over-emphasizes on the past events that relate to sexual elements, the role played by mothers and ignoring the role that culture and society play in influencing individual personality development. Generally, the psychoanalytic theory of personality development by Freud is an opener towards a building step that has been taken by other theorists like Erikson, who managed to build upon the ideas of Freud and extend them to elaborate the development throughout life, and also incorporating the importance of culture and social influences which are to be addressed in order to have a complete understanding of an individual (Moin and McLean, 2017). In addition, the idea of fixation by Freud can be a very suitable way to approach addiction because it seems like a unique approach to something that appears difficult to explain.

I am personally interested in the psychoanalytic theory of personality development because most of the times I am profoundly affected by my relationships with others to which many emotional conflicts and psychological illnesses can be traced to and this theory happens to be the best option for such explanation. Further, the concept of brief psychodynamic therapy presented in this theory is also very important because it helps in the treatment of a problem in the context of an individual's present state in regards to prior experiences. This theory appears to incorporate some psychodynamics in the efficacy of the therapy in the treatment and its use in real life. Generally, I am impressed by the psychoanalytic theory and therapy by Freud even though it has some inherent problems which include placing too much focus of past experiences together with sexual elements and its practical challenges which include not being economical because it is time-consuming. This is the reason as to why I have developed a contemporary framework of solutions to aspects of this theory to be able to apply them in a therapy that is more of psychodynamic oriented.

Despite some of the flaws of psychoanalytic theory, it is also very significant in literary application because it is a theory which continues to provide the foundation for the development of various psychotherapy methods employed by therapists. This theory serves as the best measure of time and can be regarded to be a continuously innovative and revolutionary approach. Additionally, this approach I feel has opened up ways for the development of other theories despite the fact that it is a multifaceted approach that can fit into several cases with other theories. The practical application of Freud's theory in a practical way is very noticeable (Anthony and Elliott, 2015).

Conversely, the psychoanalytic theory can be regarded faulty given the way in which theory was formed. From my personal evaluation, I have realized that Freud developed this theory following his personal discoveries by looking into his childhood relations with his family to determine the very least is lacking some extent of objectivity. Even though this may subject the feeling that this approach has helped move psychology to a whole new realm, it is also noticeable of a huge bound without any scientific objectivity. I am determined to share the concepts of psychoanalysis with the more contemporary psychodynamic approach, but I am curious of the feeling of other peers in regards to the theoretical foundation and practical methodologies that comes along with their reasoning.

Conclusion

Summarily, Sigmund Freud can be regarded as a pioneer of his reign who developed the first of what would be regarded as the foundation of psychotherapy as well as the future development of new theories designed to progress further psychology. I have a feeling of rejuvenation by the approach, and it has made me more optimistic by learning its present-day applications. I further believe that the past has got a great impact on the type of lifestyle we end up living and the type of people we become. Therefore, this theory is best used as a knowledge base and expanded to fit the most appropriate applications.

Work Cited

Elliott, Anthony. Psychoanalytic theory: An introduction. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2015.

Ewen, Robert, and Robert B. Ewen. An introduction to theories of personality. Psychology Press, 2014.Syed, Moin, and Kate C. McLean. "Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development." (2017).