Running Head: FREUD’S THEORY OF PERSONALITY STRUCTURE ASSIGNMENT 1
Freud’s Theory of Personality Structure Assignment
Name
Institution
HSB4U Challenge and Change in Society
Date
, FREUD’S THEORY OF PERSONALITY STRUCTURE ASSIGNMENT
2
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist best known for developing theories and
techniques that became the foundation of psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud., 2017). He focused his
areas of study on the treatment of mental illness and the theories of human behaviour. According to
Freud’s psychosexual theory (Mcleod, S., 2017), child development occurs in a series of stages
focused on different pleasure areas of the body. His theory suggested that the energy of the libido
was focused on different erogenous zones at specific stages of development. As a child progresses
and successfully completes each stage, they will develop a healthy adult personality. Freud believed
that failure to complete any particular stage can result in stalled development and forever influence
adult behavior. According to Freud, personality is mainly solidified by the age of five.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory hypothesized that the events of our childhood have a great
influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality. For example, anxiety originating from traumatic
experiences in a person's past is hidden from consciousness and may cause problems during
adulthood, in the form of neuroses (Sigmund Freud., 2017). Therefore when we explain our
behaviour to other, or ourselves, we rarely provide a true account of our motivation; not because we
are deliberately lying, but because our unconscious recollection of childhood events have skewed
our perception (Mcleod, S., 2017). Freud believed that life was built around tension and pleasure;
tension was due to a build-up of libido/sexual energy and pleasure came from the discharge of this
energy. From this description Freud developed his psychosexual theory (Cherry, K., & Gans, S.,
2018), conveying that development is the way in which sexual energy accumulates and is
discharged as we mature biologically. It is important to note that Freud used the term 'sexual' in a
very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts.
Each of the psychosexual stages is associated with a specific conflict that must be resolved
before the individual can progress successfully to the next stage (Cherry, K., & Gans, S.,
Freud’s Theory of Personality Structure Assignment
Name
Institution
HSB4U Challenge and Change in Society
Date
, FREUD’S THEORY OF PERSONALITY STRUCTURE ASSIGNMENT
2
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist best known for developing theories and
techniques that became the foundation of psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud., 2017). He focused his
areas of study on the treatment of mental illness and the theories of human behaviour. According to
Freud’s psychosexual theory (Mcleod, S., 2017), child development occurs in a series of stages
focused on different pleasure areas of the body. His theory suggested that the energy of the libido
was focused on different erogenous zones at specific stages of development. As a child progresses
and successfully completes each stage, they will develop a healthy adult personality. Freud believed
that failure to complete any particular stage can result in stalled development and forever influence
adult behavior. According to Freud, personality is mainly solidified by the age of five.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory hypothesized that the events of our childhood have a great
influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality. For example, anxiety originating from traumatic
experiences in a person's past is hidden from consciousness and may cause problems during
adulthood, in the form of neuroses (Sigmund Freud., 2017). Therefore when we explain our
behaviour to other, or ourselves, we rarely provide a true account of our motivation; not because we
are deliberately lying, but because our unconscious recollection of childhood events have skewed
our perception (Mcleod, S., 2017). Freud believed that life was built around tension and pleasure;
tension was due to a build-up of libido/sexual energy and pleasure came from the discharge of this
energy. From this description Freud developed his psychosexual theory (Cherry, K., & Gans, S.,
2018), conveying that development is the way in which sexual energy accumulates and is
discharged as we mature biologically. It is important to note that Freud used the term 'sexual' in a
very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts.
Each of the psychosexual stages is associated with a specific conflict that must be resolved
before the individual can progress successfully to the next stage (Cherry, K., & Gans, S.,
