Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

Freud also developed a new way to organize the personality within the framework of the conscious, preconscious, and the unconscious. He believed there were three main parts within the personality of an individual: the id, the superego, and the ego.

The id: The first component present within the personality. Present at birth and is completely an unconscious component. The id controls the biological desires for food, sleep, water, and sex. It is not realistic and has no concept of reality, possibility, or time. The superego: Also called “morality.” According to Freud, the superego is what causes people to feel guilt. The superego and the id are at odds, demanding the individual does the “right thing. This dilemma is what causes a person to feel guilty about desiring the bodily pleasures, which the id craves. The superego remains in the preconscious area of the mind. The ego: This is the mediator between the carnal desires of the id and the ‘hyper-morality’ of the superego. The ego functions as a reality check and helps to plan, remain rational, and mediate desires. This mediation helps the individual to find socially acceptable ways to satisfy the id. The ego moves throughout the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind.

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development: According to Freud, personality develops based on changes in the libido, or life force, which is analogous to sexual energy within a person. The libido begins at birth and is completely done developing by age five. Freud also believed that if an individual did not move through the stages of the lifespan appropriately, then they would become ‘stuck.’ He did not use the term ‘stuck’, though. Rather, he dubbed the issue ‘fixated.’ The fixations one experienced would affect their personal development. Below are the stages of psychosexual development. Keep in mind that libido is analogous to sexual energy, though they are not necessarily the same idea. If fixation occurs at any stage, anxiety results, thus triggering defense mechanisms.

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