THE PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY OF SIGMUND FREUD AND ITS IMPACT ON

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Abstract-

Often our personality development is linked to our genetic background, the environment where
we were raised and how we were parented. Sigmund Freud, who shaped the foundation of
psychoanalysis, emphasized on the unconscious mind and early childhood experiences which he
divided into 5 stages of psychosexual development, related to specific erogenous zones in each
stage. Our erogenous zones or libidinal impulses need to be gratified at the correct stages. If not,
it can hinder our personality traits as adults. [1]

Psychoanalytic Theory refers to a psychological framework that defines moral behavior as the
internalization of cultural norms and values through parental identification that ultimately
influence our behavior as adults.[2]

THE STRUCTURE OF OUR PERSONALITY

Freud states that personality is composed of three elements known as the id, the ego, and the
superego. These elements work together to create complex human behaviors.[3]

The ID, the unconscious part of our mind makes up most of it.. It derives from our desires and
emerges as illogical and wishful thinking. It develops right after birth and demands immediate
gratification. If not immediately satisfied, it could lead to anxiety or tension. Imagine trying to
convince a baby to wait until lunchtime to eat their meal.[4] The id requires immediate
satisfaction, and because the other components of personality are not yet present, the infant will
cry until these needs are fulfilled. Young infants are ruled entirely by the ID which operates
based on the pleasure principle.

WHAT IS THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE?

The pleasure principle strives to fulfill our most basic and primitive urges, including hunger,
thirst, anger, and sex. Freud noticed that children try to satisfy these biological needs as quickly
as possible with little to no thought given to consider whether such sorts of behavior are socially
acceptable or not. But as we grow up, such wishful behavior becomes unacceptable, with respect
to the morals that our society upholds. Therefore, our brain develops a new element called ego,
to control the urges of the id. [5]

Ego is part of our conscious and our unconscious mind. It is involved in our perception, thoughts
and judgments. It seeks long term gratification. The ego acts as a mediator between the ID and
the superego. It tries to gratify the ID while also holding the morals and values of the superego
and operates on the reality principle. Instead of seeking immediate gratification for urges, the
reality principle guides the ego to seek avenues to fulfill these needs that are both realistic and
socially appropriate.[6]

Superego develops around the age of 4. It is our conscience that holds our moral standards and
ideals that we acquire from our parents and society. The superego tries to keep us civilized and
ensures that the demands of the id do not take over its morals.

HOW THE ID, THE EGO AND THE SUPEREGO FUNCTION TOGETHER?

The id, the ego and the superego are dynamics and are constantly interacting to influence an
individual's overall personality and behavior. "A central theme of Freud’s work is that id, ego,
and superego are always in conflict and the specific nature of these discrepancies determines
one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (or personality)," says Sauer-Zavala.

According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego, and the
superego. Freud believed that an imbalance between these elements would lead to a maladaptive
personality.

"Freud believed that mental health difficulties (anxiety, depression) arise when 'the ego has lost
the capacity to allocate the [id] in some way' (Freud, 1920), adds Sauer-Zavala. "[7]

PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT:

Our sex drive, which Freud termed as Libido focuses in a different erogenous zone at each phase.
Our libidinal impulses need to be gratified at the correct stages. If they are over-gratified or not
gratified at all, our libidinal energy may remain fixed at an earlier stage of development, what
Freud referred to as fixation. This may result in conflict, anxiety, depression or addictions as
adults.

There is interaction between the three elements of our mind, the ID, the ego and the superego.
All these elements are competing for demands. When these three elements become fixated
during psychosexual development caused due to conflicts, it is what we refer to as the
psychoanalytic theory.

ORAL 0-1

In the initial phase of our life, we discover the world through our oral senses. Our main pleasure
comes from sucking our mother’s breasts or a bottle. When we are deprived of these basic
necessities, or experience weaning from the caregiver who does not satisfy us we unconsciously
inherit certain personality traits later in life as adults. Example- a person insufficiently breastfed
at a young age, eventually develops an oral fixation and could possibly try to compensate for it
by constantly chewing gum.
In severe cases, a person spends their entire life trying to find the oral stimulation they were
denied as an infant and develops a manipulative and addictive personality.

ANAL 1-3

The primary focus at this age is the control of our bladder and bowel movements. As kids, we
need to be properly taught how to urinate and maintain hygiene. The role of our parents in
encouraging us to do so without feeling ashamed is a prominent factor which eventually shapes
our personality and self esteem.Proper guidance and encouragement during this phase gives
growth to a competent personality. Such people can establish good relationships with others
while taking authority in matters. Kids who were not given proper training on hygiene and were
criticized by their parents at a young age develop an ‘anal retentive’ personality. They are often
viewed as over controlling and have a tendency to obey authority. As a result, they are more
likely to develop feelings of insecurity and disgust for themselves. Completely neglected
children develop an ‘anal-expulsive’ personality. They are messy, disorganized and have
rebellious feelings against authority.

PHALLIC 3-6

Libido is a term used in psychoanalytic theory to describe the energy created by survival and
sexual instincts which is the driving force of all behavior.In some cases, the focus on a person's
libidinal energy may remain fixed at an earlier stage of development in what Freud referred to as
fixation. When this happens, the libido's energy may be too tied to this developmental stage and
the person will remain "stuck" in this stage until the conflict is resolved

An infant’s libido centers around their genitals as erogenous zones. They learn the differences
between male and female sexes and their associated social norms, as a result of which physical
curiosity about the opposite gender appears prevalent in them. Boys experience what we call the
Oedipus Complex, where they develop a sense of rivalry against their father to possess their
mother.However, the child also fears that he will be punished by the father for these feelings, a
fear Freud termed castration anxiety.The term Electra complex has been used to describe a
similar set of feelings experienced by young girls. Freud, however, believed that girls instead
experience penis envy. When the parent of the same gender is emotionally present for the child
during this phase, he or she learns to empathize with the same-sex parent and resolves the
conflict by strongly identifying with them. However, in an alternate case, the child develops a
fixation, as talked about earlier. They are confused about their sexuality or their
manhood/womanhood. They often feel the need to compare themselves to the same gender. For
girls, however, Freud believed that penis envy was never fully resolved and that all women
remain somewhat fixated on this stage.[8]
LATENCY 6-puberty

Children develop social skills, values, and relationships with peers and adults outside of the
family. During this phase, our sexual energy, or libido remains repressed. It is important in the
development of communication and social skills as adults.

GENITAL puberty-death

The libido becomes active again at this stage.The individual develops a strong sexual interest in
the opposite sex. The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas. If
the other stages have been completed successfully, the individual should now be well-balanced,
warm, and caring.

Citations:

[1] Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2023a, November 24). 5 major theories of personality development.
Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/personality-development-2795425

[2]Psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic Theory - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.).

[3]Boag S. Ego, drives, and the dynamics of internal objects. Front Psychol. 2014;5:666.
doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00666

[4]Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2024, March 5). Id, ego, and superego are part of a structural model of
personality. VerywellMind..
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-id-ego-and-superego-2795951#toc-the-id

[5]Moccia L, Mazza M, Di Nicola M, Janiri L. The experience of pleasure: A perspective

[6]Cieri F, Esposito R. Psychoanalysis and neuroscience: The bridge between mind and brain.
Front Psychol. 2019;10:1790. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01983

[7] Churchill R, Moore TH, Davies P, et al. Psychodynamic therapies versus other psychological
therapies for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(9):CD008706.
doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008706

[8]Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2023a, March 13). What are Freud’s stages of psychosexual
development? Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/freuds-stages-of-psychosexual-development-2795962