Freud vs Adler Theories

             Sigmund Freud has held the distinction as the Founder of
             Psychoanalysis in contributing a revolutionary concept that emphasizes on
             the human unconscious (Boerre 1997). His theory on the energy sources he
             and his associate, Josef Breuer, called the id, ego and superego, make up
             the human psyche. They formulated that the id as the unconscious part that
             works on the eros or sexual life energy and the tanatos or anger/death
             energy. The ego energy source balances these energies, that is why people,
             in general, can function and coexist in society (Boeree). The ego is strong
             enough to control them. Freud and Breuer's theory, however, suggested that,
             sometimes, the id becomes more dominant and gets to control human behavior,
             such as during sleep when suppressed desires are revealed in dreams. The
             theory also holds that the superego is a person's mental image of his or
             her ideal self, which includes all the values and norms learned and
             internalized from the person's environment. The superego energy is,
             therefore, directly opposed to and by the id, and the ego endeavors to
             satisfy and keep both extremes balanced (Boeree).
             Freud also proposed that mental disorders develop in early childhood
             and go through the oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital stages. The
             phallic sub-theory that is well-known explains how sex-identity develops in
             an unconscious level (Boeree 1997) between the child and each parent, the
             boy developing the Oedipus Complex and the girl, the Electra Complex. Both
             concepts were unacceptable to the people of Freud's time, but his
             revolutionary analysis of the dynamics of the human psyche was nonetheless
             valued and remains popularly used (Pietersen 2004). His clinical research
             method has been widely applied in conversations with patients in analyzing
             and gaining insight into their behavioral pattern (Boeree).
             But Freud's theory has been criticized as not supporte...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Freud vs Adler Theories. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:36, April 26, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/201548.html