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View of Personality
Various philosophers and psychologists have over the years tried to answer? what is personality? and up to date there is no definite answer to this question as different scholars have their own unique views in regards to this topic.

? Some philosophers have proposed that when individuals are born they represent blank slates; meaning that we are entirely shaped by the environment which we grow up in. Our experiences in life are what cumulate to form our individual personality traits when we later become adults.

? Another school of thought theorizes that individuals are born inherently evil. This philosophical view can be tied to the story of man?s sinning and eventual fall and expulsion from God?s garden in the bible. Proponents behind this hypothesis believe that this is main reason as to why kids are born with ?selfish traits? as all they care about is just themselves. And it is this egotistic attribute that grows with us well into adulthood.

? In addition, some scholars have said that our inner selves are plainly reliant on the genetic and biological predispositions we have. These people simply connote that we have no control in regards to the direction our personality takes since we are already ?decoded? to follow set routes.

Mind & Personality Development According To Classical Psychoanalysis

?The main proponent of classical psychoanalysis was an Austrian psychiatrist by the name Sigmund Freud. He theorized our personality to be chiefly controlled by our past childhood experiences which are embedded in our unconscious memory. Individuals don?t have any control over this part of memory and are unaware of its existence, despite the fact that it has control over their behavioral trends. Freud subdivides memory into three areas which include a) Conscious b) Preconscious and c) Subconscious

a. Conscious memory; these are activities that we engage in and are fully aware of their happenings, and our involvement in them. It is at the tip of Freud?s iceberg and takes a very small portion of the entire chunk.

b. Preconscious memory, this is the kind of recall which that is available only when we need it. We remember stuff that?s only important in aiding us to fulfill certain tasks at hand.

c. Subconscious memory; Here Freud proposes that individuals are totally unaware of its existence, and the influence it does have on our memory despite the fact that it does play the biggest role in shaping our personalities. For instance, a kid who fell off a table while young may grow up to have an unexplained phobia for heights. The grown up wouldn?t trace this fear to any recent happening in his/her life.

Personality Structure According To the Theory

Classical psychoanalysis divides personality into three levels which include a) Id b) Ego and c) Superego.

A. Id. This is the part in us which operates in accordance to the pleasure principle. It seeks immediate gratification regardless of the rationale behind ones action. Id is primal and is at the lowest level of a human being?s mental functioning. Example of Id in operation is when a man rapes a young girl, not thinking of consequences that will follow such gross actions.

B. The Superego, this is the part of our mind which operates under the ?taught principle.? Throughout our lives we have been told by others or learnt from experience what is good & bad.

It is this ethical predisposition which we get from significant others in our lives such as parents or the society that is embedded in our memories and helps in making decisions of life.

C. The Ego, this component of our personality functions according to the reality principle. It checks and balances both the Superego and Id and it?s constantly in conflict with the two, but mostly with Id. Ego rationalizes things through assessing what ones actions would result to, not only for the individual but also other parties who would be affected by these actions.

Mental Defense Mechanisms We Learn

These are both conscious and unconscious psychological systems we use to bring about synthesis and an optimal state of mind. We use them to justify our actions or please others.

1. Sublimation, here the individual tries to escape past painful memories or limitations through substituting them with more positive attributes. For instance, an individual who has difficulty controlling anger may end up becoming a professional wrestler or boxer. This way the person will be in a better position to express anger in a way that is more acceptable to the society.

2. Denial, in this method a person suppresses negative events into the memory and tries to act as usual even when it?s clear that things aren?t going the way they ought to be. For example, a teenager who has just lost a parent can pretend not be affected by the occurrence, and would not shed a tear but continue playing with friends and laughing around as if things are normal. The truth will only dawn on this person when friends go back their happy families and the pain of not having a family-member close by sets in.

3. Projection, people using projection as a coping mechanism tend to target their own flaws and limitations to other less threatening objects. For instance, a bully who doesn?t perform well in class and is bigger in composure than others doing well can harass them for no apparent reason. Or, someone who has just received a letter of retrenchment from work can kick the neighbor?s cat to relieve off stress; even if the cat doesn?t have any direct correlation with this resignation letter.

4. Magnification, in this process an individual tends to view certain occurrences at either great or lesser light than they ought to be visualized in actual sense. For instance, when diagnosed with cancer the ?magnifier? can falsely put in mind that cancer isn?t that serious and he/she would eventually heal even without seeking proper treatment. This person puts aside the fact that cancer can be fatal if prompt medical consultation isn?t sought.

5. Reaction formation, in such a structure the person says exact opposite of what he/she actually intends so as to please the receiver. For instance, when served an unsavory meal by a relative who then requests you comment on the cooking most probably one will lie that it?s good, just so not to hurt her feelings.

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Mind & Personality Development | Self Improvement Articles and Tips

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