Personality Development


Freud's Structural and Topographical Models of Personality



Sigmund Freud's Theory is quite complex and although his writings on psychosexual development set the groundwork for how our personalities developed, it was only one of five parts to his overall theory of personality. He also believed that different driving forces develop during these stages which play an important role in how we interact with the world.



Structural Model (id, ego, superego)



According to Freud, we are born with our Id. The id is an important part of our personality because as newborns, it allows us to get our basic needs met. Freud believed that the id is based on our pleasure principle. In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation. When a child is hungry, the id wants food, and therefore the child cries. When the child needs to be changed, the id cries. When the child is uncomfortable, in pain, too hot, too cold, or just wants attention, the id speaks up until his or her needs are met.



The id doesn't care about reality, about the needs of anyone else, only its own satisfaction. If you think about it, babies are not real considerate of their parents' wishes. They have no care for time, whether their parents are sleeping, relaxing, eating dinner, or bathing. When the id wants something, nothing else is important.



Within the next three years, as the child interacts more and more with the world, the second part of the personality begins to develop. Freud called this part the Ego. The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt us in the long run. Its the ego's job to meet the needs of the id, while taking into consideration the reality of the situation.



By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development, the Superego develops. The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong.



In a healthy person, according to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id, not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation. Not an easy job by any means, but if the id gets too strong, impulses and self gratification take over the person's life. If the superego becomes to strong, the person would be driven by rigid morals, would be judgmental and unbending in his or her interactions with the world.

I hope you know that Freud would have almost won the Nobel for literature for his such imaginative writings

hi moderator, its good to know that we have one common friend here (Sigmund Freud)..Yes he almost won, and he didnt get that award.

In the 100-year-old history of the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology, there are several fields whose practitioners have not received the prize. Among the unlucky candidates for the Nobel Prize, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is probably the most prominent and best known. He is also the one proposed for the prize during the longest period of time, almost a quarter of a century, or more precisely, between 1915 and 1938


Thus his theories on personality and psychoanalytic somehow interest me and explains the how(s) and why(s) in us... very creative imaginations :-)

Freud’s innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and indeed of cultural artifacts as invariably possessing implicit symbolic significance has proven to be extraordinarily fruitful, and has had massive implications for a wide variety of fields including psychology, anthropology, semiotics, and artistic creativity and appreciation. However, Freud’s most important and frequently re-iterated claim, that with psychoanalysis he had invented a successful science of the mind, remains the subject of much critical debate and controversy.

his theories are theories :-)

hi princessy and moderator

It's good to know that YOU have one common friend here (Sigmund Freud)..Yes I don't know anything about him/her lol.

In fact you have one more common friend here (aditya rana)

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Aditya Rana
India BPO Forum

You are a Freudian, havent met one in a long long time I am more of a cognitivist , psycho dynamics I think cannot explain all of our intents and interests and is more or less pure conjecture. Freud I belive brought about a big change from seeing the mind as magical to seeing it as human , however today his theories do not hold water , since we know a lot morw about the way the human mind and brain is organised and functions. Still I agree with you Freud was influential.

there are many theorist having different explanation about human behavior... we readers will choose or prefer to theories that could satisfy our queries and what if(s).....


my friend moderator... we may have different preferences.... whatever it is its still finding reasons and explanations of our way of existence and why we became what we are...whoever the theorist is, doesnt matter at all.. :-)

Sure I just explained the current thoughts in the field

In the entire discussion you totally ignored me

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Aditya Rana
India BPO Forum

That Adi is your Id speaking your need for attention stemming from your impulsive childish Id and your ego tried to get you what your desired byposting that comment :P, obviously your superego couldn't control this ganging up by Id and ego

nice strike moderator...

adi.. have u read my post bout the ID EGO and super ego on my FB?.. in ur own assessment of yourself... which among the three u have the strongest?