Principals Pioneered by Sigmund Freud

There are three parts to your personality: the Id, Ego and Superego. The part of the personality that is the source of conscience and is considered as the moral part of the personality is the Superego. The part of the unconscious personality that contains our needs, drives , instincts and repressed material is the Id. The part of the personality that is in touch with reality is the Ego. Your personality is consistent, enduring and have unique characteristics. A term for an enduring way in which one individuals differ from another is called a trait.

A cardinal trait is a trait that is so pervasive that the person is almost always identified with that trait. The term for a trait that is transient or less consistent , subject to change is a secondary trait. The term posited by Bandura stating that the person acquires a new behavior by watching the actions of another person is called Contingencies of Reinforcement. The behaviorist theories studies the way rewards and punishment shape our personalities. A person who has repressed feeling the person simply forgets. The term for ways of behaving that help satisfy needs, reduce anxiety and protect individuals self-esteems is called defense mechanisms.

Freud is the one responsible for the study of the unconscious mind. Freud’s psychoanalytic theories emphasize the importance of motives hidden in the unconscious. The focus of cognitive theorists focus on how our thoughts perceptions and feelings shape our personality. Alfred Adler believed that the driving force in people’s lives was the desires to overcome their feelings of inferiority.

Sigmund Freud believed that our memories of past experiences, especially painful ones was stored in the unconscious. The part of your personality that is your conscience is your superego. The ego serves to temper the id and superego. The id itself is seen in infants by them unconsciously having instinctive urges for food and water.