Psychology - Psychodynamic approach - Personality development

Personality Development

Around the turn of the 19th century, Freud developed a theory of personality development to explain how people become what they are. 'Personality' refers to the unique character that each of us has. Freud suggested that personality develops out of an interaction between innate drives and early life experiences.

Personality Development 

The personality consists of the three elements id, ego and superego. These work together to create complex behaviours. The id is the implusive part of our personality, and is present at birth. The ego is the conscious, rational part of the mind that develops around the age of two years. The superego is the last part of our personality to develop. Forming at around the gae of four years, it embodies the child's sense of right and wrong as well as his or her ideal self.One of the features of this interaction is that the three forces are in conflict with each other. The ego's ability to function despite these cpmpeting forces is reffered to as 'ego strength'. A person with good ego strength is able to manage these pressures effectively, while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too unyeilding or too disrupting. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance betweeen the id, ego and superego. Ego strength develops naturally with age, but may be enhanced or damaged by life experiences.A person whose personality is dominated by their id will tend to be antisocial, lacking…