You will be assigned a theory according to your last name. Your instructor may reassign you to a different theory as needed, so check the announcements for reassignments. Consider how these theories have changed over time or are perceived differently through history.

MY LAST NAME STARTS WITH J SO MY ASSIGNED THEORY IS JUNG!

In your initial post, answer the following questions for your assigned theory:

1. How was this theory influenced by previous theories?
2. Has the theory changed over time?

Respond to two other students who were assigned a theory different from your own by comparing and contrasting the way different theories deviated from Freud’s original thinking.

To complete this assignment, review the Discussion Rubric document.

AFTER COMPLETING THE INITIAL POST, PLEASE ALSO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING TWO STUDENTS REGARDING THE SAME TOPIC!

STUDENT ONE:

Erikson was a Freud revisionist who developed eight stages of psycho – social development. These steps corresponded to the psycho – sexual stages Freud developed. Erikson’s work for shadowed the life – span development work that followed. His stages were as follows: trust vs. mistrust corresponded to Freud’s oral phase; autonomy vs. shame and doubt corresponded to Freud’s anal phase; initiative vs. guilt corresponded to Freud’s phallic stage, and industry vs. inferiority corresponded to Freud’s latency stage. Erikson’s last three stages do not correspond to Freud’s stages and include intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair, the final stage. Intimacy vs. isolation might correlate to Freud’s genital stage.

Erikson differed from Freud in that he envisioned social underpinnings for many of life’s conflicts. In this way his stages reflected conscious thought on the part of individuals who struggled to overcome their obstacles; whereas Freud stressed the role of the unconscious and the sexual drive. Erikson’s stages did not stop at young adulthood but continued throughout the life – span and stressed the importance of the mature individual.

The first stage was one that engendered hope in the individual. Through having had his earliest needs met with satisfaction, thereby lessening frustration, led to a feeling of hope for the child in his future interactions. This was trust vs. mistrust. The second stage autonomy vs. shame and doubt was about who was in charge. The child strived to be in control of himself and his bodily functions, while at the same time he obeyed his parents. There should have been a balance between these forces, so the child learned autonomy. If the child or parent won this battle for control it could have led to the development of the anal personality as Freud described. Next there was initiative vs. guilt which embodied the phallic stage in which the child could freely engage in fantasy both sexual and life oriented as to what adult life might be like when grown up. Industry vs. inferiority which corresponded to latency stage was a time of growth for the child, when he could assert himself and be industrious. A lack of this behavior led to feelings of inferiority.

The next three stages were embodied as occurred in the sexually mature person. Intimacy vs. isolation spoke to the need for intimacy at this stage as opposed to being isolated and alone. Young people sought out intimacy in their romantic and platonic relationships to meet sexual needs and needs for companionship. Generativity vs. stagnation happened next when the adult had children and or participated in the life of the community in a way that added to that community. Stagnation was the reverse of these goals and drew the person further inward. Integrity and despair were the last stage that happened near or close to old age. Having tried to remain an integrated and whole person in the later years could be trying with family gone, friends who had died, retirement from one’s work, medical problems and illnesses all compiling to leave one without purpose. Despair could follow in the wake of these losses. The person’s role at this stage was to find new meaning in life.

STUDENT TWO:

Hello Class,

Alfred Adler was known as the first theorist to end up at odds with Freud. He felt that Freud focused too heavily on sex as the ultimate motivator. Adler felt that social interest was far more important. “Adler said individuals are motivated to attain equality with or superiority over other people to compensate for whatever they felt in childhood was their weakest aspect” (Funder, pg. 396). Adler called this idea organ inferiority. Adler’s theory was influenced by Freud’s theory in the aspect that it helped shaped how much he didn’t believe what Freud had created.

Unfortunately Freud’s theories have sort of out shadowed Adler’s theory. They have all been used as building blocks though to shape current theories about psychology and motivators that a person has.

References

Funder, D. C. The Personality Puzzle (Seventh Edition). [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780393288032/