Critique to the Psychoanalytic Theories

8/3/2019 Critique to the Psychoanalytic Theories

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A Critique to thePsychoanalytic Perspectives:Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Jung’s Analytical PsychologyAdler’s Individual Psychology

Submitted by:Floralice Hope S. Servano



I. DESCRIPTION

The Psychoanalytic Perspective is an orientation towards understanding

behavior in terms of unconscious motives stemming from sexual and aggressive

impulses. The sexual impulse of the psychoanalysis was first developed by Sigmund

Freud. Another psychoanalytic theorists, who rivals Feud’s idea was Carl Gustav Jung.

Jung believed that sexual impulses are not the only foundation of the psychoanalysis.

That is, an individual has with him, innately, the person that is still about to be

developed. That developed person will not only be the result of the sexually fixated

experiences in the past but is also a result of moral integration of the present. He

developed the Analytical Psychology as a result. On the other hand, Alfred Adler

believed that an individual cannot attain his individuality alone. He needs the society to

help him in molding his creative self. Subsequently, he developed the Individual

Psychology. Individual Psychology states that a dreamed goal directs individual’s

actions and thoughts.

II. ANALYSIS

To Freud, everything an individual does in the present, may it be positive or

negative, is a result of past experiences. The positivity or the negativity of such action is

not the mere basis of fixation from past experiences, but the degree of its positivity or

negativity. Too much and/or too little of such action can be considered as not normal.

The basis of fixation is found in the Psychosexual Stages of Development. During these

stages different personality types may develop. Odd personality types are results to

parents’ under-indulgence and/or over-indulgence. Past experiences are also factor in



developing personality types. Traumatic experiences can become repressed thoughts. It

has become part of the unconscious because the individual wants to avoid or totally

forget it. Some individual unintentionally forgets it because of its unpleasantness. It has

then become part of the id. The id is the storehouse of those unwanted impulses. Since

these impulses are not accepted to the society, another unconscious storehouse of the

society-wanted-actions was developed, it was called the superego. The superego

always combats the id because of their difference. The ego then becomes its

moderator.

As for Jung, an individual’s action is taken by his past and present experiences in

terms of morality. These actions are directed to one destination, the so-called self. This

self is the innate personality of an individual that is yet to be developed through the

integration of the past and present experiences. Just like in Freud’s view, past

unwanted experiences, in Jung’s view, are kept in the unconscious, the personal

unconscious. Again, it is stored in the unconscious because of its unpleasantness.

Individuals create their own world, the world that is different from the world in reality. It

still is lying in the individual’s unconscious, the collective unconscious. The persona

compromises the demands of the society and the impulses of the individual. On the

other hand the shadow keeps the unwanted, unconscious and unpleasant side of the

individual.

According to Adler, an individual can fully determine its individuality with the help

of the society. Without a bigger body to compare with, the individual will not be

considered as an individual entity. For him, a perceived or imagined goal is set by the

individual, the fictional finalism. It directs the individual’s actions and behavior. The



creative evolution is the part of the individual that adapts to different external stimuli.

Innately, an individual experiences the feelings of inferiority that would make him strive

for superiority as compensation. This striving may result to a constructive or destructive

path, depending on how the individual reacts on it. Another result of the feelings of

inferiority is to struggle for perfection the will not only help the individual but also to help

the society.

III. SYNTHESIS

For Freudian belief, one of the ego’s roles is a moderator between the id and the

superego. That is to make the socially unaccepted actions into socially accepted ones.

As a result different defense mechanisms were developed. These defense mechanisms

were operated by the ego to make bad things, conscious or unconscious, appear good.

For Jung, the ego functions as the integrator of past and present experiences that would

help the individual in attaining his ultimate goal, the “self”. The self, in Jung’s view is

innate. But in Adler’s view it is something that the individual has a freedom of imagining,

the way they want it to be. Adler called it the fictional finalism. It directs the individual ’s

behavior, thus directing the individual’s personality. Whereas in Freud’s view personality

is the reflection of past experiences may it conscious and more on the unconscious; and

in Adler’s view the personality of an individual will determine the “self” that is to be

realized in the future.

Unconscious thoughts are thoughts that are repressed because of

unpleasantness. To Freud, it is stored in the id that will be manifested in the individual ’s

actions. As the individual grows, society’s norms will be taught to him. These norms are



the opposite of the impulses of the id, making the ego operates. To Jung these

unconscious thoughts are repressed to the personal unconscious and hidden as the

individuals’ shadow. To meet the expectation of the society, the individual creates the

persona. It is somewhat like a mask worn by the individual to appear the best way that

he could to meet what the society demands.

The difference between Jung’s self and Adler’s fictional finalism is that, the Self is

something that is already written and fictional finalism is something that the individual

dreams. The self is innate into all individuals. Personality would help in determining

what the self is. On the other hand the fictional finalism is a freedom for all individuals. It

would give direction to the individual’s personality. It is the “vice versa” of the self. The

Fictional finalism would help in determining the individual’s personality.

IV. EVALUATION

Freud’s theory is something that gives us idea that because of what happened to

us in the past, this is us in the present. Jung’s view gives us the idea that we have

something within us right now that needs to be realized. Adler’s stand gives us the idea

that we have to work for our future to obtain it. The difference and similarity of the three

theories is the choice. Different choices on how to change our lives; change to cope

with the fixations of the past, change for the self to be realized and changed for the

future set goals, respectively. But the same goal, the choice to change for the better.

One theory cannot stand alone. The integration of the three and more of the

Psychoanalytic perspective is needed to, if not fully, understand to best extent human

diversity and individuality.

Critique to the Psychoanalytic Theories

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