Describe the major strengths and weaknesses of Freud’s view of personality

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
Freud’s contributions to psychology have been immense (Erwin, 2002). He is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century (Gedo, 2002). His presence is still felt among the general public through literature, arts, and the movies. His theory on dreams stimulated much research on the nature of sleep. Freud’s basic notion of the unconscious influencing our behavior also has merit. Research in the area of cognitive neuro- science does support unconscious cognition—thought processes that occur outside conscious awareness that potentially influence judgments and behavior.
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Furthermore, Freud was one of the first to see the importance of early development in later adult behavior (Gedo, 2002). In the early 1900s, children were seen as mini-adults. People did not believe as strongly as we do now that how infants and children are treated influences their adult behavior. Although we know that infancy and childhood experiences do not determine adult behavior, as Freud asserted, his emphasis on the importance of these early years was a critical departure from accepted beliefs at that time. Through his psychosexual stages, Freud placed much emphasis on explaining the developmental nature of personality, probably more so than any other theorist. His views on sexuality and the impact of culture on sexuality continue to influence research (Hartmann, 2009; Person, 2005).
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Freud’s perspective has been criticized on several counts, however. First, many believe that Freud placed too much emphasis on sexual and aggressive instincts. His perspective shines very little light on environmental and social conditions that may affect personality functioning. We have just noted how many neo-Freudians diverged from Freud on this point, creating alternate views of the ego and personality that take our interactions with others into account (Horgan, 1996). His ideas and themes have also been attacked for their focus on male development and their perpetuation of the idea of male superiority (Person, 1990). Much more problematic are Freud’s methods of data collection and the fact that his theories cannot be readily tested experimentally (Crews, 1996). His theories are based almost entirely on case study research and his own self-analysis. His observations may not have been objective, and his case studies involved patients who were diagnosed with nervous disorders.