Term Paper On The First Source Used Will Be:

Proposal: Freud’s Theory of Personality

Sigmund Freud is commonly known as the father of psychoanalysis. His theory on personality is commonly known throughout contemporary society. Even people who don’t fully understand what the “Id”, “Ego” and “Superego” are they are familiar with the terms. While Freud’s theory on personality is well known, it is still up for much debate as to whether or not the theory provides useful insight into human behavior. The purpose of this project is to review the research on the evidence supporting Freud’s theory of personality, outline how strong the evidence is and discuss the limitations that have been identified.

Heffner, Dr. Christopher (4/1/2001.). “Chapter 3 Section 5: Freud’s Structural and Topographical Model and Chapter 3 Section 6: Freud’s Ego Defense Mechanisms”. Psychology 101: AllPsych Psych Central’s Virtual Psychology Classrom. Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego/#.VPwQruHS1Do
This source provides useful information on Freud’s theory of personality. Dr. Heffner explains Freud’s belief that the id is the part of personality that we are born with, it is what drives us to get our needs met regardless of the consequences of our actions, the id does not take into account how our actions will impact others or even ourselves in the long run. The ego is the part of personality that develops as we mature in childhood beyond worrying only about our primal needs. The ego is what helps us netter understand how our actions impact others and ourselves beyond the initial moment. The superego is the moral compass, what we learn as right and wrong and what keeps our behavior in check. As Dr. Heffner explains, according to Freud a healthy personality is when a person’s ego balances the needs of the id and the superego. Dr. Heffner next explains Freud’s theory on our conscious level, unconscious level and subconscious level and how the three impact personality. Finally, Dr. Heffner explains Freud’s theory that humans have two main drives: sex and aggression. To aid in the job of meeting the needs of both the id and the superego the ego uses defense mechanisms such as denial, projection and regression. This source will contribute to my final project by providing an in depth understanding of Freud’s theory on personality as well as specifics that need evidence such as the connection between the ego and defenses mechanisms.

The second source will be:

Lapsley, Daniel K and Stey, Paul C. (2011.). “Id, Ego and Superego”. V.S. Ramachandran (Ed.),

Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, 2nd Ed Elsevier. Retrieved from

http://www3.nd.edu/~dlapsle1/Lab/Articles%20&%20Chapters_files/Entry%20for%20Encyclopedia%20of%20Human%20Behavior%28finalized4%20Formatted%29.pdf
This source is an overview of Freud’s theory which has already been covered by the first source. This source will contribute to my final project because it references research that has resulted in criticism of Freud’s theory such as the ineffectiveness of his downplaying the importance of meaningful relationships formed at birth, the “biological mysticism” in devolving personality down to a constant struggle between life and death and the lack of constant pressure from the sex or aggressive drives.

The third source will be:

Carducci, B. (2009). The psychology of personality: Viewpoints, research, and applications. John Wiley & Sons.
This source furthers the conversation regarding Freud’s theories and how an imbalance between the id and the superego result in a maladaptive personality. This source will contribute to my final project by providing insight into research on what parts of personality can be defined as maladaptive and how that connects back to support Freud’s theory.

The fourth source will be:

Engler, B. (2009). Personality theories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.
This source better describes the fluidity of the id, ego and superego. Engler explains the importance of keeping in mind that these labels describe processes, functions and dynamics within the person. This source will be useful for my final project as the author implores researchers to remember that some of Freud’s meaning may be lost in translation and could impact the understanding of his theories in contemporary society.
Together with the textbook, these four sources will provide me the information I need to be able to review the research on the evidence supporting Freud’s theory of personality, outline how strong the evidence is and discuss the limitations that have been identified. I will then be able to make a reasonable judgment as to whether or not Freud’s theory on personality holds up under research.