They both studied the unconscious and the way in which it affected an individual and to what extent. The primary differences they had in their careers are very interesting to look at. Sigmund Freud was the first to propose the theory of psychoanalysis which is considered to be part of the psychodynamic theories. Many different psychodynamic theories exist and the main theme of them is the emphasis on unconscious motives and desires, in addition to early life experiences and how they contribute to ones personality.
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According to Freud’s theory, which was called psychoanalytic theory, personalities are formed due to the conflict between the unconscious aggression and sexual drives and the demands of society to rein them in (Feist & Feist, 2009). Freud postulated most processes that one has mentally is unconscious, he further broke down one’s level of awareness into three levels; conscious, preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious is the information that one pays attention to and the only level of mental life available to an individual (Feist & Feist, 2009).
The preconscious is the information the individual is not aware of but can access if needed. Freud believed that some information moved into the preconscious to save the individual unnecessary anxiety. The unconscious includes all of the urges, drives, and instincts which an individual is not aware of but they affect behavior, feelings, and words. Most people are aware of the obvious behaviors but are not aware of what causes them. Freud explained this unconscious, as one is not aware of it, as visible in dreams, “Freudian” slips and repressed memories.
Freud believed the personality consisted of three different parts; the id, ego and superego, all of which are in conflict with each other. Freud focused mainly on the sexual aspect of the conflict as well as anxiety and aggression. Freud believed one’s personality is determined early in life mostly before the age of five. Freud developed stages of psychosexual development; oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Each one of these stages carried with it a sexual component which was typical of Freud.
Freud believed that with each new stage in development came conflict, and with this conflict the personality is formed. While trying to manage the conflicts children learn different skills, traits and gain characteristics which contribute to their personality. Jung followed Freud through much of his studies but then realized he had a different idea about personality, specifically the idea of the unconscious. Jung believed the unconscious was not as cut and dried as Freud made it out to be. Jung believed it was made up of “layers” and was much more complex.
Jung identified with two specific layers of the unconscious; personal and collective. The personal unconscious contains according to Jung, memories that are forgotten, repressed or experiences that have been sublimely perceived below the conscious. He believed the unconscious was formed by things that happened to an individual or things they experienced making each person unique in personality (Feist & Feist, 2009). The collective conscious is according to Jung inherited through our family members.
This part of the unconscious is according to Jung what influences an individual’s thoughts, actions and behavior. This is much different from Freud who stated each person unconscious was unique to them and did not have a collective nature, nor was it influenced by nature of past experience of ancestors (Jung, 1990). Freud said the unconscious was repressed or forgotten but remained in the individual’s psyche. It is a storage place so to speak, for things that are forgotten in one’s past..
It is specific to the individual and is very persona and it is not influenced by archetypes as Jung proposed. Jung stated there is something that resembles Freud’s personal unconscious; however, it rests on the collective unconscious which has nothing to do with the personal conscious. He believed this was bestowed upon an individual by nature, ancestors, and culture. Jung believed that all individuals possess it but each person possessed it uniquely. In theories of personality there is the debate present many times of freewill versus determinism.
This debate asks if an individual has control over their behavior (free will) or their behavior is driven by something beyond their control (deterministic). It is important to take into consideration the understanding an individual has of their behavior as well, do they understand the motives behind their behavior or it is driven unconsciously? Psychoanalysts such as Freud and Jung tend to lean more toward deterministic views regarding behavior. Freud believed perceived unconscious motivated behavior while Jung believed genetics was a driving force, both deterministic factors.
In contrast, Manslow and Rogers, believed people are influenced by their environment but have the ability to dictate or change their behavior. Freud and Jung both spoke of motivation for behavior as well. Much like determinism and freewill behavior can be classified as conscious and unconscious in terms of motivation. Freud believed that behavior was more times than not driven by the unconscious or the subconscious. The individual was driven by needs, desires and impulses. Jung in the same line of thinking believed that behavior was driven by genetics or ancestral influence.
