The Evolution of the Personality Through the Ages

The Evolution of the Personality through the Ages

Elisha German

Psychology of Personality

November 6, 2015

Professor Heather Bartlett, M. S.

The Evolution of the Personality through the Ages

The development of the psychology of personality has been a long time coming. The history, research, and breakthroughs are mainly due to a handful of world renowned psychologists and theorists. Many of these theorists had their own tailored definition of what the personality was, and how the personality becomes shaped; Theorists ranging from men like Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, to Erik Erikson and Alfred Adler. These men all had varying definitions of the personality. There were many of these theories in the twentieth century, such as the feminist theory, the theory Locus of Control created by Rotter, as well as the theory on sensation seeking done by Zuckerman, and last but not least, the theory created by Seligman, Learned Helplessness.

However, ranging they many have been, if it were not for these theorists paving the way for today’s theorists, what is known, and currently being studied, would be stunted. That said, the study of the personality also needs to be inclusive to the technological day in age we live in, taking into consideration the cell phones, computers, and other electronics that play key parts in our everyday lives. Due to the fact that our personalities are shaped by our surroundings and what we invest our time in, social media sites and electronics are also part of studying the personality.

        Sigmund Freud’s theories are well known to many, as he cleared the path for the theories of personality to be developed, as well as other concepts having to do with personality, such as distinct levels and segments of the personality. He theorized that the personality was divided into three levels: “the conscious, the pre-conscious, and the unconscious. The conscious, as Freud defined the term, corresponds to its ordinary everyday meaning. It includes all the sensations and experiences of which we are aware at any given moment” (Schultz and Schultz 48, 2013).

 “Freud considered the conscious a limited aspect of personality because only a small portion of our thoughts, sensations, and memories exists in conscious awareness at any time, he likened the mind to an ‘iceberg’” (Shultz and Schultz, 2013, 49). This “conscious portion” was likened to being “above the surface of the water—merely the tip of the iceberg” (Schultz and Schultz 49, 50, 2013). But even “more important, according to Freud, is the unconscious, that larger, invisible portion below the surface. This is the prime focus of the psychoanalytic theory. Its vast, dark depths are the home of the instincts, those wishes and desires that direct our behavior. The unconscious contains the major driving power behind all behaviors and is the repository of forces we cannot see or control” (Shultz and Schultz 2013, 50).