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Self and Society Chapter 2 and 3

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Sascia Gwen Reyes Roldan
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23 views3 pages

Self and Society Chapter 2 and 3

Uploaded by

Sascia Gwen Reyes Roldan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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when developmentalists describe themselves to other developmentalists, they are most likely to mention

(1) their primary area of interest (for example, emotional development in infancy)

- To maybe point out the biased parts of the theory


- what is the backbone of the theory
- how the developmentalist came up with the theory
- background

(2) the theoretical perspectives that guide their research.

- assumptions about reality


- tends to focus or distort some things that you find improtant personally

So a developmentalist’s professional identity may depend in part on the theories he or she favors.

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory:

- human beings are driven by powerful biological urges that must be satisfied.
- Eros, or the life instinct, was said to promote survival by directing life-sustaining activities
such as breathing, eating, sex, and the fulfillment of all other bodily needs. By contrast,
- Thanatos—the death instinct—was viewed as a destructive force present in human beings
that is expressed through such behaviors as arson, fistfights, sadistic aggression, murder, and
even masochism (harm directed against the self ).
- Thanatos - Freud’s name for inborn, self-destructive instincts that were said to characterize
all human beings.
- Freud was a practicing neurologist who formulated his theory of human
development from his analyses of the life histories of his emotionally disturbed patients.

 Three components of personality


- Freud’s psychosexual theory specifies that three components of personality—the id, ego, and
superego—develop and gradually become integrated in a series of five psychosexual stages.
- The id is all that is present at birth.
Its sole function is to satisfy inborn biological instincts, and it will try to do so immediately.
If you think about it, young infants do seem to be “all id.”
- The ego is the conscious, rational component of the personality that reflects the child’s
emerging abilities to perceive, learn, remember, and reason. Its function is to find realistic
means of gratifying the instincts. As their egos mature, children become better at controlling
their irrational ids and finding realistic ways to gratify needs on their own.
- superego, is the seat of the conscience. It develops between the ages of 3 and 6 as children
internalize (take on as their own) the moral values and standards of their parents (Freud,
1933). Once the superego emerges, children do not need an adult to tell them they have been
good or bad; they are now aware of their own transgressions and will feel guilty or ashamed
of their unethical conduct.
 Freud’s stages of psychosexual development
Freud thought that sex was the most important of the instincts because he discovered that the
mental disturbances of his patients often revolved around childhood sexual conflicts that they had
repressed.

- Oral The sex instinct centers on the mouth, as infants derive pleasure from such oral
activities as sucking, chewing, and biting.
- Anal Voluntary urination and defecation become the primary methods of gratifying the sex
instinct.
- Phallic Pleasure is now derived from stimulating the genitals. Children develop an incestuous
desire for the opposite-sex parent (called the Oedipus complex for boys and Electra complex
for girls).
- Latency Traumas of the phallic stage cause sexual conflicts to be repressed and sexual urges
to be rechanneled into school work and vigorous play. The ego and superego continue to
develop as the child gains more problem-solving abilities at school and internalizes societal
values.
- Genital Puberty triggers a reawakening of sexual urges. Adolescents must now learn how to
express these urges in socially accept able ways. If development has been healthy, the mature
sex instinct is satisfied by marriage and child rearing.

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development:

- children are active, curious explorers who seek to adapt to their environments, rather than
passive slaves to biological urges who are molded by their parents. Erikson has been labeled
an “ego” psychologist because he believed that at each stage of life, people must cope with
social realities (in ego function) in order to adapt successfully and show a normal pattern of
development. So in Erikson’ theory, the ego is far more than a simple arbiter of the opposing
demands of the id and superego.
- A second critical difference between Erikson and Freud is that Erikson places much less
emphasis on sexual urges and far more emphasis on cultural influences than Freud did.

 Erikson’s stages of development


- Basic trust versus mistrust (Oral)
Infants must learn to trust others to care for their basic needs. If caregivers are rejecting or
inconsistent in their care, the infant may view the world as a dangerous place filled with
untrustworthy or unreliable people. The mother or primary caregiver is the key social agent.
- Autonomy versus shame and doubt (Anal)
Children must learn to be “autonomous”—to feed and dress themselves, to look after their
own hygiene, and so on. Failure to achieve this independence may force the child to doubt his
or her own abilities and feel shameful. Parents are the key social agents.
- Initiative versus guilt (Phallic)
Children attempt to act grown up and will try to accept responsibilities that are beyond their
capacity to handle. They sometimes undertake goals or activities that conflict with those of
parents and other family members, and these conflicts may make them feel guilty. Successful
resolution of this crisis requires a balance: The child must retain a sense of initiative and yet
learn not to impinge on the rights, privileges, or goals of others. The family is the key social
agent.
- Industry versus inferiority (Latency)
Children must master important social and academic skills. This is a period when the child
compares himself or herself with peers. If sufficiently industrious, children will acquire the
social and academic skills to feel self-assured. Failure to acquire these important attributes
leads to feelings of inferiority. Significant social agents are teachers and peers.
- Identity versus role confusion (Early genital)
This is the crossroad between childhood and maturity. The adolescent grapples with the
question “Who am I?” (adolescence) Adolescents must establish basic social and
occupational identities, or they will remain confused about the roles they should play as
adults. The key social agent is the society of peers.

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