Psychoanalytical Perspective:
- Personality develops throughout life and is not fixed in childhood.
- Freud under emphasized peer influence on the individual, which may be as powerful as parent influence.
- Gender identity may develop before the age of 5-6.
- Verbal slips can be explained on the basis of cognitive processing of verbal choices.
- Suppressed sexuality leads to psychological disorders.
- The psychoanalytical theory rests on the repression of painful experiences into the unconscious mind.
Criticism: Scientific merits of Freud's theory has been criticized because it is lowly testable, and its concept arises out of clinical practice, which are after-the-fact explanation.The Modern Unconscious Mind:
- Shows evidence of nonconcious information processing
- schemas: automatically control perceptions and interpretations
- self concept and stereotypes unconsciously influence us
Humanistic Perspective:
- Maslow proposed that individuals are motivated by the hierarchy of needs.
- We begin with the physiological needs and we try to fulfill out full potential (self actualization).
- Carl Rogers believed in unconditional positive regard despite failing
- Positive self-concept: If ideal and real are close.
- Self-concept: Who am i?
- Criticism: It is vague and subjective. It lacks scientific basis. The individualism encouraged can lead to self indulgence and lack of moral restraint. Humanistic perspective fails to appreciate reality.
