History and Theory

In the views of Freud all human behavior was motivated or driven by instinct revolving around sexual instinct, aggression, a person’s need for love, self-preservation, and attaining pleasure while avoiding pain. To Freud the unconscious mind of the person played a large role in the person’s drives and motivations being responsible for nearly everything a person did. Rogers took a different approach with his theory that individuals were good people innately and that the nature of humans was to trust in their ability for growth and development in a manner that was constructive if their conditions were conducive to fostering the development.  Rogers believed that human nature was impacted by societal and environmental factors which could impact the positive person and cause problems if something negative were to happen to the individual. This paper will cover two articles that investigate the theory of Freud and the theory of Rogers in regards to human nature, explaining the views of human nature, what aspects of the theories might be different if the individuals were alive and working today, and finally explaining how social and cultural factors influenced the development of Freud’s and Roger’s theories of personality.

Articles and Respective Theories

            The theories that both Freud and Rogers developed are still applicable today. Freud’s work led to the creation of a psychological paradigm in which the field of psychoanalysis was based and developed on (Stea, 2012).  Freud began his work and theory of psychoanalysis after working with neurologist Charcot and coming to the belief that hysteria may be caused by emotional disturbances and may have been causes by an organic set of symptoms in a person’s nervous system (Stea, 2012). In a lot of psychologists’ views of Freud’s work on psychoanalysis the belief is that the work links to perceptions that have been developed for the purpose of treatment of individuals therapeutically in regards to different disorders. Freud did not start out to develop this theory that way however and looked to understanding the causes behind the disorders first.  Freud’s theory and methods developed as time went on and he developed methods for treating individuals with disorders through that administration of his psychoanalytic method.  The focal point of Freud’s work was on the psychoanalysis which is still used today in psychiatry and psychology based on the foundations that Freud developed when developing his theory (Psychoanalysis, 2011).

            Roger’s theory became known as the person-centered theory or psychotherapy, which has provided the world of psychology with invaluable discoveries as a result (Cooper, & McLeod, 2011). Roger’s had a lot of respect for Freud but disagreed with him in certain areas such as in the areas of development, maturing, and self-actualization that a person went through in their life time. Rogers also broke away from Freud’s view that all conflicts in a person’s life arose from a problem in childhood (Cervone & Pervin, 2013). In the view of Rogers an individual strives throughout their life to develop self-actualization, coming to know themselves. In a therapy setting Rogers did not believe that this awareness that was given was psychotherapy but rather that it was helping to counsel a person and that because of this a relationship must be forged between patient and medical professional, the doctor-patient relationship (Cooper, & McLeod, 2011). In Rogers mind the view between this relationship was more person to person rather than anything else, where both doctor and client do the talking.  This was a break from Freud’s only the client is the one doing the talking, also known as free association. Rogers felt if a person was to truly get help that they needed guidance in the conversation rather than relying on whatever popped into their mind (Cooper, & McLeod, 2011).

Emerging Theories Today

            Freud directed his theory to childhood problems as he believed that in childhood, especially early childhood; this was a crucial developmental time for individuals and the key to understanding the psyche of a person. Freud developed the conclusion that conflicts that happened as an adult for a person were not because of the conflicts in adulthood but rather the result of childhood conflicts that had gone unresolved into adulthood. According to Psychoanalysis (2011), this belief provided the field of psychoanalysis with a lot of different theories on development of an individual as psychologists began to develop psychological theories that explained and understood that childhood conflicts could go unresolved and affect a person later in life. Many individuals that have been abused as children develop problems later in life as a result of not coming to terms with the abuse, Freud’s theory allowed for the understanding of this.

In the approach that Rogers developed the client and the psychologist both do talking, rather than solely the client such as in Freud’s free association. Rogers also believed in a distant approach with a client so the individual realized that they were not talking to a friend, but he insisted on using the word client instead of patient so they also knew that they were not suffering from a biological illness (Cervone & Pervin, 2013). The person-centered approach is highly recognized in benefiting clients and in a therapy practice.   Much of the foundation of Rogers for the therapy sessions has remained intact and is still used in the treatment of individuals today. The focus on the individual’s grow throughout their lifetime as well as the using past experiences for learning and development to become a better person were important themes in Rogers theory.  Rogers focused on individuals as unique and different from one another, obtaining their own individuality as they developed in life (Cooper, and McLeod, 2011).

Conclusion

The theories developed by both Freud and Rogers have had a strong impact on the field of psychology today especially in regards to the therapy of individuals.  Both provided solid theories on individuals and how to best help individuals with conflicts in adulthood.  Freud believed in the free association of allowing a person to talk about anything while placing importance on the fact that childhood conflicts could impact an individual in adulthood. Rogers believed in more of a client to doctor relationship in which both parties are talking and didn’t place as much emphasis on a person’s development as stemming from childhood.  Rogers believed that a person continuously grew and developed throughout their life and that conflicts arising in adulthood were because of issues in adulthood rather than in childhood.  Both theories have greatly impacted the field of psychology and the understanding of individuals, allowing for better treatment of people’s problems and understanding of their behaviors as well as personalities.

References

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2011). Person-centered therapy: A pluralistic perspective. Person-

Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 10(3), 210-223. Doi:10.1080/14779757.2011.599517

 Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2013). Personality: Theory and research (12th ed.). Danvers, MA: Wiley

Tubert-Oklander, J. (2011). Lost in Translation: A Contribution to Intercultural Understanding.

Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis, 19(1), 144-168.

Psychoanalysis. (2011). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.

Stea, J.N., (2012). “Freud’s Conceptualization of the Social World: Psychology Recapitulating

Sociology or Sociology Recapitulating Psychology?” Europe’s Journal of Psychology 8, no. 1:182-202.