Week 1 Discussion

Week 1 Discussion
Please answer the following Questions:
Please remember I have selected this to be written at a master level.

1. Do you agree or disagree with Freud’s theory of the unconscious? Give your reasons for your response. What do you think Freud means by saying it’s our “real self, ” and do you agree with him? How do Psychedelic Freudyou think the unconscious affects our daily thoughts, feelings and behaviors? Give an example from your own life.

2. Give your opinion about the theory of the Oedipal and Electra complexes. Would you agree or disagree that all children go through these complexes? Explain why you agree or disagree.

3. What effect do you think Freud’s theories continue to have on both psychology and popular culture? Give at least two examples.

yin yang 4. Do you agree or disagree with Jung’s ideas regarding personality types? Give your reasoning for your answer. How might understanding your “type” help you to understand yourself and others better? Give examples. (To get your own personality type, go to the assessments section.)

5. Do you think Jung’s philosophy that we should always try to be ourselves no matter what is true? Why or why not? What might the consequences, both positive and negative, be of always being yourself? Give examples.

6. Explain your opinion about the validity of Jung’s ideas regarding the collective unconscious and archetypes. What kind of archetypes do you see in yourself and the people around you? Give one example of how you think these archetypes are manifested in yourself and one example of how you see them manifested in someone you know or someone famous.

You may also use this resource:
Schultz, D., & Schultz, S. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Here is a sample response with references below:

1. Do you agree or disagree with Freud’s theory of the unconscious? Give your reasons for your response. What do you think Freud means by saying it’s our “real self, ” and do you agree with him? How do you think the unconscious affects our daily thoughts, feelings and behaviors? Give an example from your own life.

I agree with Freud’s theory of unconsciousness that this is a place where painful memories or socially unacceptable thoughts can be pushed aside to so that we are able to effectively navigate the social norms of the society that we live in (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). It is common to hear of people who have “repressed” painful memories (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 53), so this certainly supports the theory of the existence of a space that stores them. When Freud says that this unconscious is our real self, I agree, as this space represents all of one’s thoughts, memories and experiences; painful or pleasant, not just the ones that have been filtered through social norms. I think that the unconscious is the tool that cultivates our thoughts, feelings, and to some degree; subsequently, our behavior, but within the process of thinking, feeling and behaving, our learned social norms begin to regulate our thinking, which inevitably shapes our behavior.

Personally, I have suffered from an anxiety disorder throughout my life, which was caused by a great deal of chaos in my early childhood. A lot of those experiences are stored in my unconscious so I do not necessarily remember them, but the stress of those experiences impacts how I think, feel and behave. Thus, I tend to think about worst-case scenarios when approaching situations, and thus feel fear. As a result, I behave by either avoiding; or on the other hand, attempting to control every aspect of the situation. However, I have participated in a great deal of counseling, so I now find myself regulating many of those thoughts and ensuring myself that there is nothing to be anxious about; thus modifying my behavior by facing the situation without controlling every aspect of it. Initial thoughts, feelings and behavior tendencies all stem back to the unconsciousness, though.

2. Give your opinion about the theory of the Oedipal and Electra complexes. Would you agree or disagree that all children go through these complexes? Explain why you agree or disagree.

Since sexuality and hate are innate to the human experience (Schultz & Schultz, 2013), and the parent – child relationship is the first that children experience, I don’t think that it is unreasonable to state that children may connect these natural feelings to the their parents, but I don’t think it is accurate to say that all children do. I think that like people in general, all children experience, become aware of, and process these feelings differently, and thus may attach them to different people outside of the parent relationship. Some may experience them, but others may not. I do not think it is accurate to assume that all children go through them. From the course text, it is clear that the theory originates from Greek mythology (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). Although Greek mythology tends to symbolically represent human nature, a great deal of it is obviously also fictionalized.

3. What effect do you think Freud’s theories continue to have on both psychology and popular culture? Give at least two examples.

The primary effect that Freud’s theory has on psychology and popular culture is that we find healing in sharing our inner and vulnerable selves. Through talking and sharing with others, we are able to process our experiences, and create an environment in which it is safe to be our authentic selves. Living in isolation behind a mask and pretending we don’t experience pain only cultivates shame, which cultivates more pain. Thanks to Freud, in modern-day society, it is acceptable to share your feelings with close friends, family members or mental health professionals, and to acknowledge that we all struggle with certain challenges; which ultimately cultivates greater well-being. Furthermore, Freud also shaped psychology and popular culture by suggesting that individuals suffering from mental illness could be treated and improve their condition by doing so (Sternberg, 2007.). Freud offered hope for recovery for a population that was largely marginalized (Sternberg, 2007).

4. Do you agree or disagree with Jung’s ideas regarding personality types? Give your reasoning for your answer. How might understanding your “type” help you to understand yourself and others better? Give examples. (To get your own personality type, go to the assessments section.)

I agree that we all have different personality types which are for the most part consistent with the categories and tendencies that Jung outlined, and very much agree with Jung that our personality type changes as we find ourselves in different stages of our lives (BBC, 1959). For example, when I was younger, as a result of my anxiety, I was very shy and apprehensive. As I have become older, however, I found that I am able to get a more favorable outcome if I am an initiator, and that doing so allows me a degree of control; which alleviates my anxiety. Thus, my personality type looks a lot different now then it did when I was younger.

According to the assessment my current type is “ENFJ: extrovert, intuitive, feeling and judging” (Human Metrics, 2016). Knowing your personality type helps to understand your strengths, as well as areas in which there is room to learn and to grow. It also helps to understand how you engage with others. Knowing others’ personality type helps to understand how they best communicate and engage with others, and why certain approaches may work better or not as well when engaging with them.

5. Do you think Jung’s philosophy that we should always try to be ourselves no matter what is true? Why or why not? What might the consequences, both positive and negative, be of always being yourself? Give examples.

I think that one should always accept themselves no matter what is true, but that if there are aspects that are harmful to one’s self or others, then they should not succumb to being that aspect of themselves. For example, I accept that I struggle with anxiety, but deciding to refrain from treatment and just be my “untreated self” would have negative consequences on my life; I would constantly live in fear and panic. However, accepting that I struggle with anxiety allows me to love myself for who I am which is critical, but continuing to address it allows me to minimize the negative consequences on my life; improving my overall well-being. I think that there is a difference between accepting and being. We should always accept ourselves and be authentic about who we are and what we struggle with. However, it is also best to refine ourselves.

6. Explain your opinion about the validity of Jung’s ideas regarding the collective unconscious and archetypes. What kind of archetypes do you see in yourself and the people around you? Give one example of how you think these archetypes are manifested in yourself and one example of how you see them manifested in someone you know or someone famous

norms have continued to dictate are desirable or admirable (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 96). I also agree that people can assume these roles as an effort to cultivate a positive perception of themselves from others (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). However, I think people can authentically embody these qualities as an authentic part of who they are; I do not think it is fair to say that all behavior characteristic of these “archetypes” is a result of a learned, socially desirable behavior to gain favor with others (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 96).

For example, I was brought up in a Christian home, and my grandfather who raised me exhibited Christ-like behaviors. Some may say that he was assuming an “archetype,” but being a believer in Christ myself, I believe that God designs us to have Christ-like qualities naturally within us; not that we solely imitate a “archetype” of God (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 96). As a result of my upbringing, this was manifested in my life as well. Although I do try to imitate Christ-like behaviors or “archetypes” of God; love, kindness and so forth, I don’t believe that all of those behaviors are strictly the result of learned “persona” (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 96). I believe that while some of it is imitation of the “persona” of Christ, there is also a degree of those characteristics that are representative of who I am naturally and authentically (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 96).

References:

BBC (1959). Carl Jung face to face Interview. Retrieved January 9, 2016 from https://brandman.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_189415_1&content_id=_7922975_1

Human Metrics (2016). Jung typology test. Retrieved January 9, 2016 from https://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

Schultz, D., & Schultz, S. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Sternberg, A. (2007). Sigmund Freud documentary. Retrieved January 9, 2016 from https://brandman.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_189415_1&content_id=_7922975_1

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