Psychoanalysis originated with Freud’s therapy and theory of personality. Freud believed the personality consisted of three structures: the id, the ego and the superego. The id houses the desires and urges of the unconscious and constantly seeks pleasure or avoids pain by gratifying instincts through reflexive actions such as sneezing or wish fulfillment which is seeking relief from discomfort through mental images such as dreams to provide temporary relief. The ego works through intelligent reasoning and as the regulator between the id and the superego. The superego is the moral governor or conscience. When the workings of the id, ego, and superego are unbalanced, the ego may use defense mechanisms as a means to deal with stress. (Morris & Maisto, 2002)
Rogers believed that each individual is born with certain skills and talents; much like genetics dictates certain aspects of appearance, so too does biology stress fulfillment of self-actualizing tendency. When self-concept and skills are balanced, Rogers referred to this as a fully functioning person. Being raised with unconditional positive regard lends oneself to being a more fully functioning person than does conditional positive regard. Rogers believed that becoming disconnected with one’s inborn potential leads them to be defensive and rigid, feel threatened and uneasy. (Morris & Maisto, 2002)
Jung, one of Freud’s prior associates, disagreed with the emphasis Freud placed on sexuality and continued to develop on Freud’s psychodynamic personality theories, particularly the emphasis Freud placed on the unconscious and selfishness of the id. Jung believed that the psychic energy (libido) was representative of all life forces, not just those of the sexual nature. Jung believed the unconscious included both the personal unconscious (consisting of unmatured ideas, unrecalled experiences, and buried