Theory of personality in psychology

Man - the most complex, multidimensional, incomprehensible phenomenon on earth. In psychological science, people are traditionally treated in three main categories: the individual, the personality and the individuality. What is their difference? The individual is a category that treats man as a natural, physical being, as a highly developed animal with its organic needs, however, fundamentally different from other animals. Personality is a social category. These are characteristics of a person who are acquired by him in society, associate him with the environment and make him a representative of a social group, a community of people. Finally, individuality is a characteristic of man as a natural phenomenon and as a member of society in the aggregate and interconnection. Individuality is formed throughout life.

Personality is the basic concept of psychology. However, in modern science there is still no universally accepted definition of it, because the phenomenon is very complex and multifaceted. In foreign and domestic psychology, there are several fundamental theories of personality, each of which gives its interpretation of its structure and development.

Psychodynamic theory of personality

The founder of the theory of psychoanalysis Z. Freud in the early XX century formulated his model of personality. According to Freud, the basis of personal development and existence are the instincts of life and death. The most important of which he considered sexual, which throughout life at the earliest stages of development and to a very old age govern the behavior of a person. In the structure of personality, the psychoanalyst identified three main components that are in constant conflict and thus give incentives for development: Id, Ego and Super-Ego. The id in the person constantly strives to satisfy desires and inclinations, to constant, every-minute detente, the ego - before satisfying, relates these desires to the notions of norms of social morality and morality that are represented by the Super-Ego. Intrapersonal conflict caused by the struggle of these three structures can lead to mental disorders, neuroses and somatic diseases.

The psychodynamic theory of personality was later revised by the disciple and follower of Freud K.G. Jung. He created his own analytical theory, which was based on other ideas about the structure of the individual. The scientist-analyst believed that the development of personality is promoted not by sexual instinct, but by creative vital energy. Jung's personality theory distinguishes three components of this energy: the ego is the conscious part of the subjective world, the personal unconscious is experiences and complexes formed displaced from consciousness, the collective unconscious is a deep layer of the subjective that is woven from archetypes - vague images, patterns of behavior, Humanity.

Behavioral theory of personality

The basis of this theory is the representation of behavioral psychologists that the personality consists of experience acquired by a person during life, under the influence of his environment. The main structural elements of the personality are reflexes and skills obtained as a result of social learning. Moreover, some psychologists believed that the personality develops due to external environmental circumstances, while others believed that its life goals and expectations, which people seek to receive from their realization, stimulated its development.

Cognitive theory of personality

This theory was substantiated by the American psychologist J. Kelly, who believed that the basis for the development of the personality lies in the processes of the person's comprehension of his life in the totality of the past, present and future with the help of models of the world designed by him, original constructs. Personality, thus, is composed of a system of such constructs, views and interpretations by a person around the world. People with similar constructs are attracted to each other. So there is love, friendship, group interaction and mutual understanding.

Any theory of personality that exists in psychology, tries to present its vision of a complex and multifaceted concept of "personality".