Sigmund Freud: Childhood Trauma Theory and Influence on Psychology

I believe that Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytical theory provided a large amount of growth for psychology. Freud believed that the way people thought was sometimes without intent and , it was not directly responsible for their actions. He argued that what took place in someone’s “unconscious mind” was what went on to determine how they behaved and their mental condition. His theory also said that what someone may have experienced throughout their childhood, such as trauma, may have affected their future mental health. I believe that theory has answered many questions about why people behave the way they do in a situation. Although it doesn’t answer every question, of course, I think it improved the research of the psychology field and opened up a discussion. His research has gone on to shape the way that psychologist treat patients.

Without Freud, this theory could have been easily overlooked and we may still be looking for the missing piece which Sigmund Freud began to research. The hierarchy of needs provided a basis of requirements needed for a successful and healthy person. Prior to this idea by Abraham Maslow, psychologist split their focus between structuralism, dealing with how each section of the mind affected someone, and functionalism, studying how someone actually acted in a situation and observing how they functioned. Maslow decided to look at the bigger picture and learn about people in full. He created a diagram, in pyramid form, showing what people need to thrive. The most basic need for someone, stated by Maslow, was food, water, and shelter. From there on it continued to grow by sections. He believed that each section needed to be completed to be a truly healthy and rounded person. I think that Maslow’s diagram and research gave a very clear outline to allow for growth as people assuming we meet our initial basic needs. I think Maslow’s research and ideas were important because they inspired other scientists to broaden the way they looked that psychology and not just focus on the same ideas which they had been studying so intently.

Personality Psychology seems to be the most interesting field in my opinion. I find it fascinating that although people develop and act similar in many cases, they can have so many variations in their personality. I think that being able to learn about where someone develops the traits which make up their personality would be useful to psychology. The theory of the main five traits is also interesting because this could be used to best predict the origins of one’s personality and allow those results to be comprehensible to someone when trying to treat a patient. This is important because knowing that people are different is necessary. Not every person has the same personality or the same needs. Because they are different they need to be treated in a way which best suits them. So I am most interested in personality psychology because I think it is beneficial to know why people act in different ways and how we develop these habits and traits that begin to form who we are.

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