Question

Which of the theorists’ views from the list below is most similar to Freud’s theories? Which differs the most?

• Klein’s views of ego and superego
• Horney’s views of gender differences
• Erikson’s views of psychological developmental stages
• Fromm’s views of a mother’s influence on personality

Answer 1

Klein's View- Klein’s conceptualization of the ego is firmly grounded both in Freud’s formulations about the ego and in his theoretical and metapsychological approach to thinking about the ego. Klein was only focused on clinical understandings, unconcerned with theory and fuzzy in her abstract thinking. More specifically, it counters the view that Klein did not really have a concept of the ego in any well‐structured sense of the term. It argues that discarding such views allows us to appreciate better the richness of Klein’s thinking, her theoretical affinities to Freud, and the role of theory in the development and justification of psychoanalysis.

Horney's Views- Horney believed that each individual has the potential for self-realization and that the goal of psychoanalysis should be moving toward a healthy self rather than exploring early childhood patterns of dysfunction. Horney also disagreed with the Freudian idea that girls have male genital envy and are jealous of male biological features. According to Horney, any jealousy is most likely culturally based, due to the greater privileges that males often have, meaning that the differences between men’s and women’s personalities are culturally based, not biologically based. She further suggested that men have womb envy, because they cannot give birth.

Erikson' View- Erikson recognized the importance of the unconscious on development. He also believed that personality develops in a series of predetermined stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. Erikson emphasized the social relationships that are important at each stage of personality development, in contrast to Freud’s emphasis on sex. Erikson identified eight stages, each of which represents a conflict or developmental task. The development of a healthy personality and a sense of competence depend on the successful completion of each task.

Fromm's View- Fromm believed that society and culture also played a significant role in individual human development. Fromm was critical of many of Freud's ideas, including the Oedipus complex, the life and death instincts, and the libido theory. Fromm had a major influence on humanistic psychology. He believed life was a contradiction since humans are both part of nature and separate from it. Fromm's criticisms of Sigmund Freud's theories began to put him at odds with other psychoanalysts, and in 1944 the New York Psychoanalytic Institute suspended him from supervising students.