UNIVERSITY OF ILOILO
PHINMA EDUCATION NETWORK
GRADUATE SCHOOL
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
1) What is the most significant in each theory of personalities?
According to Weinberg & Gould (1999), Personality is
defined as the characteristics or blend of characteristics that
make a person unique. To make us know and understand ourselves
better, these theorists like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred
Adler, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow considered some given facts
and came up with possible explanations.
First of all, Sigmund Freud was the founder of
Psychoanalysis Theory of Personality Development. He believed
that the human mind was composed of three factors: the id, the
ego, and the superego. Now, I would like to emphasize the idea
under this theory that all of us have unconscious thoughts,
feelings, wishes, and memories; these are probably the things
that might create pain or conflict to us that is why we buried
them in our unconscious minds. If we are not going to deal with
these unpleasant memories, these will certainly affect our
behavior and personality, so by making conscious the unconscious
thoughts of ours through talking or sharing to others, we can
gain insights on how to deal with our issues and release the
conflict, distress, and depression in ourselves.
Another theory is the Analytical Psychology founded by Carl
Jung. Like Freud, he also highlighted the importance of the
unconscious in relation to personality. He believed that the
human minds had three elements: the ego, the personal
unconscious and the collective unconscious. Carl Jung also
introduced to us the two major attitudes of personality –
EXTROVERSION and INTROVERSION, and he also identified the four
basic functions – thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting.
For me, these works of Jung contributed well in the field of
Psychology since these helped us understand the complexities of
life.
When it comes to Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology
Theory, he emphasized on looking at the individual as a whole
rather than a part and focused on the uniqueness of each person.
He also stressed about inferiority complex that plays a key role
in personality development. Unlike Freud, he believed that we,
people, are generally conscious of the reasons for our behavior
that is why there is a need to know who we feel inferior to so
that we can overcome feelings of inferiority, and we can achieve
our personal goals that have value for our society.
Another firm believer in the potential of each person was
Carl Rogers with his theory, Client-Centered. According to him,
it is that the individual has within himself or herself vast
resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-
concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior – and that these
resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of
facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided (Rogers,
Carl R. (1980). Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p.115-
117). This means that all we need to do is to approach someone
who is warm, genuine and understanding and who can help us focus
and deal with our own circumstances rather than rely on their
interpretation of our situation. That is because, Rogers
believed that we are the best experts on ourselves and we have
that amazing ability for self-healing and personal growth that
leads towards self-actualization.
The last theory was Abraham Maslow’s theory of human
motivation, and the most important aspect in his theory is his
“hierarchy of needs.” This is because he highlighted the
diverse types of things that we, people, need starting from the
basic needs to safety, love and belonging, esteem, and finally
to self-actualization.
2) Among the five theories, what theory/theories is/are the most
relevant and applicable in today’s generation? Why?
“When I look at the world, I’m pessimistic, but when I look
at people, I am optimistic.” This inspirational quote is
according to Carl Rogers, and he is saying that it can be all
too simple to start to feel pessimistic about the condition of
the world. That is because probably the world seems to be filled
with stories of tragedy and human sufferings. For example, our
social media feed might give us stories that focused on
arguments, misunderstandings, and stories that indicate that the
world is full of resentments. This quote possibly suggests that
instead of focusing on such stories, we, people, should just
concentrate on individual people who can help us sustain a more
optimistic and realistic view of the world; people who are warm,
genuine, and understanding. People who can help us focus on and
solve our own situation, and not just to rely on their
interpretation and let them solve our own problems.
This explanation is all about Rogers’ Client-Centered
Approach Theory, and I believe that this is very helpful
especially in today’s generation. That is because, I, as a
teacher, should be open-minded when it comes to individual
differences. As a teacher, I should trust my learners about
having potentials for self-healing and personal growth. When I
started teaching, my goal was not to teach and impart knowledge
only to my learners, but also to let them hone their potentials
and practice independence. Youths, nowadays, are very curious
and aggressive, that is why sometimes they seek guidance from
us, teachers; therefore, as a teacher, I should act only as a
therapist who is affectionate, sincere, and understanding to my
clients, and that would be my learners. This is the main goal of
a Client-Centered Approach.
Submitted by:
MS. EMILY JANE T. TALEON
Master of Arts in Education-
English Language
