Freud and Jung

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, two of the most influential contributors to the field of
psychology, had both similarities and unique approaches to the unconscious mind. The pair’s
relationship, beginning with a friendship, motivated each other’s desire to further their research.
Once known to Freud as his “spiritual heir” (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 87), Jung broke away
from Freud when he publicly criticized Freud’s theories of the Oedipus complex and his
emphasis on infantile sexuality (McLeod, 2014).
Two of the most significant differences between Freud and Jung were their theories of
dream analysis and personality. In analyzing dreams, Freud believed that he could learn a lot
about an individual through the interpretation of their dreams. He analyzed his own dreams a
lot. His theory was that dreams could access repressed thoughts and inner demons, and it was in
dreams that impulses and urges were released to the conscious mind. Because the content of the
dream may be harmful, the unconscious expresses itself in consistent symbols (Schultz &
Schultz, 2013, p. 62). Jung, like Freud, believed that dreams were a window to the unconscious
mind, but unlike Freud, dreams were not attempts to inhibit true feelings nor did dreams have
fixed symbols. Jung also believed that dreams were capable of predicting future events. In
addition, Jung believed that dreams were not sexual in nature, nor did they have hidden
meanings. One of the most important aspects of Jung’s dream theory was collective content
was displayed through what he called archetypes, inherited models which cause us to act in a
certain way.
Freud’s theory of personality originated from his idea that sex was the greatest
motivating force behind behavior. As a small child, Freud developed a sexual affection to his
mother (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 42), and, through that experience, he developed an Oedipus
complex – a desire for sexual involvement with a parent of the opposite sex during the phallic
stage. In addition to this, Freud believed that sex was the basis of most emotional problems.
His key contributions to the theory personality were known as the id, ego and superego – the id
forms unconscious drives or sexual urges, while the ego is conscious thoughts that allow us to
deal well with reality, then the superego is the unconscious, moral beliefs formed either the ages
of 5 or 6 from rules dictated from parents (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 51). Jung believed that
Freud was too focused on sex and its part in shaping personality.
Jung's childhood may explain his feelings on sex as part of personality, so he never
developed any sort of sexual attraction for his mother and was actually disgusted by the way she
looked and unpredictable behavior. Jung’s major contribution to personality was his theories of
extraversion and introversion; extraverts are open and social creatures and introverts are the
exact opposite - shy and focused on their own feelings and thoughts. He believed that one’s
attitude toward the environment was determined by being either extraverted or introverted
(Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 93). He held that one side dominated the other.
Both Freud and Jung’s theories have been important and beneficial to understanding the
unconscious mind. The majority of both of these psychoanalysts’ theories have withstood the
test of time. Jung criticized Freud for some his theories based on infantile sexuality, but he
greatly expanded on his theories of the unconscious. Freud’s concept of the id, ego and
superego are still used in portraying the human psyche. Jung theories appear to be more popular
today because of his theories of the collective unconscious and extraversion/introversion. If
Carl Jung would have had Albert Einstein as a patient, he would have been characterized as an
INTP – Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving model, meaning introverted thinking with
extraverted intuition. Making up only one to three percent of the population, they are known for
their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic (NERIS Analytics Limited, n.d.). This group values
knowledge above everything and most of the time seem detached. They do not like to lead
people and are normally private and withdrawn. It is difficult for the INTP to develop a
friendship and once the friendship develops, it is taken seriously. Albert Einstein may have
seemed mostly cold and insensitive, but the INTP is very introverted and are usually deep in
thought.
Cultural influences play a strong role in the development of a personality, an example
being the difference between individualistic and socialist societies. An individualistic culture
stresses the prominence of personal achievement, however, a socialist society emphasizes the
group over the individual. The socialist culture may say that a good person is one that puts their
team or group over themself; an example of this is the Chinese in the Olympics. They will
reward a team win higher than an individual that shined throughout the event.
While debate still continues over Freud and Jung’s theories, particularly Freud’s theories
of infantile sexuality, a lot of their concepts have been adapted and are now widely accepted by
psychologists and other medical professionals. The basic psychoanalytic approach in which a
patient talks to a therapist in a relaxed environment has become not just common practice, but
the very symbol of psychiatric treatment in cultures today.

References
McLeod, S. (2014). Carl Jung | Simply Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html
NERIS Analytics Limited. (n.d.). INTP Personality (“The Logician”) | 16Personalities. Retrieved
from http://www.16personalities.com/intp-personality
Schultz, D. P. & Schultz, S.E. (2013) Theories of personality (10th edition). Cengage: CA

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Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung

emphasis on infantile sexuality (McLeod, 2014).

today because of his theories of the collective unconscious and extraversion/introversion. If

Cultural influences play a strong role in the development of a personality, an example

the very symbol of psychiatric treatment in cultures today.

McLeod, S. (2014). Carl Jung | Simply Psychology. Retrieved from

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