Psyc Module 6

Freud's View of Personality Development

• Personality develops through a series of psychosexual stages from birth to adolescence.
• Infants seek satisfaction primarily through the mouth, emphasizing oral fixation.

Erikson's View of Personality Development

• Responding to all infant needs is crucial for development during the first two years.
• Infants learn to either trust the environment or develop cynicism about social interactions.
• Recent studies indicate Erikson's framework is more accurate than Freud's.

Attachment Theory (Ethological Perspective)

• Humans are genetically predisposed to form emotional bonds with caregivers for survival.

Four Phases of Attachment

• Nonfocused Orienting and Signaling (Birth to 3 months): Infants cry, smile, and make eye contact to attract attention for their needs.
• Focus on One or More Figures (3 to 6 months): Infants direct signals to familiar caregivers and show less responsiveness to strangers.
• Secure Base Behaviour (6 to 24 months): True attachment develops; infants seek proximity to their primary caregiver for safety and comfort.
• Internal Model (24 months and on): Infants can reflect on how their actions affect their relationships with caregivers.

Ainsworth's Types of Attachment

• Secure Attachment: Infants separate from parents easily but seek them when distressed; comfortable with eye contact.
• Insecure/Avoidant Attachment: Avoids contact with the parent, shows minimal preference for them; little responsiveness at reunion.
• Insecure/Ambivalent Attachment: Displays limited exploration, upset by separation, not easily comforted upon return; fluctuates between seeking and resisting contact with parents.
• Insecure/Disorganized Attachment: Shows confusion and odd behaviors; may approach caregiver with averted gaze.

Influencing Factors on Attachment

• Emotional Responsiveness: The ability of caregivers to form emotional attachments influences infant attachment.
• Marital Status: Children of married parents tend to have more secure attachment styles.
• Mental Health: Caregivers with psychiatric illnesses may struggle with maintaining attachment quality.

Temperament

• Inborn predispositions that form the basis of personality, can be observed through various dimensions.
• Assessable Dimensions of Temperament:
  • Activity level
  • Approach/positive emotionality/sociability
  • Inhibition and anxiety
  • Negative emotionality/irritability/anger
  • Effortful control/task persistence
• Types of Temperament:
  • Easy temperament
  • Slow-to-warm-up temperament
  • Difficult temperament
• Heredity and environment interact, with parental behavior amplifying or moderating inborn temperament.

Goodness-of-Fit Model

• This model reflects how well an infant's temperament aligns with their environment and vice versa.

Development of Self-Concept

• Subjective Self (8 to 12 months): Awareness of oneself as a distinct individual who can interact with the environment.
• Objective Self (Toddler years): Understanding oneself through categories like gender, known as the categorical self.

Explore the contrasting views of personality development by Freud and Erikson during the crucial first two years of life. This quiz delves into Freud's psychosexual stages and Erikson's focus on trust and need satisfaction in infants. Test your understanding of these foundational theories in psychology.