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Psychology Factsheets
www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 127

Freud’s Personality Theory

This Factsheet summarises the main aspects of Freud’s personality theory. The factsheet includes exam guidance and the worksheet gives
you the opportunity to apply what you have learned to exam style questions. Words in bold are explained in the glossary.

The examiner will expect you to be able to:
• Outline Freud’s model of the mind.
• Explain the structure of personality (id, ego, superego).
• Demonstrate an understanding of psychosexual development.
• Demonstrate an understanding of adult personality and its
childhood origins.
• Critically evaluate Freudian theories of personality.
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) is one of the most significant figures
in psychology. His approach is psychodynamic in orientation and
while this has been criticised, Freud’s ideas are still widely influential
in both the theory and practice of modern psychology. One area in
which Freud has been most influential is personality theory. Freudian
personality theory is based on two key psychodynamic
assumptions:
• The significance of childhood experience.
• The power of the unconscious.
A. Model of the Mind
Freud proposed that the mind functions across three levels; the
conscious, preconscious and unconscious.
• The conscious mind comprises of thoughts which are within
our awareness, things we can easily think about.
• The preconscious mind comprises thoughts which are just below
our level of awareness but which can easily be summoned into
awareness with very little effort.
• The unconscious mind comprises of thoughts which cannot be
readily brought into awareness but which influence our
conscious thoughts and behaviour.
• A key component of Freud’s psychodynamic theory of
personality is the significance of the unconscious.
The iceberg metaphor has been used to
illustrate Freud’s model of the mind because
the conscious part is only the small tip and,
like an iceberg, the majority of the mind is
under the surface in the unconscious.
Examiner comment:- Some candidates continue to make
disappointing errors in ‘Freud questions’ by confusing
conscious with conscience and preconscious with subconscious.
Such answers are inaccurate and incoherent in terms of both
understanding and use of language and therefore attract few
marks.
B. Structure of Personality
Freud proposed a tripartite model of the mind consisting of the id,
ego and superego.
• The id is the innate part of the mind which is driven by the
desire for instant gratification. Freud called this desire the
pleasure principle. In his view, humans are driven by sexual
and aggressive instincts or libido. Perhaps not surprisingly, the
id is impulsive and wholly unconscious.
• The ego is the part of the mind which is driven by the
environment. According to Freud, this develops by the age of
two as infants learn about their surroundings and develop a
rational, thinking mind. Freud called this the reality principle.
• The superego is the part of the mind which is driven by a sense
of right and wrong. According to Freud, this develops at around
the age of five when children identify with the same-sex parent
and take on their values as their own in a process which Freud
called identification (Table 1).

Table 1 Structure of Personality and Model of the Mind

Structure Mind Drives Summary
Id Unconscious Driven by the pleasure principle Innate, instinct, instant gratification
Ego Mostly conscious Driven by the reality principle Environment, real, rational
Superego Conscious Driven by identification with same-sex parent Social values, sense of right and wrong

‘Humans are driven by a desire for instant gratification balanced with a drive to satisfy social demands.’

Exam Hint:- Be sure not to muddle Freud’s ‘model of the mind’ with his ‘structure of personality’.
These are two related but very different concepts.

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127 - Freud’s Personality Theory
C. Psychosexual Development
One of Freud’s most important legacies is his theory of psychosexual
development. He proposed that infants go through five stages as they
mature chronologically and that each stage is associated with physical
pleasure (or displeasure) related to a specific area of the body. Successful
development through the stages leads to the development of a mature (and
stable) adult personality. The five stages are: oral, anal, phallic, latency and
genital.
• The oral stage of development occurs during the first
18 months to 2 years. At this stage the infant is satisfied
orally by sucking, chewing and feeding.
• The anal stage of development occurs between the ages
of 18 months to 3 years. At this stage the infant is
satisfied anally by expelling and withholding faeces.
• The phallic stage of development occurs between the
ages of 3 and 5 years. At this stage the child’s genitals are
a source of satisfaction and self-soothing.
• The latency stage of development occurs between the
ages of 5 and 11 years. At this stage the child’s energies
are displaced away from their own body as they study
and socialise with peers.
• The genital stage of development begins at puberty,
usually around the age of 11 years, and continues
throughout adulthood. At this stage the genitals are a
source of libidinous satisfaction and pleasure.
Freud’s concept of psychosexual development is easier to grasp if we
think of libidinous pleasure as equal to physical pleasure. Each stage
relates to the part of the body which is the focus at that particular stage
of development. So during the oral stage the infant gains physical
pleasure from sensations related to the mouth associated with sucking,
chewing and weaning while during the anal stage pleasure is gained
from anal sensations associated with nappy changing and potty training.
D. Childhood Experience
Freud proposed that if a child experiences too much or not enough physical
gratification at any of the psychosexual stages he will become stuck at that
stage of development. Freud called this fixation.
• Gratification at the oral stage is related to sucking, chewing and feeding.
An infant who is allowed to over-feed and who is permitted to suck
and chew to its heart’s desire may be over gratified whereas an infant
whose food is withheld and whose parents prohibit sucking and chewing
may be under gratified. These experiences can lead to oral fixation.
• Gratification at the anal stage is related to experiences of nappy changing
and toileting. Children who have experienced very rigid rules may be
under gratified whereas those who have experienced a lack of rules and
routine may be over gratified. These experiences can lead to anal
fixation.
• Gratification at the phallic stage is related to a child’s experiences of his
or her own genitals. Those who have been prohibited from personal
exploration or punished for it may be under gratified whereas those
who have experienced a lack of rules and routine may be over gratified.
These experiences can lead to phallic fixation.
E. Adult Personality Types
Freud’s assumption was that experiences of anxiety could result in a return
to a fixated developmental stage which would have a lasting influence on
adult personality. Freud called this regression.
• Oral fixation can result in an oral receptive adult personality characterized
by dependency on others, gullibility, excessive eating, drinking or
smoking.
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• Oral fixation can result in an oral aggressive adult personality
characterized by verbal aggression, pessimism, excessive eating, drinking
or smoking.
• Anal fixation can result in an anal expulsive adult personality
characterized by generosity, messiness and disorganization.
• Anal fixation can result in an anal retentive adult personality characterized
by obsessive tidiness, perfection, control and stubbornness.
• Phallic fixation can result in a phallic adult personality characterized
by impulsiveness, vanity, sexual indulgence or avoidance.
• Successful development through the stages results in a genital
personality type characterized by a mature capacity to love and be
loved.
F. Critical Evaluation
Examiner Comment: There are a frustrating number of
candidates who report evaluations such as ‘Freud lacks
ecological validity’ and ‘Freud is unethical’ or even worse
‘Freud is biased’ and ‘Freud is obsessed with sex’.
Statements such as these show a lack of understanding
and as such are not creditworthy.
One of the main criticisms of Freud’s theories is that they are based on his
own clinical work with middle-class, female patients. For this reason they
could be said to lack generalisability and external validity due to sample
bias, as well as cultural and historical bias.
A key criticism of Freud’s model of the mind is that it is not falsifiable. It
is not possible to prove or disprove the existence of the id, ego and superego
as they are conceptual rather than structural components. However, there
is a wealth of clinical evidence to support the existence and influence of the
unconscious.
Another criticism often cited is Freud’s over-emphasis on sex. However,
this could be understood in terms of language rather than meaning so that
what Freud termed sexual gratification could be understood as all forms of
physical gratification.
A strength of Freudian theory is that it emphasises the significance of
childhood experience on adult personality. However, critics would argue
that this is an over-emphasis with a lack of regard for adult social and
cultural experience.
Glossary
Ego: Rational part of the mind driven by the reality principle.
Fixation: Becoming stuck at a stage of psychosexual development as
a result of over or under gratification.
Id: Unconscious part of the mind driven by the pleasure principle.
dentification: Developmental process of adopting the values of the
same-sex parent.
Libido: Sexual or aggressive instinct.
Pleasure principle: The innate drive to gain personal gratification.
Psychodynamic: Psychological approach which emphasises the
significance of childhood experience and the unconscious mind.
Psychosexual: Five stage theory of development based on libidinous
body zones.
Reality principle: The drive to satisfy social demands.
Regression: Return to a fixated stage of psychosexual development.
Superego: Conscious part of the mind which develops through
identification.
Tripartite: Three part structure of personality comprising of id, ego
and superego.
Unconscious: Part of the mind beyond conscious awareness.
Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Jeanine Connor
The Curriculum Press, Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU.
Psychology Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided
that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without
the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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127 - Freud’s Personality Theory Psychology Factsheet

Worksheet: Freud’s Personality Theory

Name
1. Use the iceberg metaphor to explain Freud’s model of the mind.

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2. Describe Freud’s concept of the id, ego and superego with reference to instinct and drive.

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3. Explain the difference between the pleasure principle and the reality principle.

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4. Outline Freud’s personality theory with reference to psychosexual development

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5. Explain the Freudian concepts of fixation and regression in relation to personality development.

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