Analysis of personalities according to Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud’s Theory On Personality.
Sigmund Freud claims that the personality of a person as a result of interactions between the three structures of the human mind; that is, the superego, ego, and id.Superego is associated with the moral values of a person. It is sometimes referred to as a moral compass or conscience.The ego is the rational part of one’s personality. It balances the id and the superego. Id is the most primitive structure of the human mind that requires instant gratification of desires and needs. Freud believed that the three structures are in constant conflict and if they are all balanced, the personality of an individual is said to be healthy. A person with a strong ego has a good personality since it balances the instinctual urges of the Id and the moral superego.
The id operates in the unconscious mind and it commands instant gratification of pleasures without regard to the reality or the environment. It consists of two drives termed Thanatos and Eros. Eros drives one towards life sustaining activities that are necessary for human survival such as respiration. Thanatos drives one’s mind toward the gratification of destructive pleasures. A person with a healthy personality has a stronger Eros than Thanatos drives. When this energy is directed outward onto others, it is expressed as aggression and violence. Freud believed that Eros is stronger than Thanatos, thus enabling people to survive rather than self-destruct.
The ego develops when a person is an infant. It aims to meets the desires of the Id in a way that is acceptable by the society. Id is a primitive drive and so ego aims to satisfy it in a way that is safe and ‘civilised’ in reality. One acquires superego later in the early childhood period. It ensures that one follows the set rules and gains the appropriate moral codes. Freud believes that if one is able to balance the needs of id, reality and the moral codes (superego), then a socially acceptable personality will be formed. If they are not balanced, the resulting personality will be challenging and problematic like in violent and abusive people. An individual will act according to his urges and desires irrespective of the appropriateness and acceptability of the behaviour if his id is greater than ego. If superego supersedes the ego, the resulting personality will be judgemental and very moralistic which will not be acceptable in the society (Zhang, 2020).
Sigmund Freud explained the development of one’s personality through the five psychosexual stages. Freud said resolution that are taken at every stage of sexual development have an impact on later development of personality. The first stage is the oral stage whose pleasure comes from the mouth through sucking. The second stage is the anal stage (18 months to 3 years) whose pleasure is derived from the bowel and bladder elimination.
Phallic is the third stage (age between 3-6 years) which pleasure comes from genitals and sexual desires of the parent of the opposite sex. Latency is the fourth stage that last between the ages 6years to puberty where the sexual feelings are not essential. The last stage according to Freud is the genital stage where there is development of mature sexual orientation (Cherry, 2016).
Analysis of the character in the ‘The Stranger’
In Camus Albert story, ‘The stranger’there are different characters with different personalities. The characters in the book include MonsieurMeursault, Raymond Sintes, Marie Cardona,Celeste, Masson, Salamano, Home keeper and Home Warden. The characteristics and the personalities are analysed below.
- Monsieur Meursault
This is the main character in the ‘The Stranger’. He does not talk much in the story neither does he have many friends. He lived in an apartment with his mother, Madame Meursault, before he took her to the Home. Meursault smokes a lot and he has poor eating habits. Even though quiet, he is quite observant of the people and situations surrounding him. Meursault tries to help everyone asks for his help such as Raymond Sintes.
This character is assumed by many including the prosecutor to be arrogant even though his friends claim he is just reserved and quiet. Monsieur is not religious and neither was his mother even though she wished to be buried with the Christian rites. Before his imprisonment, he is shown a cross by the Magistrate with the hope that he will repent like the other criminals before him, this is not so because Meursault is not religious at all. He appears indifferent during the burial where he shows no emotions in relation to losing the woman who brought him into the world. He declines the offer to view his mother’s body and even sleeps and smokes during the night vigil.
Meursault is an ambivert. He is not very social unless when called upon. He has an openness personality in that he easily agrees to people opinions without putting in his thoughts. He agrees to marry Marie just to please her even though he does not love her. He also agrees to speak to the police in favour of Raymond. He is quiet and easy to get along with. His ego quite balances the id and the superego giving him an openness personality.
- Raymond Sintes
This character is a friend of Monsieur Meursault. He lives in the same building as Meursault. Their friendship started when Meursault agreed to help him to write a letter to his former lover, which was part of the revenge. He proves to be a good and loyal friend when he pleads the innocence of Meursault.
Raymond comes out as violent and vengeful person at the beginning of the story where he plans revenge on his former lover for doing him wrong. Raymond is later found by the police when he was beating the girl. Raymond later on gets into a fight with the girls Arab brother, who is later killed by Meursault. Raymond possess a gun which he lenders Meursault.
Raymond has a neuroticism personality. He is quick to anger and is quite insensitive. This is especially seen when he insists on taking revenge with his former girlfriend for playing him. He beats her as a way of punishing her. He gets into a fight with her brother which later leads to the imprisonment and conviction of Meursault. He lets his id supersede his ego resulting in a violent person.
- Marie Cardona
She is the girlfriend to Meursault. She is kind and jovial and always seems to be smiling. She agrees to get married to Meursault before he is imprisoned. This is despite the fact that he is says that he does not love her. Marie is the only one who visits Meursault while he is in prison. She stands by him throughout the court trials and even during the time of his conviction.
Marie’s personality is extraversion. She is talkative and sociable and he gets along with everyone. She easily gets into a relationship with Meursault. She quickly becomes friends with Masson’s wife when she and Meursault visit their beach house. She is also open to a loveless marriage with Meursault.
- Salamano
This man lives in the same building as a Meursault and owns a dog. The dog and its owner seem to hate each other, but after the dog runs away it is clear that Salamano truly cared for his dog despite mistreating it. His personality is almost neuroticism as her channels his angers towards his dog. He seems apologetic and is even willing to look for his dog once it runs away from him.
- Celeste
This character is a friend ofMeursault. He owns the restaurant where Meursault takes his meals. Celeste comes out as a good friend to our main character, he is peace loving and very understanding. During the case hearing of Meursault, stands up and declares the innocence of the convict. Celeste’s personality is extraversion. He gets along with everyone and every sociable.
- Home Keeper
This man is the keeper in the Home where the aged stay. He is an old man even though he doesn’t refer to himself as the other folks in Home. He and other friends of Meursault’s mother keep vigil beside the coffin together with the main character. He offers coffee to Meursault as he in turn gives him a cigarette to smoke as they talk in the mortuary.
The home keeper personality is conscientiousness. He keeps the home intact and follows the rules set especially during the night of the vigil. He keeps order during the wake to control the friends of Meursault’s mother.
- Masson
He is a friend to Raymond. He invites Raymond who in turns invite Meursault and his girlfriend to spend the weekend in his beach house. They quickly becomes friends with Meursault. He helps Raymond in fighting the Arabs who were after him. In the story, Masson and his wife are brought out as generous characters. Masson has an agreeable personality. He is easy to talk to as is seen through his booming relationship with Meursault. He also agrees to partake in the fight between the Arabs and Raymond without any complaint.
- Home Warden
This warden is in charge of Home where they aged live. Meursault’s mother lived in the Home before she died. He interacts with Meursault when he tells him of his mother and the close relationship he had with Thomas Perez. The warden is quite concerned about the welfare of the residents of Home and helps them through the emotional stress especially when one of them dies. He silently observes Meursault’s behaviour during the burial of his mother and later uses this behaviour against him in the court. He has a conscientiousness personality and his superego supersedes his ego. He is very judgemental of Meursault’s behaviour during the death and the burial of his mother.
Conclusion
Freud explains that an individual’s personality is determined by the three structures of the mind, the id, ego and superego. Meursault ego balanced his id and superego thus developing a personality which is agreeable. Id demands instant satisfaction of the desires while the superego dictates ones morals. Ego acts in accordance to reality and in the story we find that Meursault’s behaviour is socially acceptable due to his ego. His agreeable nature led to his conviction as he ended up killing one of the Arab who was against Raymond using a gun he had been given by Raymond.
References
Cherry, K. (2016). The Id, Ego and Superego: The Structural Model of Personality. About. com.
Freudian Theory and Consciousness: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3115290/
The Ego and the ID in Freudian thinking: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4076885/
The Freudian Theory of Personality: http://journalpsyche.org/the-freudian-theory-of-personality/
Zhang, S. (2020, April). Psychoanalysis: The Influence of Freud’s Theory in Personality Psychology. In International Conference on Mental Health and Humanities Education (ICMHHE 2020) (pp. 229-232). Atlantis Press.