Comparing Freud’s theory of human personality, Piaget’s approach to human development, and mead’s view of the development of the self.

The human development studies have come a long way since 19^th century when people in Europe presume human behaviors as solely biological and political leaders such as Thomas Jefferson in the States claims that blacks are mentally inferior to whites. Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, and George Herbert Mead have done a great deal of contribution for development of human studies. Freud’s theory of human personality, Piaget’s approach to human development, and mead’s view of the development of the self, have things in common and have things in contrast.

Freud’s theory of human personality identifies three parts in personality: The id, ego, and superego. The id represents human behaving under its basic instincts. Ego is a human conscious struggle to balance its primary enforcement with what society demands. Superego is tied with higher values that an individual sets for himself/herself such as culture and norms.

Piaget’s approach to human development recognizes four stages of cognitive development: The sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. The sensorimotor stage is the human development at its basic sensual/instinctive level.

           The preoperational stage is the human development at its lingual/symbolic level. The concrete operational stage covers children between the ages of seven and eleven when they focus on

how and why things happen. In this stage individuals see casual connections in their surroundings for the first time. The formal operational stage is the abstract/critical level of human development.

George Herbert Mead in his social behaviorism theory explains individual’s personality in four points. The Self is the individual’s personality composed of self-awareness and self-image produced by social experience. Second point is the explanation of social experience as the exchange of symbols. Mean’s third point is the extension of the second; by using symbols we are capable of imagining our self in another person's shoes to understand his/her intention. Mean in his fourth point divides personal behaviors into two categories:  I and Me. I being the subjective behaviors which is active and spontaneous and Me being the objective behaviors which is passive and hesitant.

As we can see there is a fine line between the Freud’s id and Piaget’s sensorimotor stage. Also there are some similarities between Freud ego and Mean’s self, between Paget’s formal operational stage and Mean’s I and Me concept, and between Piaget’s preoperational stage and Mean’s exchange of symbols concept. However Mean’s model rejects Freud id and Piaget’s sensory motor stage by denying the biological effect on personality. Piaget’s model is time sensitive while Freud and Mean’s models can be applied in parallel.   All three scientists approach behaviorism but one can say Freud and Piaget’s models are social-biological while Mean’s model is more socially driven.

Resource:

Macionis John J. Sociology.Pearson prentice hall .Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: 12^th Edition.