How could Jason’s homosexuality be explained from a Freudian perspective?
First and foremost, Freud claimed that all people were bisexual by nature. The psychologist thought that everyone incorporated features of both genders and tended to be sexually attracted to both genders (Allen, 2015). Second, as per Freud’s theory, every child goes through a series of stages that later define his personality and preferences (Gupta, 2020). Among these stages are oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital. Homosexuality, according to Freud, was a diversion from misdirected desires. Jason had misdirected desires because his mother breastfed him until the boy was three, which made him leave the oral stage too late. Thus, as per Freud’s theory, staying in this phase for too long resulted in aberrations from “normal” sexual desires. Nevertheless, Jason did not admit his true sexual desires and assumed he was faithful to his wife because he was not with other women.
What was Jason’s goal in life, according to Adler’s theory? Did he experiencefeelings of inferiority that influenced his life? Provide examples. How did he strive for success?
Adler claimed that components of a person’s subconscious self should essentially try to transform perceptions of inferiority to a sense of superiority or completeness (Allen, 2015). If the corrective elements are ignored, and the person overcompensates for an inferiority complex, the issue develops, increasing the risk of becoming egotistical and violent or even becoming a megalomaniac. As per Adler’s theory, Jason’s primary goal in life was most likely economic security or supremacy. Various factors, such as the fact that “his family was poor during his childhood, and their home was so small that in all except the worst weather, he was required to sleep on the front porch,” contributed to Jason’s desire to compensate for these traumas by personal excellence.
How could Jung’s concept of self-realization apply to this example?
According to the philosophy established by Carl Jung, self-realization is a combination of conscious and subconscious (Allen, 2015). Consciously, Jason tried to follow the conventional path that every man of his generation took. For example, Jason enlisted into the army, notable because of peer pressure and his concept of true masculinity. Moreover, the man found a job and started a family with a woman, and had children. However, Jason also followed his subconscious desires, such as the ones involving homosexual desires. When confronted, Jason did not confess to the adultery, probably because he did not accept this part of himself.
How could Horney’s theory explain the difference in Jason’s idealized versusreal image of himself?
According to the philosophy of Horney, an individual has two images: one ideal image of self, which the person aspires to be, and one disliked version, the authentic self (Allen, 2015). The idealized version of Jason was the one that involved an epitome of a real man. In his view, a real man had to go through the army, have a family, and have financial stability, meaning having a well-paid job. However, the real self Jason was a man who tended to isolate himself from family and have inferiority complex along with unrecognized homosexual tendencies. While Jason had perceptions of what “a real man does,” he had relationships with other men and still “claimed to have been faithful to his wife.”
How would Sullivan’s interpersonal personality theory explain Jason’s lackof close relationships, especially with his wife and children?
According to Sullivan’s theory, individuals’ interactions with others, predominantly close ones, define their relationships with people in the future (Allen, 2015). In this respect, the issues Jason is battling at the moment have a direct correlation with his past. From the text, it can be seen that Jason had “a somewhat distant relationship with his father, though, who was fairly uninvolved with his children.” Moreover, Jason did not feel parental support because of the conditions he had to live in. As a result, such disinterest of Jason in his own children is a reflection of his father’s attitude.
According to Bowlby and Ainsworth, what type of adult attachment styledid Jason have? Explain.
According to the theory of Bowlby and Ainsworth, children’s relationships with their caregivers define their attachment styles in the future (Benjamin Jr, 2018). Consequently, there are several types of attachment that create a spectrum of emotional processing, with anxious-avoidant attachment on the one hand and anxious-resistant attachment on the other hand (Allen, 2015). Children that have the former type of attachment generally avoid their parents or caregivers, displaying no differentiation between a caregiver and a random person. Hostile or negligent caretakers may have influenced this attachment type. As for Jason, he has this type of attachment due to his father’s negligence. Moreover, Jason had to care for himself ever since he was a young boy. He had to enlist in the army at a very early age and then find various jobs.
Which of Erikson’s stages did Jason successfully complete? Which werenot completed successfully? Explain.
Erikson claimed that there are specific psychosocial phases of development that involve overcoming inevitable crises in order to become a successful, whole individual (Benjamin Jr, 2018). When it comes to Jason, he successfully completed the Initiative vs. Guilt stage since he “became an increasingly cultured person, growing to appreciate the better things in life.” Moreover, he successfully completed the Industry vs. Inferiority stage as he had a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Jason failed in other states due to the negligence of his parents, who did not build trust with the child, help him explore, praise, and encourage him. Consequently, the man had intimacy issues, along with the inability to find his true identity.
References
Allen, B. P. (2015). Personality theories: Development, growth, and diversity. Taylor & Francis.
Benjamin Jr, L. T. (2018). A brief history of modern psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Gupta, D. (2020). Synergy between teaching and Freud’s structural theory of personality: Id, ego and superego. Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology, 17(6), 6723-6734.