Personality Development
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This paper is an examination of two different theories of personality development, Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic perspective and Erik Erikson's psychosocial perspective, which draws on Freud's theories but expands and deepens them. This study investigates the psychology of female prostitutes who, following the views of each theory, tend to suffer depression and low self-esteem caused by their inability to fully develop through the necessary stages of personality outlined by each psychologist. Both theories argue the necessity for every individual to move through specific stages that allow him or her to resolve internal and external conflicts, many of which have to do with the child's relationship to his or her parents. Psychiatrists who have studied prostitutes have generally concluded that individuals often turn to the "oldest profession" because of an inability to move beyond some of the earliest stages of development. Although Freud and Erikson differ in their precise description of these crucial early stages, they nevertheless agree that complete personality formation depends on resolving these early conflicts and progressing to more advanced levels. Prostitution can stand as a symptom of arrested development, signalling an individual unable to fully integrate her inner conflicts and therefore suffering from reduced self-esteem and a poor self-image. During the 1960s, as the beginnings of the sexual revolution began to encourage people to talk about their sex li
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l name was Sophia Saxon) was raped at 17, had an abortion, and was then forced by her parents to marry her rapist. She writes, without apparent irony, "My parents idolized and worshipped me. They disciplined me and punished me for misbehavior; I had plenty of whippings when I was a child" (p. 138). She admits that her mother forced her into her marriage, pressuring her father to agree. In Erikson's model, Jarrett was betrayed by her primary caregiver and is now forced to play out the unresolved "developmental task" of establishing the trust in others she must have in order to progress to the next stage.
Jarrett (1966) observes, "Things have a way of creeping up on you and you just close your eyes and let them come" (p. 155). One of Freud's most important contributions to modern psychoanalysis was his identification of unconscious processes, including repression and sublimation. Jarrett's habit of mentally closing her eyes provides a classic example of this psychological process that allows the individual to keep from dealing with conflict by denying that it exists.
Late in her book, Jarrett (1966) quotes extensively from a study by psychiatrist Harold Greenwald, titled The Call Girl: A Social and Analytical Study. Gre
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2160
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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