BBM 2103: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Assignment 1

Answer all questions in groups of 5

Discuss the following theories of personality and their relevance to organizational behavior.

(15mks)

1. Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

2. Erikson’s Theory

3. Sheldon’s Physiognomy Theory

Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Sigmund Freud is said to be the founder of psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory is a

method of investigating and treating personality disorders and is used in psychotherapy. It is the

idea that things that happen to people during childhood can contribute to the way they later

function as adults. Freud believed that the mind is made of two parts, the conscious mind and the

unconscious mind - and that the unconscious mind often prompts people to make certain

decisions even if they don't recognize it on a conscious level

Psychoanalytic theory has been identified as an important strand for our future understanding of

emotion and institutions (Voronov, 2014;Lok et al, 2017). It has been argued that psychoanalysis

offers an 'advanced and compelling conception of human subjectivity. Psychoanalytic theories

can help to advance a 'richer comprehension of organizational functioning by taking the effects

of the unconscious into account' (Arnaud, 2012(Arnaud, : 1130

The features of Freud’s theory include three attributes: Id, Ego, and Superego.

1. Id – It defines the innate component of personality. It is the impulsive and unconscious

part of mind that seeks immediate satisfaction. Example: A hungry baby cries till he/she

is fed.

2. Ego – It is derived from Id and assists in dealing with the external world. It also helps in

translating the inner needs into expressions. It deals with practical and rational thinking

process. Example: We have a fight with our friend and expect the friend to talk first, even

though both of us want to talk.

3. Superego – It is different from ego and is partially unconscious. It includes the traditional

values of society as interpreted by our parents. It also helps in the integral vision of

punishment. Example: Ram came late today so he is grounded for a week.

Erikson’s Theory

Erikson's theory provides a descriptive language for where the individual stands currently within

a psychosocial developmental context, where he/she might have gotten “stuck” in the past, and

where she/he is heading in terms of developmental goals. It asserts that people experience eight

'psychosocial crisis stages' which significantly affect each person's development and personality.

It gives us a framework for how we humans develop. And it gives insights into where things

might have gone wrong or right in life. Remember, each stage flows into the next. The outcome

of the previous stage has a huge impact on whether you can solve the “crisis” in the next stage.
For example: If you battle to develop trust right in the beginning, it has a sliding effect into all

other stages, you probably also won’t develop autonomy, you won’t learn to take initiative, you

won’t become industrious (maybe become stagnant and lazy) etc.

One of the strengths of psychosocial theory is that it provides a broad framework from which to

view development throughout the entire lifespan. It also allows us to emphasize the social nature

of human beings and the important influence that social relationships have on development

Sheldon’s Physiognomy Theory

Sheldon gave a theory, that a body type could be linked with the personality of that person; a fat

person with a large bone structure tends to have an outgoing and more relaxed personality while

a more muscular body-typed person is more active and aggressive. A slim or scrawny person

with thin muscles is usually characterized as quiet or fragile. For example, 300 individuals of age

group between 19 to 25 years of three different body types were selected and given a self-

constructed questionnaire to check whether they are falling according to Sheldon’s theory of

Personality. It was found that the theory still require lot of research in order to prove that the

body type affects the personality of individual because the result of research showed that the

theory is less applicable in modern era.

REFERENCES

Gilles A, 2012. The Contribution of Psychoanalysis to Organization Studies and Management

James M, Ruthellen J, 2012. Eriksonian Personality Research and Its Implications for

Psychotherapy

New HR Insights

Kendra C, David S, PhD 2020. Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

Noopur P, Priyanka K, 2013. Sheldon’s Personality Theory in Modern ERA

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