ABSTRACT
There is no single version of psychoanalytic personality theory that can be designated as the ‘true’ version; Freud frequently claimed that with conceptual, methodological and technological advances quite major changes in emphases and even radical transformation of crucial concepts would occur, and that such occurrences would be welcomed. In Freud’s theory, the structure of the mind can conveniently be seen as comprising three main parts, differentiated by their functions. These are the id, ego and superego. When the ego is not adequately controlling the impulses of the id, anxiety develops because the person may begin to act in an unacceptable way that could lead to punishment. Anxiety can also arise from the perception of actual threat in the external world. The libido is focused on different parts of the body at different stages of development. The child has strong sexual urges towards the parent of the opposite sex.
