Personality Theories

The Case of Jaylene Smith

Thirty-year-old Jaylene Smith is a talented physician who visits a psychologist because she is troubled by certain aspects of her social life. Acquaintances describe Jay in glowing terms-highly motivated, intelligent, attractive and charming. But Jay feels terribly insecure and anxious. When asked by a psychologist to pick out some self-descriptors, she selected, “introverted, shy, inadequate, and unhappy.

Jay was the first-born in a family of boys and one girl. Her father is a quiet and gentle medical researcher. His work often allowed him to stay at home, so he had extensive contact with his children when they were young. He loved all his children but clearly favored Jay. His ambitions and goals for her were extremely high, and as she matured, he responded to her every needs and demands almost immediately and with full conviction. Their relationship remains as close today it was during Jay’s childhood.

Jay’s mother worked long hours away from home as a store manager and consequently saw her children primarily at night and on an occasional free weekend. When she came home, Mrs. Smith was tired and had little energy for “nonessential” interactions with her children. She had always been career oriented, but she experienced considerable conflict and frustration trying to reconcile her roles as mother, housekeeper, and financial provider. Mrs. Smith was usually amiable toward all her children but tended to argue more with Jay. The bickering subsided when Jay was about 6 or 7 years old. Today their relationship is cordial but lacks the closeness apparent between Jay and Dr. Smith. Interactions between Dr. and Mrs. Smith were sometimes marred by stormy outbursts over seemingly trivial matters. These episodes were always followed by periods of mutual silence lasting days.

Jay was very jealous of her first brother, born when she was 2 years old. Her parents recall that Jay sometimes staged temper tantrums when the new infant demanded and received a lot of attention (especially from Mrs. Smith). The temper tantrums intensified when Jay’s second brother was born, just one year later. As time went on, the brothers formed an alliance to try to undermine Jay’s supreme position with their father. Jay only became closer to her father, and her relationships with her brothers were marked by greater-than average jealousy and rivalry from early childhood to the present.

Throughout elementary, junior high and high school, Jay was popular and did well academically. Early on she decided on a career in medicine. Yet off and on between the ages of 8 and 17, she had strong feelings of loneliness, depression, insecurity, and confusion-feelings common during this age period, but stronger than most youngsters and very distressing to Jay.

Jay’s college days were a period of great personal growth, but several unsuccessful romantic involvements caused her much pain. The failure to achieve a stable and long-lasting relationship persisted after college and troubled her greatly. Although even-tempered in most circumstances, Jay often had an explosive fit of anger that ended each important romantic relationship she had. “What is wrong with me?” she would ask herself. “Why do I find it impossible to maintain a serious relationship for any length of time?”
In medical school, her conflicts crept into her consciousness periodically: “I don’t deserve to be a doctor”, “I won’t pass my exams”; “Who am I, and what do I want from life?”

Instructions: The finished paper should be no more than 4 to 5 pages, double-spaced, and in font 12. Submission must be via the assignment link no later than due date.

We have learned that personality can be used to describe individuals. It should also be understood that through the study personality theories we are better able to understand why individual differences exist.

1. Over the course of the semester you have been introduced to several personality theorists and their contributions to understanding the puzzle of human personality. Your task is to provide a complete personality analyses/assessment of Jaylene Smith. Discuss in detail how Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney, Maslow and Erikson’s (feel free to add other theorists) theories account for Jaylene’s personality development. (Be sure to stick to the printed facts by referencing. Though we have surveyed a limited number of personality theorists, for this assignment you are welcome to include the work of others.) Personal opinions must be substantiated or supported by theoretical facts that can be referenced. Be sure to include answers to the following questions in your analysis.
a. How can we describe and understand Jaylene Smith’s personality?
b. How did she become who she is?
c. Why does she feel insecure and uncertain despite her obvious success?
d. Why do her friends see her as charming and attractive, though she describes herself as introverted and inadequate?
e. What is the role of her parents and siblings in her personality development?

 
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