Psychology

Background of Obama
Barrack Obama was born in Honolulu Hawaii at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital. Obamas parents met in a Russian Language course while they attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.  He was born on August 1961.Her mother later enrolled in University of Washington, and lived in the Capitol Hill of Seattle she later left Seattle in the summer of 1962 and re-enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. At this time His mother raised him single handedly. In 1963, his father relocated to an apartment in Alexander Street. At this time, he still lived separately from Obamas mother. The two later separate in 1964. Obama moved with his mother to Manoa district where they stayed with his maternal grandparents. His father obtained a Masters degree and moved back to his native Kenya where he became a Minister before passing away in 1982 (Obama, 2004).

Throughout his early years, Obama was known at home and school as Barry Seotoro. He attended kindergarten at an Elementary school, Noelani near his home. While still in Manoa, his mother married Lolo Seotoro an Indonesian studying in Hawaii University When Soharto, a military leader moved to Seotros home country, in 1967, all students studying in abroad were recalled back and therefore the family moved to Indonesia. Obama then attended school in Jakarta between the ages of six and ten where classes were taught in the local Indonesian language. He attended school at St. Francis Assissi Catholic School for close to three years (Obama, 2004).

He later enrolled in a secular government school in Menteng where his family had moved to. While living in Indonesia, Obama was a Cub Scout. His half- sister remembered Obamas step father as one who was non religious and never attended prayer services except for big events. While in third grade, Obama wrote an essay about wanting to become president. His teacher told the Chicago tribune that she was not sure what country he wanted to be president of but that he had his reason for becoming president, to make everyone happy.

He then returned to Hononolulu for high school where he lived with his maternal grand parents. His mother followed him to Hawaii and stayed there from 1972 to 1977 and lived in Poki Street while her parents stayed in Beretania Street. She relocated back to Indonesia to work as an anthropological field worker. Obama attended Punahou School and worked at a nearby Baskin Robbins Company. He stayed in the same school till his graduation in 1979. Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles and attended Occidental College. After two years he transferred to Columbia University and majored in political science, specializing in international relations and subsequently graduated with a B.A in 1983. He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation and New York Public Interest Research Group (Obama, 2004).

After four years in New York he moved to Chicago where he was hired as Director of the Development Committee Project, a church based community organization originally comprising eight catholic parishes in Greater Roseland. He worked from 185 to1988 and his staff grew from one employee to thirteen while the annual budget grew immensely. Over this period, he set up a training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants rights organization. After his job he traveled to Kenya to meet his fathers family before enrolling in Harvard Law School. He was selected as editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year, and president of the journal in the second year. He then graduated in 1991. He served as a lecturer in Chicago for twelve years starting from 1992, teaching constitutional law. He also served as a Director of Project vote, worked with Davis, Miner and Gallant law firm, Woods Fund of Chicago and Chicago Annenberg Challengers. His mother finally returned to Hawaii in 1994 and lived there for one year before dying of ovarian cancer (Obama, 2004).
In 1995, he published a memoir, Dreams of my Father and later became the Illinois Senate in 1996. He was instrumental in the passing of various laws and recommendations while in this position and was later elected as the United States President in 2007.

It is worth noting that in his memoir, Obama confessed of his struggles as a young adult where he tired to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He used marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol in his teenage life to push questions of who he was out of his mind. He further confessed of this as a grave mistake. He describes his drug use as his greatest failure. In order to find a niche in his life while in college, his friends said he used to attend parties and other events so as to associate with African American and military service people. Hawaii to him offered an opportunity to experience a variety of cultures and a climate of mutual respect which became an integral part in his life and formed the basis of values he holds as most dear to him. He married Michelle in 1992 and has two children (Obama, 2004).

Freuds Psychoanalytic Theory Childhood Development
Child development that occurs from birth to adulthood was largely ignored throughout much of history. Children were always viewed as small versions of adults and little attention was paid to the many advances in cognitive abilities, language usage and physical growth. Sigmund Freuds theories stress on the importance of child hood events and experiences but almost exclusively focus on mental disorders rather than normal functioning (Pablisher, 1998).

According to Sigmund, child development is described as a series of psychosexual stages. In his three essays on sexuality, Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency period and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a libidinal desire that can later play a role in adult personality. His theory is one of the best known theories in the world today. However the same theory is somewhat controversial. Freud believed that personality develops through a series of child hood stages during which the pleasure- seeking energies of the id become focused on certain erogenous areas. This psychosexual energy, or libido, was described as the driving force behind ones behavior (Pablisher, 1998).

In cases where the psychosexual stages are completed successfully, the result is a healthy personality. If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixation is deemed to occur. A fixation is a constant focus on a previous psychosexual stage. Until the conflict is resolved, the individual will remain stuck in this stage. For, example, a person fixated at the oral stage may be over dependent on others and may seek oral stimulation through smoking, drinking, or eating.

The ego, as discussed by Pablisher (1998) acts according to the reality principle that is, it seeks to please the ids drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bringing grief. It therefore comprises of the personality structure that includes defensive, perceptual, intellectual-cognitive, and executive functions. Conscious awareness dwells in the ego, although not all of the functioning of the ego is conscious. The ego separates what is real and helps individuals to organize their thoughts and make sense of them and the adjacent world. In Freuds theory, the ego reconciles the idand the super-ego with the outside world. He vividly uses the term ego to express judgment, tolerance, reality- testing, control, planning, defense, and synthesis of information, intellectual functioning and memory (Engler, 2005).

The super-ego on the other hand contradicts the id. It strives to act in a socially appropriate manner as opposed to the id which focuses on self-gratification. The super-ego retains the character of the father.

The oral stage is the infants primary source of interaction which occurs through the mouth for purposes of eating by tasting and sucking. The weaning process is the primary conflict at this stage as the child becomes less dependent on caretakers. Oral fixation can result in problems described previously as well as nail biting. The anal stage is characterized by activities such as toilet training where parents who utilize praise and rewards for using the toilet at the appropriate time encourage positive outcomes and help children feel capable and productive. Inappropriate parental response may however result in negative outcomes such as messy, wasteful or destructive personality. The phallic stage concentrates on genial development while the latent period is characterized by the ego and superego. Children concentrate mostly on peer relations, hobbies and other interests. This builds the intellectual pursuits and social interactions further enhancing social and communication skills and self-confidence. The genital stage is on the other hand illustrated by sexual desire (Pablisher, 1998).

The oral stage, whose fixation results in oral stimulation through smoking and drinking can be equated to Obamas teenage life where he indulged in chemical dependent substances such as Cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol to divert from reality. He however, reconciled with himself and came out strongly to pursue his lifes goals. This is also related to the id component of the personality theory where an individual seeks self- gratification.

The ego is influenced by reality and is therefore a reality check which seeks to satisfy the id while at the same time considers realistic applications. This reality is mostly long-term. Obama was selected as president of the Harvard Review and acted as a Director of a number of Organizations and was also a professor of Columbia University. He was also a senator and later president elect of the United States. These attributes are executive functions related to the ego. His intellectual functioning is evident in his education history. Over and above the mentioned achievements, Obama was tolerant. He tolerated the events that unfolded in his childhood life by adapting to frequent changes in his geographic location as well as the schools he attended (Obama, 2004).

His social interactions and his leadership roles and independence are conclusive evidences of the superego nature in him. These are characterized by his work experiences in community organization, his membership with the Cub Scout, his fathering of two children and his presidency and senator roles as well. The ego and superego lie in the latency period of child development.
The genital stage relates to Obamas marriage to Michelle in 1992.Freud recognizes that a successful completion of the childhood development stages result in a healthy personality. Obamas personality can therefore be regarded as successful owing to his successful passage of each of the aforementioned stages (Pablisher, 1998).

Alfred Adler Interpsychic Theory
Alfred Adler was a theorist who experienced childhood illnesses and several injuries and equally developed the fear of death. He was an average student who felt inferior but rose to a superior position. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna and was the president of the International Psychoanalytic Association but disagreed with Freuds perspective. He believed that humans were essentially products of their social and cultural worlds (Engler, 2005).

Alder adopted an essentially optimistic and positive view of human nature. He saw the importance of culture and society in the development of individual personality in which the individual also plays an important responsible role. Through the cultivation of ones social interest, he identified self-appreciation and education as means to create a better world. He further expounds that individuals are able to deny or disobey their basic instincts to survive and reproduce (Adler, 1968). In his approach, Adler embraces several concepts such as social interest, which is an urge to adapt oneself to the conditions of the social environment and involves developing an attitude of oneness with others and a desire to cooperate with others. These however need to be encouraged and nurtured finalism which entails the goals that govern all living things is the second concept. The principle of finalism focuses on the motive and purpose for the future, with most guiding goals being referred to as fictional finalisms as they are constructed or invented and reflect our view of the world. goals of superiority drive the competence and effectiveness in whatever one strives to do. This is described as similar to Jungs self realization. Feelings of inferiority arise from childhood dependence and lead individuals to strive for competence and superiority style of life considers unique ways that each individual seeks to cope with the environment and develop superiority. This takes different forms, from physical strength to intellectual skills (Adler, 1968). It is influenced by family constellation, family atmosphere expressed through emotional relationships. Therefore ones style of life influences people to be passive or active, constructive or destructive and, creative self which interprets ones experiences and establishes a persons style of life. This mainly establishes, maintains and pursues the goal of ones life- a conscious process. It further recognizes that individuals create their own personalities that conscious plays a central role to personality, and opposes Freuds emphasis on unconsciousness.

This theory can be related to Obama in quite a number of ways. First of all, while Obama was growing up in Indonesia, he was well known as Barry Seotoro. This shows that he had built closer ties with his community, an aspect of social interest. He portrayed self realization through his intellectual skills. Obama was a bright student at school and dedicated most of his childhood life to education. He was enrolled in Harvard, a prestigious university in the United States and was able to attain his doctorate degree as well as his undergraduate degree in political science. Obama was also able to embrace the type of life he lived while growing up. This influenced to a great extent his style of life and conscious kept his goal alive, of becoming a president at some point in his life.

Secondly, Obama confesses that his experiences in Hawaii were fundamental in building his innate values and that he holds dearly these experiences. This shows that the culture of the community around him at that time played vital roles in developing his personality (Adler, 1968). He was also able to cultivate his social interest through education. By achieving the highest level of education and subsequently becoming a University professor, Obama was able to construct a better world for himself. This same education played a vital role in his running for senator and presidency.

Lastly, Obama disobeyed his basic instincts so as to survive and reproduce (Adler, 1968). During his teenage life, Obama was psychological affected by the fact that he could not place himself anywhere as far as personal identity was concerned. This is due to his parents distinct ethnic backgrounds (his father was an African, his mother, a white). He therefore opted to indulge in drugs and alcohol in order to destruct himself from these questions. This however did not affect his later achievement as he focused on school work and his talent.

Carl Jungs analytical psychology.
Analytical psychology or Jungian psychologyy is a psychological school that originated from Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist. This theory was advanced by his students and other thinkers who followed in his tradition. Its main aim is to apprehend and integrate the deep forces and motivations which underlie the human behavior by the practice of an accumulative phenomenology around the significance of dreams, folklore and mythology. Depth psychology is related to this theory in that it employs the model of the unconscious mind as the source of healing and development in the individual (Sahakian, 2000).

Jungs work sought to uncover the mysterious depths of the human unconscious. Fascinated by what the saw, Jung devoted to explore the unconscious. According to him, the empirical investigation of the world of dream, myth, and folklore represented the most promising road to the deeper understanding of the human psyche. He also stipulates that the unconscious is untouchable by experimental researchers through scientific and philosophic mechanisms. His definition of the unconscious however differs from Sigmunds understanding as he assumes collective unconscious to include images or mind contents thought to be innate to humans. The existing mental patterns are common to each human being and are precisely the factors that contribute to the commonality in humans (Engler, 2005).

The overarching goal of the Jungian psychology lies in the reconciliation of the life of the individual with the world of supra-personal archetypes. Vital to this process is the persons encounter with the unconscious. Humans experience the unconscious through symbols encountered in all aspects of life, in dreams, art, religion, and the symbolic dramas that people enact in their relationships and life pursuits. The important element therefore is learning the symbolic language manifested by the minds images (Sahakian, 2000).

The fundamentals of Jungs analytical psychology are disclosed as unconscious which is a potent part of the normal human psyche thus for wholeness to be achieved, a reliable communication between the conscious and the unconscious needs to be necessitated (Engler, 2005). Dreams are a manifestation of ideas, beliefs and feelings of which individuals are not readily aware of archetypes are innate, universal prototypes for ideas and may be used to interpret observations. A complex refers to a group of memories and interpretations associated with an archetype. These archetypes are collective as well as individual self realization offers two distinctive considerations, one base on separation from humanity which explains the destructive nature of young men, and the other based on reunification of humans with the human race, this begins from the age of thirty five years where individuals prioritize on community and spiritual efforts.

The psychoanalysis concept of the theory focuses on integrating the unknown material. The search for the meaning of behaviors, symptoms and events is categorized under this concept. The scrutiny of dreams is the more common. Others include expressing feelings in art pieces, poetry or other expressions of creativity. According to Jung, analytical psychology approaches the unconscious from a general perspective and discloses that the unconscious may contain repressed sexual drives, aspirations and fears (Sahakian, 2005).

From Jungs perspective, several aspects of Obamas life can relate to this theory. First of all, Obama was affected by both sides of self-realization. The fact that during his childhood life, in an attempt to reconcile his personal world with the outside, Obama found himself engaging in drugs and alcohol which were more destructive than constructive. He also went to African American parties in search of his identity while still in high school, an action viewed by his friends as more mature than his age.

Secondly, his reunification with the human race can be equated to his significant involvement in community welfare, as well as his running to be senator and president which was his dream, to make every one happy.

Thirdly, Jung considers the fact that the unconscious may be manifested through dreams or other creative work. Obamas dream in Dreams from my Father is quite metaphorical. His father was highly educated he had been to Harvard and became a Minister in his native country. Despite the two not being in close contact, Obama was able to follow his fathers footsteps by enrolling in Harvard and being a leader of the people just like hi father. He also manifested his unconscious through writing. This is evident from his literary work in Harvard, where he was elected as editor and president of the Harvard Review. In addition, he wrote his memoir which was published in 1995 (Obama, 2004).

Obama realized his dream of becoming the American president, a dream he wrote during his childhood study.

The psychoanalytic theories and approaches discussed above focus on the development of personality. They consider the different interpretations of personality ranging from the unconscious, the external environment to the conscious. All these address personality wholesomely and the gaps evident in one are well covered by another. Obamas life is related to each of these theories in one way or another as described.