PSY 250

Personality Analysis

Abraham Lincoln

Jeremy Vigil

Instructor

Thomas Deall

July 14, 2002

Abstract

            This is an attempt to analyze Abraham Lincoln’s Personality using the psychodynamic theory. 

Overview

            Abraham Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809.  He grew up as poor farmer.  He was mostly self taught with virtually no formal schooling.  Yet, he became one of the most admired presidents of the United States.  His personality was a large part of his success.  I will attempt to describe Abraham’s personality using the psychodynamic theory.

            Our textbook describes psychodynamic theory as “People’s unconscious minds are largely responsible for important differences in their behavior styles.”  In other words, how our unconscious minds play a role in our personality.  I will attempt to answer what drove Abraham to greatness.  I do not believe this will be easy or accurate.  Separating the true man from the legend makes this difficult.  How do we separate the facts from what we believe Abraham Lincoln should be?  Most of the research I found did not describe the man by personality.  They mostly described Lincoln by the accomplishments.  I decided to place myself in Lincoln’s shoes and logically conclude what his personality would be.  I am adding what I believe affected his personality through my education and experiences.  The following may not be historically accurate but you know the saying perception is reality.

This will be a Neo-Freudian approach.  I do not believe Freudian’s views of sex being a primary motivator.  In addition, I do not believe your personality is set during childhood. 

 

Parental influence

            Parental influence plays a large role in your unconscious.  There is a fine line between pampering and neglecting a child.  If you pamper a child too much they loose there individuality and become dependant on others.  If you neglect your child, they become too independent loose the ability to empathize and attach with others.  Every parent must find the balance for the individual child.  This is not an easy balance.

            I believe Lincoln’s parents found the correct balance.  Lincoln had a good professional and personal life.  He had a wife and four children.  This demonstrates to me he was not neglected.  His motivation to better himself tells me that he was not pampered.  He was however not very close to his father.  His father did not understand Lincoln’s need to educate himself. 

Birth order

            Lincoln was the second child of three kids.  The third child was a brother who died at infancy.  This makes Lincoln the second and last child personality wise.  Abraham’s father remarried.  His second wife had children of her own so Lincoln was more of a middle child then the last.  According to Alfred Adler the middle child was not given the luxury of being pampered and always strived to surpass their older sibling.  This does describe Lincoln’s upbringing to me.  Lincoln tried to educate himself to separate himself from his brother and sisters.  Alfred Adler was himself a middle child so I believe there was some bias.

Collective unconscious

            Carl Jung believes there is a collective unconscious we are all born with.  This is information we all cannot bring up consciously but it is there for all of us.  The collective unconscious is made up of images called primordial images.  These primordial images are divided up by archetypes.  For example, the mother, the father, and the wise old man.  I believe Lincoln took the positive archetypes and used them in his favor.  Especially the wise old man archetype.  He knew the value of knowledge at an early age. 

            I think the Abraham Lincoln is an archetype everyone should have.  He symbolizes honesty and integrity.  Everyone should have this knocking on their conscious.  I feel the collective conscious is adaptable and changeable if everyone wills it.  I hope that it will be for the positive.

Conclusion

            We can never know what truly lies in our unconscious, unless you go through years of therapy and what normal person wants to go through that.  From what I studied so far, the unconscious is the opposite of your conscious.  The id is continually fighting the ego and superego and “normal” people keep the id in check.  The id does come out from time to time, if it did not life would not have any surprises.

References

http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/alincoln.html

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln.html