Which of the following statements is true regarding psychoanalysis according to the psychodynamic perspective on personality?

• A. Psychoanalysis rejects the influence of early childhood experiences on adult personality.
• B. Psychoanalysis emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts as central to personality development.
• C. Psychoanalysis focuses primarily on observable behaviors and external rewards.
• D. Psychoanalysis considers personality to be entirely determined by genetic inheritance.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the core concept of psychoanalysis within the psychodynamic perspective. Psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes the role of unconscious processes in shaping personality.
2. Step 2: Recognize that psychoanalysis highlights the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts, often rooted in early childhood experiences, as central to personality development.
3. Step 3: Note that psychoanalysis does not reject early childhood experiences; rather, it considers them crucial in forming adult personality through unconscious influences.
4. Step 4: Differentiate psychoanalysis from other perspectives such as behaviorism, which focuses on observable behaviors and external rewards, and from genetic determinism, which attributes personality solely to heredity.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement emphasizing unconscious motives and conflicts as central to personality development aligns with the psychodynamic perspective and psychoanalysis.