Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic therapy vs. Albert Ellis's rational emotional therapyTracy AsencioDr. Pam CingelPSY 420 Theories of PersonalityApril 16, 2014Sigmund Freud and Albert Ellis are widely recognized as two of the most influential psychotherapists of the twentieth century. “It is argued that the notable differences in their therapeutic systems, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and psychoanalysis, respectively, are rooted in more fundamental theoretical differences concerning the essential nature of the client's personality” (Ziegler 75). This article will discuss both Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Therapy and Albert Ellis' Rational Emotional Therapy in detail, as well as compare and contrast both theories. Sigmund Freud believed that adults seduce children and this is where their problems emerge in adulthood. As with all things, many people disagreed with Freud's theory. “Freud believed that people could be cured by making their unconscious thoughts and motivations conscious, thus gaining insight” (McLeod, “Psychoanalysis”). According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, there are three elements of personality: the id, the ego and the superego. The id is the inner child of an individual. He believed that everyone was born with id. All human beings when they are children, according to Freud, are in search of pleasure and are concerned with satisfying their own needs. This is the original or unconscious personality. The ego is where decision making occurs, judgments are made, and memory is stored. Finally, the Superego contains the values, beliefs and morals of the individual, which he receives from his parents. According to Freud, women receive their morals and beliefs from their mothers and men from their fathers. He also believes that... at the center of the card... feelings and thoughts. However, Freud does this by making the unconscious re-emerge into consciousness. While, Ellis' theory focuses on what the customer thinks rather than what he does. He believes that irrational thinking leads to irrational behavior while Freud believes that childhood experiences have an effect on behavior. Work Cited Cherry, Kendra. "Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development." About.com. April 14, 2014..Feist, Jess and Gregory Feist. Personality theories. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2014.McLeod, Saul. "Psychoanalysis". Simply psychology. 2007. April 14, 2014..Ziegler, Daniel J. "Freud, Rogers, and Ellis: A Co." Journal of Rational-Emotive an 20(2002): 75-91. April 13. .