¶ … converging points of similarity between psychoanalytic, sociocultural, and trait theories for the development of personality, each of these theories largely concentrates on a different approach. For example, the psychoanalytic theory of personality -- which was largely popularized by Sigmund Freud's work in this field -- tends to focus on mental processes as being those most pertinent to the development of personality. Essentially, the great psychologist posited the notion that there were a number of unconscious factors that could result in a repression of these events that would generally cause noxious effects to the mind. The strength of this particular approach is it utilizes mental effects as one of the chief determinants in personality, as they certainly are. Implicit in this approach is that physical interactions or occurrences actually contribute to the unconscious mind and repression (Gerson, 2003, p. 2). However, the general weakness with this theory...

This theory holds that one's surrounding culture is the most influential factor in determining personalities. As such, it tends to group personality types according to cultures, such as Westernized or non-Westernized cultures. The basic tenet of this theory is that people's attitudes and personalities are largely determined by the mores of their surrounding culture, and that violations of these values are generally deemed negative. The chief strength of this particular approach is that it focuses on how external factors shape internal ones, such as personality. However, it does not account for variability within…