ality. Comparison of Theories 7Past Experiences vs. Present ExperiencesSkinner and Jung believed that both past and present experiences are of equal prominence. Childhood experiences are more important than those that occur later in life because our basic behaviors are formed in childhood, but that does not mean that behavior can not change in adulthood (Schultz & Schultz, 1998, p. 375). Rogers is certain that people are not controlled by experiences from the first five years of life, rather that they can be overcome. Verderosa agrees with both of these views, however it depends on the individual. The person must be willing to surpass any negative experiences they had during their childhood or they will dwell on those problems in the present.Uniqueness vs. UniversalityJung and Rogers feel uniqueness and universality are equal in personality. Rogers acknowledged some universality in personality because fully functioning people shared the same qualities. These characteristics are unique though in how they are expressed. Jungs notion was that each individual is unique, but only during the first half of life, when some progress toward individuation is made in middle age, we develop what he designated as a universal kind of personality in which no single aspect is dominant (Schultz & Schultz, 1998, p. 99). Skinner and Verderosa felt that each person is unique because we all have different Comparison of Theories 8experiences and we will perceive them differently and have diverse reactions to them. Equilibrium vs. GrowthJung, Rogers, and Verderosa all felt that growth was important in the development of your personality. They believed that people are motivated to grow and develop, to become all we are capable of becoming. However Skinner had a different view, he theorized that both equilibrium and growth were equally important, it all depended on the reinforcements. If it were better to grow then the person would s...
