Freud proposed that the id and the superego which are frequently in conflict in the unconscious premises of the mind are controlled by the ego. For normal behavior to occur, the id and the superego have to be in equilibrium. If the ego is unable to achieve this equilibrium, abnormal behavior may surface as a result. Another main assumption that the psychoanalytic approach makes childhood experiences can mould or affect one's feelings, behavior or attitude as they grow into adults and that this influence occurs without the individual being aware of it. It is suggested that these experiences play a part in shaping one's personality as an adult and that any excruciating ordeals or distresses that one may have experienced as a child and has been suppressed into the unconscious may result into the development of abnormal behavior and psychological illnesses. .
Unlike the psychoanalytic approach, the behaviorist approach to psychology describes behaviour as one which is learnt. It focuses on explaining behaviour based on the present compared to the psychoanalytic approach which attributes behaviour to past experiences. It suggests that all behaviour is learnt through conditioning and reinforcement. It emphasizes the role that the environment plays in shaping our behaviour. This approach suggests that we learn through the processes of two types of conditioning. These are the classical conditioning and the operant conditioning. Classical conditioning, proposed by Pavlov (1941), describes behaviour as one that is learnt through association. Pavlov observed in an experiment with laboratory dogs that they salivated when they heard the footsteps of the person who provides their meals. He concluded that they had learned to associate the footsteps to their food. To further support this, Pavlov conditioned the dogs to associate the ringing of a bell instead of footsteps to the arrival of their meal.