Final answer:
The emphasis on sexuality in personality development was heavily critiqued, particularly in relation to Freud's psychosexual development theory. Neo-Freudians revised his theories and Karen Horney notably disputed Freud's idea of envy, attributing differences to cultural rather than biological factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many objections to the emphasis on sexuality in personality development are directed at Sigmund Freud. Freud's theory of psychosexual development suggests that personality forms during the early childhood stages where different erogenous zones become the source of the individual's pleasure-seeking urges. Freud placed a strong emphasis on sexual drives as the primary force shaping personality, particularly in the phallic stage where conflicts such as the Oedipus and Electra complexes suggest a strong focus on genitalia.
However, neo-Freudians like Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, and Karen Horney revised Freud's theories to decrease the emphasis on sexuality. They believed that social and cultural factors had a more significant influence on personality development. For instance, Horney challenged the Freudian concept of envy, proposing that any envy arises from cultural and social inequalities, not innate sexual differences.