psychoanaliza

PSYCHOANALYSIS HANDOUT

FREUD’S CONCEPTION OF THE HUMAN MIND

The human mind is divided into the conscious and the unconscious parts, whereof the unconscious forms the major part, which are further divided into id, ego and superego

SUPEREGO Interiorized societal ideals and rules of behaviour

EGO Reason; mediator between the societal requirements and Id

ID Impersonal, elemental reservoir of libido, chaotic desires

Governed by libido: the psychic energy, often, but not necessarily expressive of the sexual drive Neurosis = imbalance between the parts of psyche (especially between ego and superego) Psychosis = imbalance between libido and reality

Sublimation = non-sexual investment of libido Cathexis = infusion of objects/symbols with libido, e.g., in dreams Defence mechanisms:

Repression = a continuous supression and relegation to the unconscious memories, emotions, etc., desired, but considered undesirable by Ego or Superego; usually of sexual character Denial = avoiding pain by refusing to recognize it

Caught up in the dychotomy of conflicting drives: Eros: creative drive Thanatos: destructive drive (death drive)

FAMILIAR CONCEPTS:

the Oedipus complex very young children experience an intense love for the parent of the opposite sex and a consequent hatred and fear of the other parent, whom they view as a rival; in literature, e.g., Hamlet the family romance

the family romance the child’s fantasy of being adopted by one’s real parents; in literature, the story of the foundling, e.g., Moses, Superman (Clark Kent)

Penis envy In the female development, the realization that the subject is lacking; gender identification phallic symbolism

Phallus = the representation of the penis = male/regenerative power Any erect/pointed object, e.g., a sword, a knife, a pen The Uncanny (Unheimlich): the quality of strangeness in familiar objects, setting or situations

Phallus = the representation of the penis = male/regenerative power Any erect/pointed object, e.g., a sword, a knife, a pen The Uncanny (Unheimlich): the quality of strangeness in familiar objects, setting or situations

FREUD AND LITERATURE

Literature as a „talking cure”, expressive of the author’s neurosis The importance of biographical elements

Essential role of the author, but also interpreter (therapist), and the text „The creative writer does the same as the child at play.

He creates a world of fantasy which he takes very seriously–that is, which he invests with large amounts of emotion–while separating it sharply from reality.”

Examples: Author: E.A. Poe <- sadistic necrophilia Character: Hamlet <- Oedipus complex Audience: Gothic fiction <- overcoming one’s fears

The creation largely subconscious, governed by the processes typical for dreams (dreamwork) Dreams are structured like language

Can be analysed through the associative method Condensation = metaphor Displacement = metonymy

They do not pass a message, but allow to discharge the excess of libido through wish-fulfillment Superego: symbolized by what is up, bright, concrete, e.g. a lid, an angel, a figure of authority

Id: symbolized by what is dark, below, amorphous, e.g. the sea, an animal, a figure subverting authority The navel of dream = the place in the dream resisting interpretation, connected to the primal forces,

The importance of what is hidden, missing, misplaced, strange, repetitive, negated Parapraxes: slips of the tongue

CARL GUSTAV JUNG

Self vs persona Self = the unified conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche, as distinct from the others Persona = a mask (a set of behaviours) constructed and displayed to others to inscribe onself in the social environment

The Shadow = the unconcious part of human psyche anima, animus: parts of the unconscious mind, present in every human Anima = archetypal woman Animus = archetypal man Self as a house

FAMILIAR CONCEPTS: Individuation: the integration of the elements of self that make it different from the other people Extrovert: seeks gratification outside the self

Introvert: seeks gratification inside the self Complex: emotions, thoughts, etc., organized around a common theme or object Collective unconscious: universal and impersonal unconscious, operating upong the same framework in all humans

Archetype: a primary symbol, action, setting, or character-type that is found repeatedly in myth, folklore, and literature