PSYCHOLOGICAL AND

PSYCHOANALYTIC LENS

Priscilla M. Agaton
Master Teacher II
 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
PSYCHOANALYTIC LENS

• …the idea that

literature...is
fundamentally
entwined with
the psyche'

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 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
PSYCHOANALYTIC LENS

deals with a work of

literature as
• an expression
in fictional form
of the personality
• state of mind
• feelings
• desires of the author

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 Psychoanalytic criticism
• argues that an
author's unconscious
desires and anxieties
can be found in
literary texts.
Ultimately, any type of
literature (from poetry
to prose) acts as a
manifestation of an
author's internal desires
and thoughts.

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 Sigmund Freud

Freudian psychology

• one’s relationship
with one’s parents
is a significant
determiner of how
person relates
with other humans

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 What is the Unconscious Mind?
The id
The Id
• devoted to gratifying all
our prohibited desires
(sex, power,
amusement, food, etc.)
• contains primitive
impulses (thirst, anger,
hunger) and the desire
for instant gratification
or release.
According to Freud, we
are born with our Id.
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 Examples of id: Meeting Basic Needs
1. Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting
for the server to refill her glass of water,
she reached across the table and drank
from Mr. Smith's water glass, much to his
surprise.
2. A hungry baby cried until he was fed.
3. A toddler who wanted another helping
of dessert whined incessantly until she
was given another serving.
4. In line at the salad bar, Amy was so
hungry that she shoved a handful of
croutons in her mouth as she waited for
the line to move.
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 The Ego

• plays referee
between the id and
the superego

• the product of the

conflict we feel
between what we
desire and what
society tells us we
cannot have
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 Ego: Dealing With Reality
1. Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server
would be back soon to refill her water glass, so she waited
until then to get a drink, even though she just wanted to drink
from Mr. Smith's glass.
2. In line at the salad bar, Amy really wanted to shove a
handful of croutons into her mouth. However, since her boss
was there, she decided to wait another minute or two until
she sat down to eat.
3. Mary really wanted to borrow her mom's necklace but
knew her mom would be angry if she took it without asking,
so she asked her mom if she could wear it.
4. Hillary was so sweaty after her workout that she wanted to
change her clothes right there by the car. However, she
knew the other people around her would not approve, so she
waited until she was in the restroom to change.

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 The Superego
• Because the Id
contains desires
regulated or
forbidden by social
convention, the
superego
determines which
desires the id will
contain

(The Conscience)
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 Superego: Adding Morals
1. Sarah knew she could steal the supplies from work, and no one
would know about it. However, she knew that stealing was wrong,
so she decided not to take anything even though she would
probably never get caught.

2. Maggie couldn't remember the answer to test question #12,

even though she had studied. Nate was the smartest kid in the
class, and from where Maggie sat, she could see his answers if
she turned her head slightly. When Mrs. Archer turned her back,
Maggie almost cheated, but her conscience stopped her because
she knew it was wrong. Instead, Maggie took a guess at the
answer and then turned in her paper.

3. The cashier only charged the couple for one meal even though
they had eaten two. They could have gotten away with only
paying for one, but they pointed out the cashier's mistake and
offered to pay for both meals. They wanted to be honest and they
knew that the restaurant owner and employees needed to make a
living.

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 ASSUMPTION
• A work of literature is correlated with its
author’s mental traits

1. Reference to the author’s personality is used

to explain and interpret a literary work.

2. Reference to literary works is made in order to

establish, biographically, the personality of the
author.

3. The mode of reading a literary work itself is a

way of experiencing the distinctive subjectivity or
consciousness of its author.

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 References

Claudia F. (n.d). Freud's Theory of the Id, Ego &

Superego:Definitions & Examples. Study.com
Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/id-ego-and-
superego.html

Davis, B. (2021). What is an example of psychological criticism?

https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-is-an-example-of-
psychological-criticism/

McMahon, M. (n.d.). What is psychological criticism? The Health

Board. Retrieved from
https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-is-psychological-
criticism.htm

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