Freudian Theory and Disability Studies

1. Mourning and Melancholia

Sigmund Freud, in the year 1917, coined the two terms called Mourning and
Melancholia, which are one of his important published writings. He scripted
that, Mourning and Melancholia are two kinds of responses to a loss. Mourning,
is observed on losing a loved person. Here, the person feels the pain externally
i.e., the world around them feels changed, lonely etc. But, at a later stage, the
person allows to reform his feelings through reality orientation that the loved
person is no more, stating that the memories of the person have to be dissolved.
Hence, the end of mourning is with the feel of acceptance, but the sense of loss
will still exist (Trudeau, 2020).
And, in some people, with the same feel, arises Melancholia, due to presence of
pathological disposition. Here, the person feels the pain in an internal manner.
Freud believed that the feel of pain in melancholia is felt within the
unconscious, meaning these feelings are out of our awareness. The loss exists
but can’t get processed in the conscious mind. Hence, the pain gets stuck and
felt internally (Trudeau, 2020).
The mental features of melancholia can be painful dejection, termination of
interest on external world, loss of capacity to love and lowering of self-regard,
which results in having a delusional feel of punishment. And the same features
are present in mourning except the lowering of self-regard (Freud, 2001)
Also, the inhibition and loss of interest in mourning is fully accounted where the
ego is absorbed. And in melancholia, the unknown loss will again result in
similar results as in mourning, which will be responsible for melancholic
inhibition as well. The variation existing is that the inhibition of melancholia
seems puzzled because we cannot see the factor/feel/object absorbing him.
Hence, the depictions of mourning are that the world is now poor and empty
and for melancholia is the ego itself (Freud, 2001). And this ego, represents that
the person feels that he is worthless, incapable of any achievements, seeing out
as a villain and expects to be punished.
Also, Freud proposed that the human psyche (personality) has more than one
aspect. This is called as the Freud’s Personality Theory, proposed in the year
1923. With context to this theory, human psyche is of three divisions i.e., the id,
ego and superego (McLeod, 2021). After studying the analogy of the mind,
Freud concluded that a mind is like an iceberg in an ocean, 10% floating above
the surface water and remaining 90% below the surface water.
Figure 1. Freud’s Interpretation w.r.t analogy of a mind
Freud explained the theory by visualizing the conscious, unconscious and
preconscious in an iceberg as depicted above picture. He mentioned that the
preconscious and unconscious are the “harmony of psychoid” and conscious as
based on “perception of immediate and certain”. Hence, the unconscious and
preconscious is under the water and conscious on top of it (Sigmund, 1962).
The ID, refers to the notion of the unconscious mind, the most powerful
structure among the three types as it supplies all the required energy to the other
two components. It acts as a reservoir for the instincts and libido and is directly
related to the satisfaction of the personal needs. Moreover, this ID, works on the
pleasure principle (principle by which id functions to avoid pain and increase
pleasure) and strives for immediate fulfilment of needs without any delays.
Hence, the ID is a selfish, pleasure-seeking element with no awareness of the
reality (Schultz & Schlutz, 2017).
The EGO, second personality structure of Freud, also the rational master of the
personality. Its main aim is to reduce the tension, which the ID claims to be
satisfied. Since, the EGO is very much aware of the reality, it decides on when
and how to satisfy the needs of ID by determining some suitable timings,
places, objects etc. So, this EGO, tries to give a delay or postpones the action to
meet the demands by perceiving and changing the environment in a practical
manner. Hence, the working principle behind this element is the reality
principle. Freud, also named the relation between the ego and the id as a rider
and the horse (Schultz & Schlutz, 2017).
The SUPEREGO, contains mainly the unconscious set of beliefs and dictates,
ultimately called as Conscience, learnt from the childhood by everyone. Freud
called this conscience as SUPEREGO. He believed that this element is usually
learnt by the age of 5/6, through parental teachings like punishments and
praising the children etc. When children, when punished forms the conscience,
part of the superego and when praised, forms the ego-ideal, also a part of
superego. Hence, SUPEREGO is of two parts. This element mainly urges to
attain moral perfection, not for seeking pleasure or supressing it. Like ID,
Superego also has no compromise in his doings (Schultz & Schlutz, 2017).
Oedipus Complex, introduced by Freud, in Interpretation of Dreams (1899),
evolves around the desire of having sexual involvement with parent of opposite
sex, producing a sense of competition with parent of same sex, forming a
crucial stage in a developmental process. He thought that, children around age
of 5, wish to have all the love from their mother. This thought, makes them
jealous and unconsciously wishes for the death of their father. On witnessing
the events happened to King Oedipus, he invented this concept and attributed to
children. He thought that all human behaviours are motivated by sex/instincts,
representing the neurological angle of physical needs. Freud’s clinical
experience also made him to consider sex, as most important dynamic of psyche
than other needs (Ahmed, 2012).
Further to this, Anna Mallow discussed about the cultural construction of
hysteria, by analysing Freud’s case study related to a girl Dora. The article
evolves around the topic of hysteria (undocumented disabilities). In her
underpinnings, she coined the term “Criphystemologies” – a mode of analysis
which disrupts accepted conceptions of disability in three overlapping ways as
depicted below.

3 Ways

Criphystemologies
Criphystemologies crip Epistemological hystericize dominant
hysteria Disablement cultural represenations
of disability
Also, Criphystemologies, use insights drawn by Freud’s discussion on hysteria,
through his account on the mechanisms of repression. On studying the Freud’s
most-famous case history of “Dora”, Anna stated that Freud’s discounting of his
hysterical patient’s bodily stress and disability theory repudiation of suffering
supported the oppression of people with undocumented disabilities by blocking
recognition, known as “Somatic Noncompliance”. After the criphystemological
interpretation of Dora, emphasizes on constructing an elaborate theory of
disability, whose paradigmatic representative is not a man but a hysterical girl.
Freud also claimed that the pathology of the girl has been indicated through
reactive reinforcement (means of repressing an unconscious thought, by
continuously brings a different thought). Freud, also implied that reactive
reinforcement is a sign of hysteria (Mallow, 2014)
Freud postulated a process called Somatic compliance, that characteristic of
hysteria which differentiates it from other psychoneuroses. Each response to
undocumented disabilities invalidates disabled people Criphystemologies. They
have some of the important implications towards the disability theory. Disabled
people suffering from these impairments are discounted as “hysterical”, more
medicalization is desired. But a criphystemological disability theory does not
outright the medical model, but seeks to claim the medicalization for the
disability (Mallow, 2014).

References
Ahmed, S., 2012. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory Oedipus Complex: A Critical study with
reference to D.H. Lawrence's "Sons and Lovers". Internal Journal of English and Literature, 3(3)(11),
pp. 60-70.

Freud, S., 2001. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud.
Standard Edition ed. London: The Hogarth Press Limited.

Mallow, A., 2014. Criphystemologies: What Disability Theory Needs to Know about Hysteria. Journal
of Literacy & Cultural Disability Theory , Volume 8.2, pp. 185-201.

McLeod, S., 2021. Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego. [Online]

Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html
[Accessed 28 12 2022].

Schultz, D. P. & Schlutz, S. E., 2017. The Structure of Personality. In: Theories of Personality. Boston:
Cengage Learning , pp. 44-49.

Sigmund, F., 1962. The Ego and the Id. In: The Ego and the Id. USA: W.W Norton and Company, pp. 9-
29.

Trudeau, D., 2020. Mourning and Melancholia: Freud’s Thoughts on Loss. [Online]
Available at: https://depthcounseling.org/blog/mourning-and-melancholia
[Accessed 27 12 2022].