Aimen Ahmed

F2021-043

Freud and the Unconsciousness

Sigmund Freud, born on the 6th of May 1856 was an Austrian doctor of medicine, neurologist,

and founder of psychoanalysis which is often known as the study of the unconscious. To describe

the conscious and unconscious in the human brain, he introduced the idea of the iceberg. He said

that unconsciousness is what our eyes cannot see which is located deep under the sea, whereas

consciousness is what is visible to our eyes, which is the tip of the iceberg. According to Freud,

people are influenced by their unconsciousness in ways that they are unaware of. This is because

of the past experiences they’ve had.

This is because the unconscious thoughts that are deep down in people's brains make up their

personalities. Because of this, the human personality was created. He disregarded the notion that

a person's personality is dependent on their conscious personality features. Instead, he

concentrated on the unconscious mind, which serves as the foundation for both mental stability

and human growth. Freud believed that the unconscious might lead to a variety of changes in

human behavior, perhaps even one is not aware of. Anger, obsessive habits, distress, marital

issues, prejudices, and issues with social interaction are a few of these. Freud also believes that

many of our desires, feelings, and emotions remain deep inside the mind because of the harm

they can provide. People want these urges to be silent in their minds because they are so harmful

and hazardous.

According to Freud, the Brain has three elements: The ID, The Ego, and The Superego. ID is

centered on instant satisfaction. ID is sometimes referred to be the negative, arrogant, and needy

side of the brain. It ignores the environment, society, and people. It operates underneath the
satisfaction principle. The good side of the brain is called the Super Ego. It consists of beliefs,

values, and morality. The Super Ego and ID continue to fight. At the ages of three to six, this

Super Ego builds a major part of the human brain. These moral principles become permanent

elements of one's nature. The term "Ego" describes our brain's balancing mechanism. The

primary mental structure that keeps the Super Ego and ID in check is the Ego.

According to him, neurosis is the word used to describe personality problems. These problems

are a result of past experiences, some of which later develop into phobias. He believes that

neurosis is the Ego's unsuccessful attempt to erase unpleasant memories from the past since these

memories still exist in people's unconscious minds and occasionally return in dreams

or nightmares. This is how the unconscious stays active in us and forms who we are.

Artists like Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, etc have depicted

surrealism in their work. If we talk about Surrealism, is a cultural movement that developed in

Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and

developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself (Wikipedia contributors,

2022). It aims to revolutionize the human experience and balance a rational vision of life with

one that asserts the power of the

unconscious and dreams (Tate, n.d.). It was

influenced by the writings of Freud.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador

Dali also known as Soft Watches or Melting

Clocks is an example of a surrealistic

artwork that depicts the subconscious mind

and his depictions of a melting clock make fun of chronometric time's rigidity. The timepieces
resemble soft cheese, and according to Dal, they were inspired by hallucinations he had after

eating Camembert cheese. He utilized a technique he termed the paranoiac-critical approach, in

which he intentionally created

hallucinations as a way to access

his psyche (Gromley, 2022).

Another example is The Lovers by

René Magritte, an intimate

embrace between two lovers is

prevented by a fabric barrier,

turning what was once a passionate

moment into one of loneliness and irritation. This painting has been viewed by some as a

representation of our inability to properly reveal the actual character of even our close ones. It is

said that it depicts the frustration and trauma that René Magritte had as a young teenager when

his mother committed suicide by drowning. He witnessed her body being fished from the water,

her wet nightgown wrapped spherically on her face. Even though he denied the fact that there

was any type of relationship between his paintings and his mother’s death but said that his

paintings portray mystery and they mean nothing more (Just a Moment. . ., n.d.-b).

References:

Just a moment. . . (n.d.-b). https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/rene-magritte-the-

lovers-le-perreux-sur-marne-1928/
Just a moment. . . (n.d.-c).

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/surrealism/tapping-the-subconscious-

automatism-and-dreams/

Gromley, J. (2022b, April 14). The Persistence of Memory | Description & Facts. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Persistence-of-Memory

Wikipedia contributors. (2022g, November 29). Surrealism. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism

Tate. (n.d.). Surrealism. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/s/surrealism

What Is the Unconscious (and Why Is It Like an Iceberg)? (2022, November 7). Verywell Mind.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-unconscious-2796004

Ackerman, C. E., MA. (2022, September 10). Psychoanalysis: A History of Freud’s

Psychoanalytic Theory. PositivePsychology.com.

https://positivepsychology.com/psychoanalysis/