PSYCHOANALYSIS

Ammara Farhan
PhD
First Semester.
OVERVIEW
 Introduction
 Major Contributors
 Significant Perspectives
 Elements of difference and commonality
 Critique
 INTRODUCTION
PSYCHOANALYSIS is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques used to study the
unconscious mind.

 The discipline was established in early 1890s by Austrian neurologist and psychologist Sigmund
Freud.

 Psychoanalysts view works through the lens of psychology. They look either at the psychological
motivations of the characters or of the authors themselves.
 Psychoanalysis is the interpretation of human psyche.
 Psychoanalysts view literature through psychoanalytical lens.
SIGISMUND SCHLOMO FREUD
(1856-1939)
Sigmund Schlomo Freud was an Austrian neurologist usually credited with creating
psychoanalytic theory and, by extension, psychiatric therapy.
Freud believed that unconscious sexual drives were the basis for all human behavior, and that
dreams were an important indicator for understanding human behavior.
The Freudian Mind: Topographic theory
The conscious mind is the part of the mind that interacts with the outside world. It is the
decisions we make and the actual thinking we do.
The preconscious is in between the conscious and unconscious levels; is a state of semi
consciousness.
The unconscious mind is made up of the impulses and instincts that dictate our behavior
without us knowing about it; Freud believed these impulses were driven by sexuality
STRUCTURAL THEORY
It breaks down the psyche into three components:
The ID seeks pleasure and avoids pain; we normally associate inborn instincts (such as the
behaviors of an infant or an animal) with the id.
The EGO seeks to placate the id, but in a way that will ensure longterm benefits (such as trying
to get what the id wants without breaking laws or social standards). Mediates between the id
and reality. Maintains our “self – how we see our “self” and wish others to see it.
The SUPER-EGO is a lot like a conscience – it punishes misbehavior with feelings of guilt.
Since the super-ego is concerned with societal norms, it stands in opposition to the id. The
development of an individual’s super-ego replaces a parent’s discipline.
The Three Tiers of “Self”
THE FREUDIAN
MIND

‘the mind is like an iceberg, it

floats with one- seventh of its
bulk above water.’
THE FREUDIAN
MIND
 ANXIETY
According to Freud, anxiety is an unpleasant inner state that people seek to
avoid. Anxiety acts as a signal to the ego that things are not going right.
Freud identified three types of anxiety:

Neurotic anxiety is the unconscious worry that we will lose control of the id's
urges, resulting in punishment for inappropriate behavior.

Reality anxiety is fear of real-world events. The cause of this anxiety is usually
easily identified. For example, a person might fear receiving a dog bite when
they are near a menacing dog.

Moral anxiety involves a fear of violating our own moral principles.

In order to deal with this anxiety, Freud believed that defense mechanisms
helped shield the ego from the conflicts created by the id, superego and reality.
Displacement : Displacement involves taking out our frustrations,
feelings and impulses on people or objects that are less threatening.
DEFENCE
Sublimation : Sublimation is a defence mechanism that allows us to act MECHANISMS
out unacceptable impulses by converting these behaviours into a more
acceptable form.

Projection : Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our

own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other
people.

Rationalization : Rationalization is a defense mechanism that involves

explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical
manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior.
Intellectualization : Intellectualization works to reduce anxiety by
thinking about events in a logical, clinical way. For example, a person
DEFENCE
who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness might focus on MECHANISMS
learning everything about the disease in order to avoid distress and
remain distant from the reality of the situation.

Regression : When confronted by stressful events, people sometimes

abandon coping strategies and revert to patterns of behavior used earlier
in development.
 MORE
Oedipus Complex is Based on Greek tragedy where an orphaned prince FREUDIAN
later finds out that he’s killed his father and married his mother without ever
knowing it. Upon realization he blinds himself. ANALYSIS
TERMS
In working out instinctual desire to possess the mother, leading to inevitable
conflict with the father; the child forms a personality or complex known as
Oedipus complex.
• Oedipus Complex

yonic (sexual symbolism for a female)

phallic (sexual symbolism for a male)
 MORE
Libido: Sigmund Freud defined libido as the instinct energy or force,
contained in what Freud called the id, the largely unconscious structure of FREUDIAN
the psyche. ANALYSIS
TERMS
He used the term “object” as signifying to wards which Libido is directed for
the purpose of obtaining sexual release.
• Libido

Building on the work of Karl Abraham, Freud developed the idea of a series
of developmental phases in which the libido fixates on different erogenous
zones.
 CARL JUNG
Carl Jung Jungian approach: The Jungian theory is concerned with the process of what makes a person different form
everyone else, called individualism.

Jung focuses on three parts of the human mind:

 the shadow (villain in literature,)

 the persona, (hero,)

 and the anima (heroine.)

Carl Jung's collective unconscious: man shares knowledge, experiences, images with entire human race, resulting in
archetypes that affect how people respond to life--when certain images are in literature, they call up our archetypal feelings.

Archetypes: It is referred to something that serves as the model or pattern for other things of the same type.
ARCHTYPES:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“The innocent”: a character that despite being

simple or child-like, has a intuitive wisdom. (Willy
Wonka, Pollyanna)

“The trickster”: a character who succeeds through

playfulness, often irreverent and disrespectful. (Pee
Wee Herman, Ferris Bueller)

“The warrior”: a character who does not subvert the

system, but faces it head on. (Superman,
Batman)

“The teacher/prophet”: a character who has learned

from experiences and uses their wisdom to guide
others. (Yoda, Merlin)
ARCHETYPICAL FORMATS:
The Hero’s Journey Another archetypical format for analysis:

Innocence: Starts with a character who is pretty happy, no real conflicts, lack of worldly
experiences.
Initiation: Some fall from innocence. Could be death, tragedy, awareness of evil, emotional or
sexual relationship.
Chaos: After that cruddy fall from innocence, a time of trial. Will the character come through it,
or regress back to a false innocence or denial?
Resolution: If the character has made it through chaos, they’re smarter, stronger, and more
stable. They have learned from their issues and are now looking towards a bright future
 Freudian analysis
 Belief that sexual urges were “the”
driving force behind human behavior.
 assumes that images and ideas in a
text mean something else than they
apparently mean. He usually assumes
their meanings are inherently about
repressed sexual issues.
 Jungian Analysis
 Belief that there were other forces,
such as religious beliefs, the drive for
power and the need for approval.
 Jung assumes that images essentially
imply (or symbolize) something based
on the “collective unconscious” of the
population, or, based on what the most
people would generally recognize to
be true.
LACAN
 French thinker

 Advocated linguistic mechanism of reading human psyche.

 He argues that human unconcious is not full of dark impulses rather it is full of discourse of others. For
example, a cat is cat because there is rat.
 ‘I think that you think there is me, therefore I am’, Lacan says.

 Three stages of life according to Lacan:

1. Symbolic stage the stage of post- language acquisition stage.

2. Mirror stage the stage of split/ mirrors himself and herself.
3. Imaginary stage the stage of wholeness, or totality.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FREUD & LACAN
Freud
 Sexuality comes first , and attachment after
wards.
 He argues that sexual relation ships are
major components of human health and
happiness.
 Unconscious is full of dark impulses.
Lacan
 Affection comes first, and sexuality
afterwards.
 Sexual relations are important to a certain
extent.
 Unconscious is full of discourse of other or
lets say full of condensations.
 So, What Do Psychoanalytic Critics Do?
 Look for the “covert” or hidden content beneath the “overt” or surface content of the text
 Pay close attention to the unconscious motives and feelings of either author or characters
 Demonstrate classic psychoanalytic symptoms in the text
 Analyze literary history as if it is one psyche
 Prioritize “psycho-drama” (conflicts between characters) rather than “social drama”
(historical, political conflicts, etc.)
 CRITIQUE
 Positive Aspects
 It focuses on human problems, not just
formal ones.
 It is a very useful tool for understanding
literary works in which the characters have
obvious psychological issues.
 It is easily applied to works that are highly
symbolic.
 It may be applicable to real life emotional,
mental, or relational situations
 Negative Aspects
 It is very easy to fake.
 With all the focus on the psychological
aspect, the actual piece can end up being
ignored.
 It is extremely subjective.
 It assumes that all human beings are driven
by repressed, illicit sexual urges and is,
therefore, a very negative view of human
nature.
LETS DISCUSS AN EXAMPLE: