Incorporating a bit of history; Freud was born in 1856 and lived until 1939. He was a great student, and planned to study law at the University of Vienna. Freud went to Paris on a traveling fellowship to study Neurology. Soon after, Freud was experimenting with hypnosis, and the talking cure. Later, he became known for his theories in human development, behavior, and personality. His best know theories include: the unconscious mind, and the defense mechanism of repression. Freud even founded the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. On the negative side, Freud tended to link many of his patient's problems, and his theories to one's inner, sexual desires. Overall, he was a great contributor to the psychology field. 
I believe Freud did some great, and not so great things throughout his career. I agree with many of his ideas. For example: I agree, to an extent, with his ID, Ego, and Superego theory. This theory is based on decision making, which everyone has to do. There are causes, influences, and consequences in the process of making a decision. I believe his generalization of how they are broken down are correct. The ID is what the decision maker personally desires. The Ego itself is the decision maker, and the Superego is what society expects from them. It's just like what's seen in cartoons! But what to pick; the angel or the devil?
I also disagree with many of his ideas. For example: when he psychoanalyzed himself, he realized as a boy he had an attractive mother, whom he had sexual feelings toward. He also was not very close with his father. Therefore, he created a generalized theory that all young boys go through a stage of loving, and having sexual desires for their mothers. They all hoped to marry their mothers someday by getting rid of their fathers.Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post your thoughts!
I agree. There's some things I agree with when it comes to Sigmund Frued. He had some ridiculous ideas about anaylzing both people and desires. At the same time he was one of the first to come up with a theory of the Id, ego and superego.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with Freud is the circularity of psycho-analytic arguments. Example: Freud posited that all women secretly wish they had a penis, thus they 'envy' the penis of their sibling, partner etc. But if someone, say a woman, argues that this isn't true, the Freudian can just reply that it is true, and that they are unable to recognise it due to repression. The more the woman argues, the more the Freudian can just say that it is deeply repressed and the woman is unconsciously resisting the insight.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing about Freud to me, however, is his theory of human nature. Essentially he says that humanity can never reach a state of utopia (just as people can never reach a state of absolute contentment) because firstly, as social beings we are required to compromise some of our desires in order to function in a society, and furthermore (and perhaps more profoundly) we are intrinsically contradictory anyway, so the complete satisfaction of one aspect of our desires will result in the dissatisfaction of other sides of our desires. The best we can hope to do is kind of trick ourselves into accepting the inevitable suffering of existence.
Frightening, no?