What is Psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis is a set of psychological theories and therapeutic methods which are used to release repressed emotions and experiences (ie. making the subconscious, conscious). Many of these theories were derived from Sigmund Freuds work (McLeod, 2007). The main assumption within psychoanalysis is that human beings possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires and memories. A main area of study in psychoanalysis is dreams, our dreams can reflect a lot about each individuals subconscious mind which could be key to understanding ourselves and society around us.
How does Freud use Psychoanalysis?
Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis, over the course of his career he came up with some of the most ground-breaking theories to date, many of these theories have had a great impact on western culture making their way into films, tv shows, and society as a whole (Burton, 2015). Even though a media product may not have been directly influenced by Freud's methods we see truth in what he says based on the narrative structure of media products and the use of the Id, Ego and Superego in media.
Sigmund Freud proposed we are driven by the pleasure principle, he believed we must adjust to the reality principle. This is why he suggested the presence of the id, ego and superego in all of us which develop with age and a growing understanding of societal principles and morals. The id is only part of the unconscious, its main instinct is to survive, the id is developed as a baby, the baby doesn't have any concept of societal conformity therefore they really entirely on the id the survive, they use crying to suggest they want something. The idea of "want: is what drives the id, the id doesn't think of morality set by society all it cares about is what is desires. The ego develops in infancy, it keeps the id in line, it understands that our urges can't always be fulfilled therefore it is the voice of reason, the ego is both subconscious and conscious (Ackerman, 2020). The superego is where our morality resides, the superego develops once we understand the concept of social responsibility. The superego is more concerned with the principles set out by society, rather than our individual needs, it is what makes us feel both guilt and remorse.
Freud suggests that psychological development in childhood takes places during five psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital (McLeod, 2019). Freud believed that each stage represents a fixation of libido (sexual drive or instinct), as a person grows each area either becomes a source of frustration, pleasure or both.
The Oral Phase (Birth to 1 year) - we learn about eating, disliking food, wanting to provide our own food. Oral simulation could lead to oral fixation in later life (ie. smokers, nail-biters, thumb suckers)
The Anal Phase (1-3 years) - we are potty trained and learn to either give or withhold. In this stage harsh potty training can result in the child hating mess in future life, punctual and respectful of authority (McLeod, 2019).
The Phallic Phase (3-6 years) - Children become concentrated on genitals and masturbation as a source of pleasure. Children also become aware that each sex has differences which creates the conflict between attraction, resentment, jealousy and fear. This create the Oedipus and Electra Complex in which children display sexual feelings onto their parents. The issue is resolved when the child chooses to adopt the characteristics of the same sex parent.
The Latency Phase (6 years to puberty) - Most sexual impulses are repressed during this period, much of the child's energy is channelled into developing new skills and acquiring new knowledge.
The Genital Phase (Puberty to Adult) - In this phase we see sexual experimentation, once successful, people usually settle down in monogamous relationships. If stages earlier see too much conflict this could have a result of the person characteristic. For example if they had a fixation in the oral phase, you may see that they derive more pleasure from kissing or oral sex rather than intercourse (McLeod, 2019).
The main reason for the invention of the psychosexual stages is to show how childhood trauma can form our individual characters.
Is Freud's Theories Correct?
Although there is no distinct way in which we can prove whether the theories are correct, there are a varied range of opinions out there which all have a morsel or truth to them. A good example of someone how disputed Freud's theory is Alfred Adler, although he agreed with some parts of Freud's theory on psychoanalysis he mainly believe that the psychologist focused too heavily on sex as a primary motivator for human behaviour, instead he suggested the idea of an inferiority complex in which people doubt themselves as they don't believe they measure up to other people or societal expectations (Cherry, K., 2020). Others such as Erik Erikson believed that Freud was wrong in thinking that personality development only occurred in childhood, Erikson believed that a person was constantly developing throughout their lives, he believed that conflict was a way in which people learned to develop from whereas Freud believe that conflict in childhood could harm the person's future personality (Cherry, K., 2020). I believe there is truth in both Freud's theory as well as the other theorist, I believe that Freud's work in some respects is very focused on sex, sex is a primal urge however, when talking about child development I don't believe sex is a a primary motivator as most children cannot comprehend what sex even is until they reach puberty. In the childhood and teen years of a persons life I believe that conflict can have an affect on the personality the person will form as they grow however, unlike Freud I believe your personality still develops and changes as you experience further conflict in your adult life.
Psychoanalysis in Relation to Film Theory
Although many films aren't directly inspired by Freudian theory of psychoanalysis, they do show evidence which suggests there is truth to the theory. The narrative structure used in many films has a oddly familiar concept to the idea of the id, ego and superego. Each character in a film could reflect a specific part of the mind or in some cases one character could reflect all parts of the mind.
Example -
Disenchantment (TV Show)
Id - Luci - He tells Bean to give into her primal urges he is literally the devil on her shoulder.
Ego - Princess Bean - She has some form of morality therefore, she doesn't just do what drives her she takes in what both the id (Luci) and the superego (Elfo) have to say.
Superego - Elfo - He offer Bean a sense of morality, he represents how society would see things and offers a good perspective. He is like the angel on her shoulder.
References
Available at : https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychoanalysis.html#:~:text=Psychoanalysis%20is%20defined%20as%20a,and%20theories%20of%20Sigmund%20Freud.&text=The%20aim%20of%20psychoanalysis%20therapy,i.e.%2C%20make%20the%20unconscious%20conscious.
Burton, E.S., 2015. Sigmund Freud (Online)
Available at : https://psychoanalysis.org.uk/our-authors-and-theorists/sigmund-freud
Ackerman, C.E., 2020. Psychoanalysis: A Brief History of Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory (Online)
Available at : https://positivepsychology.com/psychoanalysis/
McLeod, S. 2019. Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development (Online)
Available at : https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html
Film Theory, 2014. Psychological Film Theory (Online)
Available at : https://www.filmtheory.org/psychological-film-theory/
Disenchantment, (2018), Created by Matt Groening (TV Show)
Cherry, K., 2020, Who Were the Neo-Freudians? (Online)
Available at : https://www.verywellmind.com/who-were-the-neo-freudians-2795576
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