Key Elements: Desires, Defenses, and the Unconscious
Psychoanalytic criticism builds on Freudian theories of psychology. Freud began his work in the 1880's while attempting to treat behavioral problems in his Viennese patients (Brizee & McLeod). He listened to them talk, and from his work he asserted that people's behavior is affected by their subconscious mind. Freud maintained that our desires and our unconscious conflicts give rise to three areas of the mind that wrestle for dominance as humans progress through the various stages of life (Brizee, 2013). Freud stated that there were three states of mind, being:
1). the Conscious: what we are aware of
2). the Preconscious: what we can readily access
3). the Unconscious: the content that is blocked from our access
He created a structural model in 1923 of the mind comprising of the entities id, ego and superego.
The id is focused wholly on satisfying desire and has no consideration of reality.
The ego develops from the id during infancy. The ego's goal is to satisfy the demands of the id in appropriate, socially acceptable ways. Ego operates in both the conscious and unconscious states of mind, so it follows the reality principle.
The superego is responsible for ensuring that moral standards are followed. The superego dictates what is right and wrong, and it motivates us to behave accordingly.
The ego is capable of employing defense mechanisms in order to protect the mind from being overwhelmed by anxiety (McLeod, 2013) Individuals can avoid directly dealing with upsetting situations by projecting, denying, displacing, etc. An example of a defense mechanism is repression, which is when the ego prevents threatening thoughts from becoming conscious. Another example of a defense is sublimation, which is when an individual satisfies an impulse with a substitute object in a socially acceptable manner.
1). the Conscious: what we are aware of
2). the Preconscious: what we can readily access
3). the Unconscious: the content that is blocked from our access
He created a structural model in 1923 of the mind comprising of the entities id, ego and superego.
The id is focused wholly on satisfying desire and has no consideration of reality.
The ego develops from the id during infancy. The ego's goal is to satisfy the demands of the id in appropriate, socially acceptable ways. Ego operates in both the conscious and unconscious states of mind, so it follows the reality principle.
The superego is responsible for ensuring that moral standards are followed. The superego dictates what is right and wrong, and it motivates us to behave accordingly.
The ego is capable of employing defense mechanisms in order to protect the mind from being overwhelmed by anxiety (McLeod, 2013) Individuals can avoid directly dealing with upsetting situations by projecting, denying, displacing, etc. An example of a defense mechanism is repression, which is when the ego prevents threatening thoughts from becoming conscious. Another example of a defense is sublimation, which is when an individual satisfies an impulse with a substitute object in a socially acceptable manner.