Psychoanalytic Theory

Part II: Freud

EH 4301

Spring 2005

Freud

Death Drive

Death is principle organizer of psychological

experiences

Natural, biological drive

Abstraction

• No connection to the concrete world of experience

Freud

Death Drive

Used this theory to account for self-destructive

behavior in individuals bent on destroying

themselves psychologically (or physically).

Concluded there must be something in our

genetic make-up to explain psychological and

physical self-destruction.

One way to understand our relationship with

death is to examine it in relation to the rest of

our psychological experiences.

Death Drive

FEAR OF DEATH

intimately connected to a number of other

psychological realities.

Individuals respond to death in various ways because

of the differences in psychological makeup.

Thoughts of our own death leads to

FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

fear of being alone

Death is ultimate abandonment

FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

plays a role in fearing the death of others

Loss of a parent or child

• “How could you leave me?” “What did I do wrong?”

• Death of loved one pushes “guilt” buttons

must have been inadequate

must have done something wrong to be punished

this way

FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

Fear of such a loss is probably the biggest

reason why some are afraid to get too close to

another person or afraid to love too deeply.

If one can hold something back, not give self over to

another, better able to bear the loss when beloved

dies.

“When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.”

Fear of death often responsible for

FEAR OF INTIMACY.

Can see how fear of death often results in fear

of life.

Can also be played out as a fear of risk.

The ultimate loss is death.

Therefore, cannot take any risk that might result in

death.

But life itself ultimately ends in death.

Therefore, can’t risk living life.

I must remove myself from it somehow by doing as

little as possible:

I will try to be emotionally dead to avoid being hurt by

death.

Translates into fear of loss in general:

loss of mate’s attention;

loss of children’s love;

loss of health, job, looks, money, etc.

Emotional death is attractive

The desire not to feel, desire to insulate

self from life in order to insulate from

pain is probably the most common

form of the death drive. (death works)

Given the enormous role that death plays in our

lives, is it any wonder why we are fascinated

with it?

The greater our fear, the greater our fascination.

violent movies

natural disasters

school shootings

terrorists running airplanes into buildings

Fascination of media’s representations of

death

Another example of how we project our fears

and problems onto people and events outside

ourselves.

This operation acts as a DEFENSE:

If I think about this happening on the other side

of town or in New York City, then it diverts my

attention away from self.

DEFENSES

Keep us unaware of our unconscious experiences

Can break down and result in anxiety which reveal

CORE ISSUES

Issues that define our being in fundamental ways that we

carry through life.

• Fear of intimacy

• Fear of abandonment

• Low self-esteem

• Insecure/unstable sense of self

• Confusion about one’s sexuality

DEFENSES

When we sleep:

Defenses do not operate in the same manner

they do when awake.

the unconscious is free to express itself, and it does

so in our dreams.

Some censorship even in dreams.

Some protection against frightening insights

into our repressed experiences and emotions

dream distortions

DEFENSES

DISPLACEMENT

The “message” the unconscious expresses in

dreams (latent content) is altered or not readily

recognized.

Occurs whenever dreamer use a safe person,

event, or object as a “stand-in” to represent a

more threatening person, event, or object.

DEFENSES

CONDENSATION:

A single dream image or event represents more

than one unconscious wound or feeling.

dream of battling a ferocious bear

• might represent psychological “battles” or conflicts

at home and at work

Goal is to uncover the latent content of a

dream which leads to actual interpretation

from the recalled manifest content.

Manifest content

what we actually dream

Latent content

the unconscious message

Manifest content can be seen as symbolism

Given that sexuality is an important reflection on

one’s psychological being, dreams about gender

roles, about attitudes toward ourselves and

others as sexual beings are also revealing.

To interpret these dreams

need to be aware of the male and female imagery that

can occur in them

IMAGERY

Male imagery (phallic symbols) can include Anything that is similar in form.

Towers

Mountains

Trees

Anything that explodes/erupts

Guns

Cannons

Anything that penetrates

Arrows

Swords

Anything that water runs through

Pipes

Fountains

IMAGERY

Male imagery (phallic symbols) can include

Anything that is similar in form.

Balloons

Airplanes

Rockets

Snakes

Reptiles

Fish

Hat

Coat

Various appliances

IMAGERY

Female imagery (yonic symbols) can includeAny hollow objects that can contain things

Caves

Boxes

Suitcases

Ships

Enclosures of any kindRooms

Castles

Passages

Anything that can stand in for the womb or female genitalia may be functioning as female imagery.

IMAGERY

Female imagery (yonic symbols) can include

Materials such as wood and paper

Table

Book

Animal symbols

Snails

Mussels/shells

IMAGERY

Female imagery can also include

Foods

Milk

Fruit

Containers in which food is delivered

Bottles

cups

Anything that can be a stand in for the breast (a

stand in for emotional nurturing).

Example:

Dream of being trapped in a dark room,

might be expressing an unconscious fear of mother’s

control or unconscious fear that person has never

completely matured as a human being.

Woman dreams of trying to feed a litter of kittens from a

small, rapidly diminishing bottle of milk

might be expressing an unconscious feeling that children

or spouse or employer is asking too much of her OR

She may be putting too much pressure on herself to care

for others.

Dreaming of searching for drink or food; unconscious

need for emotional nurturing.

WATER

fluid,

changeable,

sometimes soothing,

sometimes dangerous,

often deeper than it looks

Usually dreams about water

dreams about one’s sexuality or the realm of the emotions.

Water also relates to our experiences in the womb

dreams that involve water may also refer to relationship with

mother.

Dreams about buildings

may refer to relationship with self, with the attic

or the basement as a stand-in for the

unconscious.

OR

may refer to relationship with some institution

that the building represents (church, school,

company, etc. or law: because it represents

social rules, might be a stand-in for superego)

Regardless of how frightening or disturbing

dreams are

Are relatively safe outlets for unconscious wounds,

fears, guilty desires, and unresolved conflicts.

We will interpret them only if we are ready to do

so.

If dreams become too threatening, we will wake

up, as we most often do during nightmares.

ECONOMIC MODEL

Retains, but expands upon ideas from dynamic

model.

Conscious and unconscious battle for control of

person’s actions

Unconscious desires force their way to the conscious

state.

ECONOMIC MODEL

Introduces new concepts that describe and help

govern the human psyche

PLEASURE PRINCIPLE

• Craves only pleasures

• Desires instantaneous satisfaction of instinctual drives

• Ignores moral and sexual boundaries established by

society.

REALITY PRINCIPLE

• Part of psyche that recognizes the need for societal

standards and regulations on human pleasure.

The TRIPARTITE MODEL

Divides psyche into three parts

The ID

The EGO

The SUPEREGO

Iceberg Theory of the Psyche

EGO

SUPEREGO

ID

The ID Irrational, instinctual, unknown

Unconscious part of psyche

Contains • Darkest wishes

• Secret desires

• Most intense fears

Wishes only to fulfill urges of PLEASURE PRINCIPLE

Operates on impulse

Wants immediate satisfaction

Houses LIBIDO

Source of all psychosexual desires and psychic energy

The EGO

Rational, logical, waking part of mind.

Some activities remain in the unconscious.

Operates in harmony with REALITY

PRINCIPLE.

Its job

To regulate the instinctual desires of the ID

Allow those desires to be released in some

nondestructive way

The SUPEREGOActs as an internal censor

Causes one to make moral judgments in light of social pressures.

Operates according to the MORALITY PRINCIPLE

Serves primarily to protect society and us from ID.

Suppresses desires and instincts forbidden by society

• Puts them back into unconscious

Manifests itself through punishment.

If allowed to operate at its own discretion, will create an unconscious sense of guilt and fear.