032: Essay

In this adventure I call my Senior Thesis, I have found out some interesting things about a man named Sigmund Freud, one of the many fathers of psychoanalysis. He was one to add sexuality into his theories and research. It's very apparent in his Narcissism, Oedipal, Anxiety and Eros theories, which I studied in depth. Freud had survived the Holocaust, was addicted to Cocaine and had most of his theories disproved. I never thought this man would be so controversial. His ideas pulled me in as I read those words of that “Oedipus Complex” essay. “...Incestuous desires and murderous intent.” ( “Oedipal Complex” A DARKLING PLAIN, pg.102) Wouldn't you be fascinated to know what that means too? I guess it was just me, then. My head wrapped around these words, these theories with a strong fascination my Junior year that I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do my thesis on: Freudian Psychoanalysis. Easy right? Well, I thought so too.
I read the essays with an intent to educate the world (or my classroom) of things they never knew about the human mind. I read the award winning papers with a new found mind, open and porous like a sponge. Did you know Haitian Zombies were related to Freud's theory of Mourning and Melancholia? Neither did I. I surfed the internet, day after day and hour after hour, reading others' thoughts and feelings on Dr. Sigmund Freud. I could go on for weeks, but won't. You'll just have to find out for yourself.
Freud's theories base from the idea of infantile sexuality& unconscious desire as a child. He believed life and human unconscious is just sexual tension dammed up by either repression or a mental wall we set up ourselves or are traumatized to do such. Once humans learn of their unconscious desires and unconscious thoughts, we act on them and find out what they are. As humans, we're curious creatures. We thrive on our impulses to eat, sleep and fornicate to continue our line. Also to continue the cycle of thought. Freud also mentioned our impulses ran on “incestuous desire and murderous impulses” ( “Oedipal Complex” A DARKLING PLAIN, pg.102) against or towards other humans.

Psychoanalysis
The process of psychoanalysis is taking apart a person's unconscious and figure out their needs in personal definition. Textbook wise, psychoanalysis is “a method of investigation of the mind and the way one thinks; a systematized set of theories about human behavior; a method of treatment of psychological or mental illness.” (Psychoanalysis Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis) This is true. Freud was a neurologist experimenting on patients with cerebral palsy or psychotic problems of their mental health. He turned to the psychoanalysis field of psychiatry. Psychoanalysts' interventions with their patients consist of comforting and piecing together the patient's guilt, fears, tearing apart dreams that seem odd and clarifying them. There are various approaches to psychoanalysis. Possibly twenty-two different variations of probing the human mentality, one of them being childhood development. Freudian psychoanalysis is another variation of this field.

Narcissism
Narcissism is a unconscious, unnoticeable attraction to oneself. Another form of narcissism is as simple as a parent praising and loving their child, showing them affirmation of their actions. Child and Parent are the most apparent form of narcissism. As a child, humans strive to show our parents everything and to gain acceptance from them as we grow older. Jeremy Holmes, author of a “Narcissism” essay found in “On A Darkling Plain” had written “narcissism starts from mirrors- from the mirroring mother, whose gleaming eye and responsive smile reflects delight in her child.” (“Narcissism”,pg173) The main idea behind Freud's theory was a human's self-centered desire, love and lust for itself stems from the over-affectionate parents or overbearing parents.
If one loves themselves too much, the affectionate fans of that person become led on and hurt. This is the honey-sweet face of a narcissist. These humans seduce, lure and “love at a distance” the fans or love object that wants them. Holmes mentioned that narcissists are “withdrawn from the external world and reinvested in themselves.” They form object relationships with others who love them for their looks, talents or other afflictions of lust or adoration. Though, the narcissist pushes the object away, in rejection for it not being enough, and loves himself.

Eros/Thanatos
Eros and Thanatos are Freud's theories of 'Life' and 'Death'. They tend to work together, Eros being the driving force to be alive while Thanatos creeps up snipping at the heels of man closer to death. Eros is known as the drive that is libido, survival, sex and thirst. To push the humans to live and thrive. Eros is the drive that pushed to preserve and create. Thanatos was the exact opposite.
Freud realized that life instincts are the base of human life and that death was some part of it. Even though sex and libido provided continuation and creation, the cycle didn't seem complete. Death completes the cycle of struggle, libidimal desire and life. There are struggles along the road of living, Freud thought, and so death (or thanatos) ends the challenge.


Oedipal Complex
The Oedipal Complex, and Electra Complex for female children, is a unconscious attraction to the opposite sex parent and murderous or jealous intent for the other, same sex parent. Oedipus Rex was the main example. But he was unknowing of his killing his father and marrying his mother until it had all happened. It is one of the most known cases in myth and reality, as well as Electra. In the case of Oedipus Rex, his family hears from a prophet that their new born child was going to grow up and kill the king, Oedpius' father, and marry the queen, his mother. Even though the parents tried to turn fate, Oedipus did end up following through the prophecy and marrying, even birthing a family, with his mother and destroying his father, at a crossroad.

Mama's Boy/Daddy's Girl
The terms “Mama's Boy” and “Daddy's Girl” are stemmed from the Electra and Oedipal complex. In these, the child is in unconscious romantic inclinations and lustful intentions for the opposite sex parent and murderous feelings toward the same sexed parent. The complex stemmed from the mythological story of Oedipus Rex who killed his father and married his mother, unknowingly, as he fulfilled a prophecy that was heard when he was first born. The female equivalent to this is the Electra story/Electra complex.

Incestuous Desire & Infantile Love Objects
Through each level of developing as a human, the stages of psycho-sexuality also come into play.
While aging the first three years of life a child becomes fixated on its' oral and anal zones. This is the time of a child's life where it becomes knowledgeable of its' mouth pleasure zone and sucking, along with its' intestinal zone as they become knowledgeable of its' fecal matter. During the ages of three to five for the child, the phallic stages. Five years of age into its' puberty, the child is in its' latency phase. This is the phase where the child has dormant sexual feelings unconsciously. From here, a child becomes into its' genital stage, where in this time of a human's life, its' sexual interests and urges mature while it grows.


Anxiety
Anxiety is the product of fear. In Freudian terms, there are three types of anxiety and a multitude of defense mechanisms that follow. One form of anxiety is Reality Anxiety. This form stems from rational fears of something like a dog bite happening or a physical accident. One of the ways these fears can be put to bed is by being removed from the the situation that causes the anxiety. Another form of anxiety is Moral Anxiety. This form stems from violating moral codes or societal guidelines. This outlet of fear can also be seen as guilt or shame. The last form of anxiety is Neurotic Anxiety. This form of Anxiety arises from an unconscious phobia that the libido of the ID (ego) will take control at the most convenient time. This form of anxiety is driven by a fear of consequence that will result from expressing the ID's desires without proper sublimation (the spirit of libido formed).
With anxiety, the brain goes a few ways to respond and distract oneself from the fear. The brain tries to problem solve, and this mechanism works harder or the full on defense mechanisms come into play. Defense mechanisms react in two parts: they operate unconsciously and they can shift, distort, or change reality in some way or form. The several types of defense mechanisms are:
Repression, also known as Defensiveness. This can be conscious but is mostly unconscious to the person at hand. This type of mechanism can help stifle memories and the like.

-Denial. This type practically makes the event or events that took place seem like they never took place.
(these are the two main used defense mechanisms)

-Projection. In this form of defense, the anxiety is reduced by attributing repressed or fearful thoughts to someone else.

-Rationalization, an after the face defense mechanism. This mechanism allows for a logical seeing or reasons for actions that aren't as logical or excusable.

-Intellectualization is the type of mechanism where one thinks about events in hard, cold, rational terms.

-Regression is when all mature logical reasoning skills disappear and one uses child-like tactics to fix a problem.

-Displacement is when one shifts targets, especially when the main target is threatening.


Dream Theory
Freud's dream theory was based on unconscious sexuality in dream objects such as caves, snakes, and rhythmic activities. He said certain objects represented different parts of the human body and different parts of human life. Dancing and moving in a rhythmical way is associated with sexual reproduction or masturbation. Snakes, reptiles, canes and cannons represent phallic symbols of male genitalia. Caves or anything empty that can be used as a holding vessel represents the female genitalia. Falling into water represents birthing. Most of Freud's theories on dreams revolved around objects.

The Future for Psychoanalysis
Since the 1900's, psychoanalysis has become an ever-growing psychological field and research topics. Through out the 1900-1920's, Freud had founded a few theories and achieved a few things with them. One being his publishing of his theory of sexuality. Another involved finding that in Narcissism, the question of energy verses self directed at others is called carthexis. Carthexis is the process of investment of emotional or mental energy in a person, object, or idea.
Also, in the late 1940's-2000's, people have challenged most of Freud's theories. There are approximately 35 psychoanalysis training institutes in the U.S.A accredited by the A.P.A (American Psychoanalytic Association). About 3000 graduates are practicing in the States. The IPA (International Psychoanalytical Association, the mother association to APA, also accredits training centers throughout other worldly places such as Germany, Italy, and Serbia. The future for psychoanalysis seems to be taking a turn for the better. The big boom in interest during the 1950's after Freud's death paved the way to others now.

Personal Experience
I chose Freudian Psychoanalysis due to finding a book of essays called On A Darkling Plain: Journeys into the Unconscious. I read the book my junior year and I was hooked. I enjoyed the ideas and opinions the authors of these essays said and elaborated on about Freud's theories on his Oedipal Complex, Eros, Narcissism and Anxiety. I wanted to know more about why or how the ideas bounced around inside of some of the authors. In example Jeremy Holmes mentioned in his “Narcissism” essay that it “starts with mirrors”. I wanted to know what he meant, and kept reading. He began to explain that this “mirror” was a mother admiring her child too much or too less, causing them to turn into something that thrives on the admiring attention of a thousand fans when he really just destroys their hearts in the end. Trippy, right?
During this project, I thought I had a Freudian awakening. Turned out to be me being paranoid. After I read into Freud's head more and more, I started to notice bits and pieces of his ideas coming into my head and mind's eye. It got a little bit scary. I felt like I was going crazy. Thank the self-reality checks.