Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud’s theory like all other philosophers began with a problem, and the problem is that the human condition is miserable. We are all unhappy inside because we live in a world of suffering and pain. We are divided within ourselves because we don’t even know what we want. We live an alienated life of anguish, and then we die; how is this the reality of life Freud thought?

Freud wanted to explain everything. He had a solution to this problem, and this was psychoanalysis. Freud claimed to discover the unconscious mind, the part of our brain, which controls us. Although we may think we are in control of our actions, Freud said that we don’t even know that we are being controlled, and that the decisions and rational reasons we make are down to sexual desire.

Medical professionals would laugh at Freud, they consider him an embarrassment because there is no scientific evidence to support his theories; however, it is very important to the media. Sex is seen as the centre of motivation, it is the dominant force in the media, and this sort of scandalous sex content features in magazines and newspapers all the time.

When our real thoughts come out even though we don’t want them too we call it a Freudian slip, this is when people say things that don’t mean to say but it’s in fact what they are actually thinking. We access the dominant part of our mind through our dreams. Our dreams are an illustration of the real problem, whereas our rational mind cannot access this part of the brain, because it doesn't believe it exists. If you don’t face the underlying problems you will become neurotic.

Freud was an extremely pessimistic person, especially about humans; his theories were channelled by a dark vision of humanity. He suffered from cancer of the jaw, thus was in constant pain and fearful for humanity. He damaged the idea that we are noble creatures “man is the measure of all things” and said we when we think of his ideas we should think of the artist Rembrandt – a little light but a lot of darkness.

Freud attacked Plato and Marx’s theory of the tripartite self.

Attack on Plato -

Plato’s idea of the tripartite self is Reason, Spirit, and Desire. This is the ‘Allegory of the Chariot’ – there are two horses, the first is Spirit which represents bravery, and the second is Desire which represents the need for satisfaction. These horses are guided and controlled by the rider, which is Reason. However Freud didn’t believe that it is the rational mind that is in control, instead he believed we were driven by our desires. We are ruled by our desires without us being aware of it, and it is in fact the rational mind which is the weakest.

Attack on Marx –

Marx said that we alienate ourselves from what we really want, and that the tripartite self is Natural, Alienated and Species Self. He believed that in a communist society the needs of the species self would be most dominant. He had a teleological perspective, that we needed history to go somewhere in order to progress to a happier society whereby humanity can access the true expression. Marx believed human nature had the ability to develop and evolve. However, Freud rejected this as he believed it was too idealistic. Freud believed our deepest needs are fuelled by aggression, with the wilful desire to hurt others. He thinks that in a communist society we would still be ourselves, and we cannot escape this. We are out to hurt people. This relates back to Hobbes - “war of all against all” and “life is nasty, brutish and short”. Freud agrees with Hobbes’ outlook on human nature, and believes that inside our brains is a Hobbesians realm dominated by aggression, whereby we are at constant battle.

The Freudian Personality

The condition of human nature is full of pain and suffering, we cannot seek peace because we are at endless war with ourselves. Freud explains the reality of this is triggered through internal division, and the agonising interaction with other people. This division within ourselves is divided in to three parts, all of which conflict one another.

1. Id – This is the part of the brain which is the most dominating. We develop the Id from birth; it is a bundle of instincts aimed at gaining pleasure and avoiding pain. It is the reservoir of the unconscious; sex and aggression are merging in the Id dominating the personality. The demand for fulfilment and expression bubbles away in the “cauldron of seething excitations” but we are unaware of the power and inner spoiled brat.
2. Ego – This is the part of the brain which is the reality, the voice of reason and commonsense. It is the least powerful part of the personality that makes rational decisions based on what we think is the best option. Although we may think we are making the right decisions the ego is not in control.
3. Superego - This is the part of the brain that is irrational; it is the judge and the punisher of your decisions. We do not have the superego when we are born; it comes from our parents who impose ideas of perfection on us. It is the policeman in our head that punishes us with guilt. The morality principle often uses religion which imposes controlling morals upon us.

Society is full of suffering; Freud outlines three reasons for why we are full of pain:

1. Decaying body – we live life with aches and pains, and as each day passes we are getting older and our cells start to die, this is part of human nature.
2. The external world – this is what happens on the outside and around us.
3. Other people – this is the greatest pain of all, everyday interaction with others is full of pain because people are out to hurt us, but we are all irrational beings who are inclined to hurt others.

Freud thinks the answer to this all is Psychoanalysis which strengthens the ego, but this is not open to everyone and it is very expensive. He offers some ways to deal with these urges, a coping mechanism to distract you from reality of life:

1. Intoxication – get drunk but this is only a temporary solution, we cannot remain drunk forever.
2. Isolation – stay away from others, but this is also temporary and only appeals for a few people
3. Religion – type of sublimation* it is a mass delusion and distraction away from the desires of the id.

*Sublimation – socially acceptable release for our aggression, e.g. sport or work, which diverts our energy away from aggression. However, these only give mild satisfaction, the only way to give oneself real satisfaction is to destroy the enemy.

Civilisation is a collective superego, which imposes moral limits on the id – “love your enemy” – however, men are not gentle creatures, they are aggressive forces “man is a wolf to man”. Religion is a super ego which imposes impossible demands on us. 

Psychoanalysis

The key to psychoanalysis is to hide something from yourself. Freud claimed he had found a way to deal directly with the id and this was the royal road to the unconscious – hypnosis, free association and dreams. When we are asleep, the ego is like a “sentry asleep at its post”, our dreams are fantasies, a repressed wish, when we dream the id can let loose and show its true self. If we are creative we are releasing our inner aggression, if we are not creative we may have a block and not feel ourselves.

The free association exercise is where patients speak about what comes to mind, Freud's believed this revealed the underlying pattern of the unconscious mind, and infantile sexuality is key to this pattern. Freud believed Psychological traumas dates back to infancy, there are 5 psycho-sexual development stages:
Oral Stage - birth < 1 pleasure is focused on the mouth - Weaning (mothers breast milk)
Anal Stage - ages 1-3 pleasure is focused on the anus - Toilet training
Phallic Stage - ages 3-6 child focuses on genitalia. This is a crucial stage in the emotional development of every boy who concentrates upon their desire to sexually possess their mother and kill their father. But, there is fear that the father will castrate him. Girls ave penis envy because without a penis she cannot possess her mother, this is called the Electra Complex.
Latent Stage- age 6 - puberty
Genital Stage - puberty - death - Sexual interest matures in this stage

The Freudian unconscious was manifested in three different ways, though trivial everyday mistakes, reports of dreams and neurotic symptoms.

Attacks on Freud

Falsifiability – Karl Popper – There is no scientific proof that it psychoanalysis works, even so scientific predictions could be proven wrong. He was not the discoverer of the unconscious, as he claimed. It was discussed in academic circles in the 19^th Century before Freud came about.

Schopenhauer – He also spoke of the unconscious mind, and the struggle to control sexual urges. He believed man was irrational, guided by internal forces, of which we are unaware of. The universal will is “the secret antagonist of the intellect”.

Reich – believed in the complete opposite, he thought unconscious forces inside the mind were good, and that the underlying energy was sexuality. If this is released then human beings would flourish. Reich believed sexual pleasure is the ultimate measure of human happiness. He thought sexuality and politics were intimately connected – sexual repression is a weapon of political domination. Unlike Freud who taught patients to keep it in and control their feelings, Reich encouraged people to be open and just scream this is Reichian Therapy. He also influenced the hippy movement “free love, free sex”.