Seminar Paper: Freud

Although Freud considered himself a scientist and not philosopher, his contribution to American philosophy was incredible.  He specialised in brain anatomy, and came together with neurologist Joseph Breuer in the treatment of hysterical patients through hypnoses which was the original analysis of mental illness. They stopped using this practice and replaced it with the therapy of psychoanalysis, which they regarded as “nothing more than an exchange of words between patients and doctors”.  He openly admitted that this therapy was not for everyone (and a very select number of people could afford it).

He believed that memories of psychological traumas dated back to infancy and had sexual context. His obsession with infantile sexuality led to a break with Breuer and he became socially isolated. In 1900, he wrote “Interpretation of dreams” which he said were a coded expression of sexual desire. He then went onto expand on this idea with “The psychopathology of everyday life” which was for both neurotic and normal people. In it, he modified his psychoanalytic theories. In 1902, he became the chair of neuropathology in Vienna University. 

Although he was an atheist, he identified with the Jewish Culture and anti-Semitism. He was forced to migrate to England in 1938 when Germany was annexed. He was welcomed with open arms as his work had already been translated in the country.  He suffered from Cancer of the Jaw for 16 years and died from a requested injection of lethal morphine in 1939. 

Freud divided the mind into three parts:

• The conscious – we are aware of this part.
• The pre-conscious – those things that we cannot necessarily remember now, but which we can normally recollect
• The unconscious – This part stores memories from our childhood, or memories of trauma.

He believed that we live the greater part of our life unconsciously. Sexual impulses are pushed into this sector of the mind. Their expression is important not only to keep illness at bay but they also for artistic and cultural creation.

According to him infantile sexuality has 3 stages:

The oral stage- where the infant becomes fixated with pleasure of the mouth

The anal stage- where the child pleasure revolves around eliminating verses retaining faeces

Phallic stage- where the child becomes obsessed with his/her own genitals

The young boy becomes attracted to his mother and is jealous of his father’s possession of her.  He believes that the father will castrate him due to this hostility, and abandons his sexual desire.  This is called the Oedipus complex.

He also stated that the mental apparatus of humans is composed of the following 3:

•  The Id: Unconscious locus of hunger/love  and obscure instincts based on the pleasure principle. 

•  The Ego:  Represents reason/common sense and the part of us that is in touch with the external world.

• The Superego: observes/ judges and punishes. Not present from birth but replaces parental authority.

The ego is the rider who decides the goal, and the Id is the horse which provides the energy. The superego is the vehicle of the ego’s ideal. When all of these are in harmony, there are no neurotic disturbances in a person. If they are disturbed then a person ought to resort to psychoanalysis or to the following temporary solutions: Intoxication, Isolation, Religion and Sublimation.

Freud in relation to Plato:

 In The Republic,  Plato argues that the human  soul is made of three parts: the appetitive soul is much like the Id which is home to our most basic desires; the rational soul like the ego is all about rationality ; and finally the spirited soul, much like the superego is home to moral reasoning.
Similarly for both the philosophers mental illnesses arise when the three parts are not working harmoniously.  However, Plato emphasises the importance of giving control to the rational soul, whereas Freud concentrates on controlling the Id.

Freud in relation to Nietzsche:

Both Freud and Nietzsche explore the importance of the unconscious mind. According to them, sociably unacceptable emotions are repressed by the individual, but  are later leaked in disguised ways.  Similarly, both the philosophers believed that dreaming is cathartic process. 

Freud in relation to Schopenhauer:

Although he denies being influenced by him, many of Freud’s ideas are similar to Schopenhauer’s. These include themes of dreams, sexuality, the unconscious, and repression.

Freud in relation to Marx:

Whereas Marx believed in social evolution, in that man will progress, develop and therefore bring a change into the political system as well as humanity itself, Freud did not believe that man has any potential for development as the Id is far too strong for us to overcome. Human beings are not capable of change.

 

Even though Freud’s theories have been discredited as they cannot be scientifically proved (even though he was a scientist), his impact on philosophy and contemporary society cannot be denied. His work can be seen everywhere, from literature to art.  Although he was not the first to bring infantile sexuality into question (the Victorians were guilty of this beforehand) he did drum in the importance of child psychology. He also moved away from hypnosis and discovered that mental trauma can be “cured” through therapy involving talking, something that people pay a huge amount of money to do now.