Sigmund FreudAnd

Brave New World

Id, Ego, and SuperegoO Recall the article . . .O Id= basic instincts/ wantsO Superego= that within us that tries

to abide by what society has deemed appropriate and normal (fighting some instinctual wants and behaviors)

O Ego= the part of us that balances what we want to do instinctually and what society tells us is socially acceptable to do

The Theory of the UnconsciousO The idea that no behavior is inexplicable

O Freud sought explanations for behaviors by looking for causes; all actions and words are determined by hidden causes within a person’s mind, according to Freud

O “This suggests the view that freedom of the will is, if not completely an illusion, certainly more tightly circumscribed than is commonly believed, for it follows from this that whenever we make a choice we are governed by hidden mental processes of which we are unaware and over which we have no control.”

The Theory of the Unconscious

O However, there is usually nothing in the conscious mind that explains our behavior

O Causes exist in our unconscious minds

O “An ‘unconscious’ mental process or event, for Freud, is not one which merely happens to be out of consciousness at a given time, but is rather one which cannot, except through protracted psychoanalysis, be brought to the forefront of consciousness.”

. . . And InstinctsO From infancy, Freud claims that

instincts are our principal motivating sources

O Two basic categories of instincts:O “Eros (the life instinct), which covers

all the self-preserving and erotic instincts”O “Sexual energy (libido) is the single

most important motivating force in adult life;” this includes ALL forms of physical pleasure

O “Thanatos (the death instinct), which covers all the instincts towards aggression, self-destruction, and cruelty.”

Infantile Sexuality