Man Dethroned: The Controlling Nature of a Personified Unconscious
Sigmund Freud once noted that the common denominator of all great scientific revolutions is the dethroning of “man” as the centerpiece of the cosmos. The Copernican revolution saw a geocentric model of the universe replaced by a heliocentric view in which earth was just another celestial body. The Darwinian revolution portrayed the human race not as a shining example of God’s own image but rather as a highly evolved form of ape. Freud felt his own work belonged among the ranks of the great scientific revolutions because of his idea that the unconscious prevents people from ever having control of their own lives and ultimately makes the entire notion of “being in charge” an illusion[1]. Many modern scholars and researchers acknowledge that Freud’s discovery of the unconscious was his greatest contribution to the domain of human thought. The philosopher Jack Copeland notes that “nowadays, it is almost a commonplace amongst psychologists – whether or not they accept any other Freudian themes – that we are not consciously aware of all, or even most, of our mental processes.”[2] But the nature of the unconscious operation, the properties of the unconscious that allow it to take charge, have never been clear; they have always been within the realm of metapsychology, in which things cannot be empirically proven or disproved. There has always existed the question of what it means for something to be “in control” of something else. A negative connotation of “control” exists in the image of a powerful entity actively controlling a weaker one, as in when a predator attacks its prey; a more positive view is that of the puppeteer bringing his puppet “to...
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...s Press, 2000), 77.
[4] Peter Brooks and Alex Woloch, eds., Whose Freud? (New Haven: Yale University Press), 48.
[5] Lesley Chamberlain, The Secret Artist (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2000), 78.
[6] ibid, 79.
[7] Peter Gay, ed., The Freud Reader (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1989), 569-570.
[8] ibid, 236-328.
[9] Judy Jones and William Wilson, An Incomplete Education (New York: Ballantine Books, 1995), 438.
[10] Jack Copeland, Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1993), 34.
[11] Lesley Chamberlain, The Secret Artist (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2000), 142.
[12] V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee, Phantoms in the Brain (New York: Quill William Morrow, 1998), 156.
[13] Jack Copeland, Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1993), 34.
Westen, D. (1998). The scientific legacy of Sigmund Freud: toward a psychodynamically informed psychological science. Psychological Bulletin, 124(3), 333.
Winston Churchill is a great figure in British and world history. After winning the seat of Oldham in the 1900 general elections, he became associated with a faction of the conservative party then led by Lord Hugh Cecil. Churchill opposed government expenditures on the army. His own constituency disliked him, although he was the Member of Parliament until the next general election. After the recess of Whitsun in 1904 he crossed sides to the liberal party where he supported free trade.
By examining Churchill’s use of rhetoric we can see what exactly made him such a great leader. His speeches were able to do more damage to the Nazis than any bomb could have done because his language rallied the people together. His use of repetition proved his points and reminded the country of what mattered most. His descriptive words helped build up anger against the Nazi rule and persuade everyone to pull through the tough times. He used pronouns in such a way that it would personalize everything and help unify his country. Through his unique use of words Churchill was able to convince many that if they could just endure that they would at last be victorious (Bungay).
“Freud and Man’s Soul”, by Bruno Bettelheim, is the authors attempt to clear up inadequacies and errors of Freud’s research and writings after being translated to English. Bettelheim, with much of the same childhood background as Freud, studied Freud’s work at the University of Vienna. He later moved to the United States and became the director of the University of Chicago’s Orthogenic School. After reading Freud’s work in English he found the translation to be misleading. “…I discovered that reading Freud in English translations leads to quite different impressions from those I had formed when I had read them in German” (Weeks 3). He clears up some of these misunderstandings in his book. He argues that translations of Freud’s work have failed to capture Freud’s emotional intensity; even though Freud and his daughter Anna oversaw much of the translation.
Winston Churchill spoke these words at the House Commons; his way of talking to people was a power which he held. Winston Churchill was born November, 30 1874, in Blenheim Palace. He was born into a wealthy family who treated Winston to a rich lifestyle. In 1893 Churchill entered the Royal Military College as a cadet, from here on he rose to the top ranks commanded with great authority. He began to have political speeches at the age of 23 when he talked to the primrose League. When he was 24 he wrote his first book entitled The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26, being one of the youngest members. Winston was appointed Prime Minister of England on May 10th 1940. Winston’s 2 books that were published shows people that he is a respectable author who people can believe what he says during his speeches. In this speech Winston was talking to the members of the House of Commons, but this speech was more than trying to persuade elected officials, it was intended to speak to all people fighting against the Nazi Party. The purpose of this speech was to show the members of Commons that we must fight in this war and we must win, for if England shall lose the rest of the world would lose.
Freud, Sigmund. New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Ed. James Strachey. Trans. James Strachey. Standard. Vol. 22. London: Hogarth Press, 1964.
Freud, Sigmund. The Ego and the Id. The Freud Reader. Ed. Peter Gay. New York:
Freud for Historians. By Peter Gay. (Oxford University Press, 1985. Pp. vii + 252. Preface, bibliography, acknowledgments, index.)
Sigmund Freud has been heralded as one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. He is renowned for his discoveries about the human mind, particularly dreams, fantasies, and the role of the unconscious. Even though many of his theories were (and are) viewed as controversial, his ideas revolutionized the way people think about themselves. The potency of his notions have permeated almost every discipline, including literature, art, and medicine. This paper will examine the life, the influences, and the impact of Sigmund Freud. It will begin by discussing who he is, his personal history, and then talk about his role in the development of psychoanalysis. Next it will discuss some of the individuals who greatly inspired Freud. Finally, it will move on to talk about some of those upon whom Freud was an influence.
Losh, Elizabeth. "Sigmund Freud." Twentieth-Century European Cultural Theorists: Second Series. Ed. Paul Hansom. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 296. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Jan. 2011.
Of the copious number of topics in the world today, nothing captivated Sigmund Freud’s attention like psychology did. Known as the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud laid the foundations for comprehending the inner workings that determine human behavior (1). Through his involvement with the hypnosis, dream analysis, psychosexual stages, and the unconscious as a whole, Freud began a new revolution that faced its own conflict but eventually brought the harvest of new knowledge and clarity to the concept of the mind.
Freud, Sigmund. 1953-74. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works. 24 vols, trans. James Stachey. London: Hogarth.
Freud, S. (1957b). Some character types met with in psychoanalytic work. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 309–333). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1916)
Long regarded as the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) lives on today as an incredibly influential and powerful figure in the applied discipline of psychology. For Freud, it was his intense study of dialogue and interplay of involuntary human communication that ultimately led to his conclusions concerning the human unconscious. In contemporary studies, these conclusions have evolved into many of the distinguished, and more importantly controversial theories we associate with his name: the Oedipus complex; castration anxiety; penis envy; repetition compulsion; repression; etc. Much of the contention surrounding Freud is grounded in the belief that his works instituted notions that cannot be proven scientifically, such as personality development in infantile stages; sexuality in unconscious desire; and the unconscious drives behind human mannerism. Yet, despite the fact that many of Freud’s theories have not withstood the test of scientific scrutiny, few can argue against the fact that Freudianism is still impactful and has permeated other branches of modern theory. To prove this point, we can bring to attention the names of two modern theorists that have not only built upon Freud’s ideas in their work, but have consequently expanded his influence into other realms of literature, and other spheres of study. Harold Bloom (1930 – present) and Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) are only two notable thinkers that extend Freud’s ideas and have gained far-reaching influence in intellectual life. In response to this revival however, new opponents of Freud have found the opportunity to retaliate with their concerns and arguments. Nevertheless, the presentation of human identity and unconscious by Freud’s opponents and successors c...
The longevity of success using psychoanalysis becomes a testimony to Freud’s in-depth study of the human mind. His forty plus years of work in the field were spent on the development of the main principles of psychoanalysis along with the techniques and methods used by the analyst. His work was furthered by his daughter and later adopted then adapted by Erikson. What seemed so revolutionary in the 1890’s and beyond has now become widely accepted by most all schools of psychological thought and its study.