psycho analysis Flashcards
Sigmund Freud
1856-1939
Austrian physician & neurologist
Psychoanalysis: “the talking cure”
Died of oral cancer (assisted death)
Humanist
Ideas of self or personhood are shaped by our consciousness, which includes our ability to think logically, make choices, and reflect on ourselves.
The “humanist individual” is seen as a single, coherent being that generates meaning from within.
Subjectivity
shifts the focus from human nature to the influences of history, society, and culture.
For Freud and psychoanalysis, our actions, thoughts, beliefs, and sense of self are all shaped by the unconscious drives and desires we have.
The Subject and Change
The subject is “precariously constituted in the discourses of the social, whereby it is both determined and regulated by the forces of power inherent in a given social formation, but capable also of undermining them” (73)
The subject is shaped by social influences and power structures that both determine and control it, but it can also challenge and resist these forces. While the idea of the subject might seem to take away our free will, that is not true.
Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920)
Freud’s earlier theories focused on the pleasure principle, suggesting that human behavior is driven by the pursuit of gratification and sexual instincts. However, he later introduced the concept of the death drive, which represents an instinct to return to a state of non-awareness. This death drive can manifest in aggression, destruction, and self-destructive behaviors, indicating a more complex interplay of instincts beyond just the pursuit of pleasure.
The Death Drive
As people become part of society, they give up some personal freedom or desires. This loss creates something new—an identity shaped by society. The “death drive” comes from this loss, making people repeat behaviors that remind them of it, even if it’s not always enjoyable.
Repression
Entering society involves repressing instinctual and aggressive desires. According to Freud, civilization is continually recreated because each individual, upon joining society, sacrifices their personal instinctual satisfaction for the greater good of the community.
The Unconscious
The unconscious acts as a space in our minds where repressed desires are stored. To manage this repression, the human mind is structured into the Id, Ego, and Superego. This structure helps to address and transform our “primitive” desires into forms that are acceptable in society.
ID
Basic impulses, which can be selfish, destructive, or socially taboo, are repressed as we become socialized, leading to the development of the unconscious. These impulses are connected to “the passions” and the “pleasure principle.”
Ego
The ego represents our conscious self, mediating between the id and the superego while navigating the real world and our need for social acceptance through rationality. This is known as “the reality principle.” The ego cannot fully separate itself from the id, as the ego is actually a part of the id, which is why Freud’s depiction of the mind does not show a clear line between the two.
Superego
This develops as we internalize social norms and values. It manifests as our conscience, guiding our behavior and instilling feelings of guilt when we violate these social rules.
Jacques Lacan
1901-1981, French
Psychoanalyst/psychiatrist
Saussure + Freud
Freud: destabilises the humanist subject, but still “Wo Es war, soll Ich werden”: Where It was, shall I be.”
Lacan reinterprets Freud: turns psychoanalysis from an essentially humanist philosophy/theory into a post-structuralist one.
Subjectivity (Lacan & Freud)
Freud suggests that the “polymorphously perverse” child, who experiences a variety of sexual expressions and desires, develops an unconscious and a superego through socialization. This process ultimately leads to the formation of a civilized and productive adult who adheres to societal norms, including being “correctly” heterosexual.
Lacan, on the other hand, focuses on how the infant constructs the illusion of a “self” through interactions and reflections in the social world, emphasizing the role of the Other in shaping identity.
The Formation I/subject
80/81: Lacan says the mirror stage
“sheds light on the formation of the I as we experience it in psychoanalysis… and leads [psychoanalyists] to oppose any philosophy directly issuing from the cogito.
Post-structural Subjectivity
The ego can never take the place of the unconscious, or empty it out, or control it, because, for Lacan, the ego or “I” self is only an illusion, a product of the unconscious itself.
Lacan 1st stage of Human Development
The Real, in the context of early development (birth to 6 months),
In the first six months of life, a baby feels completely connected to their mother, with no sense of missing anything. Since nothing feels absent, there’s no need for language. This early state of wholeness can’t be fully described with words and is lost once the baby starts using language, but the feeling of it still lingers in life.
Lacan 2nd stage of Human Development
The Imaginary stage occurs from 6 to 18 months and is marked by the Mirror Stage.
Where babies start recognizing themselves in a mirror. They begin to understand the difference between basic needs (like food) and emotional desires (like love and attention). This stage is focused on images and what the baby sees, before they fully develop language or social rules.
Lacan 3rd stage of Human Development
The Symbolic stage
This means that from around 18 months to 4 years old, children start using language to express themselves. At this stage, they want to feel whole and connected, like they did as babies before they recognized themselves as separate from others. They look to others (like parents) to fill this missing feeling, but this isn’t fully possible. Instead, this sense of separation helps them develop their own identity and learn how to interact with the world.
Mirror Stage Definition
When a baby falsely identifies with the appearance stability and wholeness it sees in the mirror.
This is when/how the baby develops a sense of “self”
More imaginary (self/Other)
You begin with the recognition of the other, then develop the sense of self.
But the self you recognise is still an “other,” a projection
Otherness (w/cap) is the idea of the other… you need this first to then build your “I” upon it.
The Symbolic 18 months- 4 years
The concept of “otherness,” combined with a sense of self, initiates entry into the Symbolic order, which is the structure of language that allows us to identify as “I.” The Symbolic and Imaginary realms often overlap. Lacan argues that acceptance of language’s rules aligns with the Oedipus complex. The Symbolic exists through acceptance of the Name-of-the-Father, which governs desire and communication rules, enabling entry into a community of others.
Paranoiac Knowledge
“We all experience paranoia to some degree because others can hurt us, a lesson learned in early childhood. People hurt each other with their words and knowledge, and we are often fearful of what others might do or say next. This creates a sense of uncertainty and anxiety about what we know and what we might discover, leading to a fundamentally paranoid relationship with knowledge.”
The Law of the Father
This refers to the authority and order represented by paternal figures, which structures the Symbolic order in Lacanian theory. Kristeva introduces concepts like “chora” and “semiotic” to expand on this:
Chora
Chora: A pre-linguistic, maternal space of rhythms and drives, where meaning is fluid and not yet codified by language.
