Freud's Theory Of The Subconscious Mind

Originally from Austria, Sigmund Freud was a trained neurologist who was particularly interested in the human psyche. Over many years, Freud developed a theory to explain human behavior, what we refer to now as “Freudian Psychology.” First, he divided the mind into three levels, and used the analogy of an iceberg to help others understand it. On the surface, Freud identified the Conscious. It is here that most of our decision making and ideas are processed.

The psychoanalytic approach is interested in the unconscious mind. It states that it is the unconscious, while the ego is conscious. During the sleep, the id becomes dominant, and the id’s main motivation according to Freud’s work on the interpretation of dreams in 1900 which reveal our unconscious wishes and fantasies. Freud believed that dreams involve wish fulfilment, which means the wishes that have been thwarted in the reality. Psychoanalysts believe that only some thoughts are truly inaccessible.

Throughout the theory Freud mentions how there are parts of us psyche come together and make up our perception and our unconscious. Freud also

Psychoanalytic        Theoretical Views Name of theory: Psychoanalytic Theory Founder of the theory: Sigmund Freud View of human nature (include innate capacities/capabilities and motivational constructs): Sigmund Freud viewed human nature as being deterministic and influenced by both sexual energy and instincts (Corey, 2017). He further identifies that soon after birth instincts drive our desire and force internal motivations into the reality of which we live. Although unconscious desires are the driving forces of existence in the beginning, it does not remain the only force through out our lives. We begin to develop into a conscious being as we recognize the world around us. Our external world introduces the conscious mind by showing us moral code, paternal expectations, and presumptions of societal ideology.

Sigmund Freud 's viewpoint on personality development differed entirely from social learning theory. He was a psychoanalyst and looked for unconscious motives, which influenced the behavior of the patients, he was treating. He focused on the subconscious much larger part of the mind, a storehouse of impulses, passions and inaccessible memories that affect our feelings and actions. In ancient Indian psychology this is known as "samskaras". It is believed that some of these samskaras are connected with previous lives experiences.

Eagleman exemplifies that the majority of our actions and thoughts are due to the unconscious mind by sharing first-hand experiences of other people and explanations concerning how our mind works to analyze and perform activities that he supplements. I thought it was an interesting device for Eagleman to use examples and activities to further explain how the mind works, because there is no better way to learn than to perform and interact with the actual ideas being presented. He uses puzzles, like the ones dealing with cards and numbers, and visual representations that link to psychological traits like perception (p. 85-86). What sets this book apart from others is that Eagleman explains thoroughly as to why the mind does what it does when given a task, and it gives the audience an opportunity to learn about the unconscious processes we do not acknowledge behind the conscious decisions we make. In addition to the activities are real-life examples that Eagleman analyzes through psychology.

Anthropologists have argued that Freud’s theory is culture bound. Freud’s theory centralised on the structure of the psyche, which is included within the inner models of reality of the individual in biological and social aspects. The unconscious is a psychic

The Age of Enlightenment, which is also known as the Age of Reason, had sparked many new ideas for individuals all across Europe, during the seventeenth century. The Enlightenment Movement, which would eventually make its way towards the West, had brought forth a new way of thinking for all and went against traditional ways and order. With the magnificent rise of scientific and intellectual progress, many believed that this would be a time in which humanity could flourish and the fate of their future lied within their hands. Although these ideas provided a sense of self-confidence and desire for improvement within individuals, it did not last long until the occurrence of dreadful World War I. The time period following this war would leave those who once

Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind is displayed in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo through the main character, John Ferguson, who is working as a detective, chasing criminals. At the very beginning of the movie, we see John leaping across rooftops in pursuit of a criminal, struggling to keep up with the policeman ahead of him, when he realizes that he has Acrophobia (fear of heights). The ability to chase down criminals is an important element of being able to successfully complete duties tied to his profession. While in pursuit, John finds himself in a compromising position which ends with the policeman, who attempts to assist him, losing his life. As a result, he is stripped of his manhood and later resigns from his job as a detective.

It is one of Freud’s most remarkable contribution and is the essential to interpret his perspective of the behaviour and the issues of personality. The unconscious is made up of those impulses, ideas, beliefs, rationale, and events that are kept out of our realization as a defence against anxiety. Freud believed that majority human conduct is influenced by external forces. The things we do in everyday life is usually formed by these unconscious purpose and needs.

This particular work of Freud has been noticed by anthropologists, the vogue of the psychoanalytic movement founded by him is now so strong that the book is certain to make an impression in many intelligent circles. As a theory, psychoanalysis is strongly states that individuals are unaware of the many factors which lie in their unconscious mind that cause some behaviour and emotions. These

Recognizing the division of personality in the,”ID”Ego”, and Super ego and that the unconscious is an important part of who we are and noting that anxiety plays a big function in how one reacts to the world at large and highlighting Freud’s theory on defense mechanism to help one cope with such anxieties. Core Philosophy of the Therapeutic Approach The most important underlying ideas relating to the psychoanalytic theory was mainly influenced by Sigmund Freud, one of the most famous names in Psychology, his Psychoanalytic Theory formed the bases of many current psychoanalytic theories. He was the first to discuss the unconscious mind and its role in human behaviour. Freud believed that there were three levels consciousness the first he labeled s the unconscious mind which exist outside of an individual’s awareness at all times.

Carl Jung refers to the human psyche as both the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind. He believes that the conscious attitudes within one’s mind are ideally balanced with the unconscious attitudes. The unconscious expresses ideas through dreams, imagery, fantasies, slips of the tongue and various other involuntary acts (Snowden 56). Jung expressed a varied perspective when it came to the components of the psyche. He divided the psyche intro three components, the conscious, the personal unconscious and the collective

In 1923, Sigmund Freud proposed his theory that the make-up of an individual’s personality is largely governed by three fundamental components: the id, the ego, and the superego. Working through the unconscious and shaping behavior according to psychological fixations and conflicts or lack thereof, these elements evolve through five levels of psychosexual development (Freud, 1962). However, in spite of its compelling approach to the phenomenon, Freud’s structural theory of personality is riddled with limitations and as such, is subject to much criticism. The mind is layered into three states: the conscious, referring to the thoughts currently in our forefront; the preconscious, idle thoughts that can be easily accessed and brought to the conscious; and the unconscious, which houses the more instinctual drives that are repressed because it threatens the conscious’ equilibrium (Cloninger, 1996).

Our unconscious mind plays a role in our social behaviors and attitudes, and it also forms judgments about others in our society we may not even know about. There are many controversial ideas about the unconscious mind which range from the theories