Psyche - The human faculty for thought, judgement and emotion; the mental life, including both conscious and unconscious processes; the mind in it's totality, as distinguished from the body.
2 - The development of our unconscious in everyday life.
3 - The development of gender identity (psycho-sexual identity).
4 - Understanding the complexities of human subjectivity.
A way of catergorising and understanding desire, motivation, dreams.
The theory and practice of psychoanalysis was first conceived by Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939).
Considered the father of Psychiatry, Freud devoted his life to the exploration of the human psyche. He began using this knowledge to heal hysteria sufferers, applying hypnosis treatment in order for them to accept repressed memories and thoughts. A large portion of his life he devoted to study on his own psyche, especially that of dreams, leading to his first major published work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' in 1900.
Established the psychoanalytic theory that allowed for an 'dynamic unconscious' part of the mind. Freud's discovery of the dynamic unconscious is arguably his most important contribution to our understanding of the human mind, studying in detail both its content and alien mode of thinking. Dreams, neurotic symptoms, slips of the tongue and enigmatic thoughts burst upon us unbidden and uncontrollable. Immensely creative yet powerfully destructive, the unconscious can be a source of guidance as well as subversion, evoking both awe and dread.
Freudian slip - A verbal or memory mistake which is believed to be linked to the unconscious mind. Common examples include an individual calling his or her's spouse by an ex's name, saying the wrong word or even misinterpreting a written or spoken word.
Freud was also interested in something he called psycho'sexual' identity. He believed children feel what is known as the oedipus complex. The oedipus complex is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the same sex, whilst having a rivalry and possibly a desire to kill/hurt the parent of the same sex. Freud believed this complex is essential to a healthy development.
Females go through what is known as 'penis envy'. This stage in a female development is where the girl realises she does not have a penis. This is seen as a vital process in the sexual identity of females. Boys on the other hand get 'castration anxiety' once they realise girls do not have a penis. This again is essential to a boys development and basically consists of a fear for males of losing the penis. This relationship sees the penis or to be more specific the male being a symbol of power. Only once these have been overcome will a child have gained his/her sexual identity within society, however these feelings of gender misconceptions may continue throughout our lives.
The Uncanny - Something that simultaneously unnatural but familiar. Where the boundaries of reality and fantasy break down. Analogies between the unconscious (psychology) and the uncanny (aesthetics).
Freud Models:
Unconscious - Hidden, repressed. Where things are stored which are unacceptable to our conscious selves.
Preconscious - Where memories are stored and information we can recall.
Conscious - Our outward selves and personality.
ID - Part of the unconscious, instinctual and biological elements of us.
Ego - Part of the conscious, our personality and individuality.
Super Ego - Our awareness and place in terms of others.
Jacques Lacan (1901 - 81):
A French psychoanalyst who is considered one of the most controversial since Freud. He was himself a self-proclaimed Freudian and had great influence over French intellectuals throughout the 1960's and 70's.
He believed in another stage during a childs development called 'The Mirror Stage'. The recognition of a childs own reflection which leads to the child being able to see themselves as an object which can be viewed by the child from outside themselves. He also believed the unconscious was structured like a language
