Comparison Of Two Great Men And Their System Essay Example

in its first eight years, his concepts gradually gained a loyal following and attracted numerous critics. In his quest to understand the psychological origins of nervous disorders, Freud spent several months in Paris studying under Jean Charcot, a French neurologist renowned for his expertise in hypnosis.

Upon returning to Vienna, Freud began using hypnosis on his patients and encouraging them to openly discuss themselves and the onset of their symptoms. Some patients responded freely and became upset and agitated upon reflection. This process resulted in a reduction or complete elimination of symptoms for certain individuals. It was through this technique that Freud initially discovered the concept of the "unconscious." By analyzing his patients' narratives, he hypothesized that a loss of sensation in one's hand might be linked to a fear of touching one's genitals, while blindness or deafness could be associated with an apprehension about witnessing or hearing something that would lead to sadness or distress.

Freud had numerous patients and found that hypnosis did not prove as effective as he initially thought. Consequently, he introduced a novel method known as "free association". He directed patients to unwind and freely express any thoughts, regardless of how embarrassing or unrelated they may seem. Freud contended that this technique facilitated a flow of thoughts linked to the unconscious mind, frequently involving distressing memories from childhood. This approach was named psychoanalysis.

Freud's psychoanalytic perception of personality was based on the concept that the mind is comparable to an iceberg. This means that most of the mind is hidden beneath the surface, inaccessible to conscious awareness. Above the surface lies the conscious mind, while below lies a vast unconscious region that holds

emotions, desires, and memories that individuals are largely unaware of. Some thoughts are temporarily stored in the preconscious, and can be easily retrieved. However, Freud was more intrigued by the repressed thoughts and feelings that are forcibly blocked from consciousness due to their distressing nature. He believed that these repressed materials greatly influence behavior and choices on an unconscious level. Moreover, Freud considered dreams and slips of tongue and pen as glimpses into his patients' unconscious minds.

Freud posited that intrusive thoughts and minor mistakes during reading, writing, and speaking reveal the unconscious mind at work. He viewed jokes as a way to express suppressed sexual and aggressive inclinations. According to Freud, nothing happens by chance. He believed that human personalities, emotional expressions, desires, and beliefs stem from a clash between aggressive, pleasure-seeking biological impulses and societal limitations on their expression.

The development of personality is driven by the conflict between expression and repression, which aims to achieve satisfaction without punishment or guilt. Sigmund Freud divided this conflict into three systems: the id, ego, and superego. Rather than presenting a new, simplistic anatomy, Freud considered these terms as valuable tools for comprehending the dynamics of the mind. The id acts as a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy, constantly working to fulfill fundamental drives for survival, reproduction, and aggression.

The id represents the pleasure principle, which desires immediate gratification. It can be seen in a newborn baby who cries for satisfaction as soon as it feels hungry, tired, or uncomfortable, without considering the conditions or expectations of its surroundings. As the child grows and learns to navigate the real world, the ego begins to develop. The ego operates on

the reality principle, striving to control the impulsive behavior of the id in ways that are practical and achieve pleasure while avoiding pain. The ego includes both conscious perceptions, thoughts, judgments, and memories. It acts as the executive of the personality.

The ego serves as a mediator, maintaining a balance between the impulsive desires of the id, the restraining demands of the superego, and the practical demands of the external world. By approximately 4 or 5 years old, a child's ego acknowledges the expectations imposed by the emerging superego. The superego operates as a conscience, prompting the ego to take into account both reality and ideals. Its primary purpose is to provide guidance for behavior.

The superego is formed as the child internalizes the morals and values of parents and culture. This internalization provides a sense of right, wrong, and a set of ideals. The superego aims for perfection and evaluates our actions, resulting in positive feelings of pride or negative feelings of guilt. An individual with a strong superego may consistently adhere to social norms but paradoxically experience guilt. Conversely, someone with a weak superego may exhibit reckless behavior without feeling remorse. The ego must reconcile the conflicting demands of the superego and the id. For example, a conscientious student who feels sexual attraction towards someone might join a volunteer organization to work alongside that person, thus satisfying both the id and superego.

Freud's analysis of patient histories led him to believe that personality development occurs in early childhood. He noticed that his patients' symptoms were often related to unresolved conflicts from their early years. His theory suggested that children go through several psychosexual stages where their

pleasure-seeking energy is focused on specific areas of the body called "erogenous zones." The first stage, known as the "oral stage," lasts approximately 18 months and involves sensual pleasure from sucking, biting, and chewing. The next stage, called the "anal stage," occurs from around 18 months to 3 years and involves control of the sphincter muscles, leading to gratification from bowel and bladder retention and elimination. Finally, the "phallic stage" takes place from ages 3 to 6 years and shifts the pleasure zones to the genitals.

According to Freud, boys in this stage actively seek stimulation of their genitals and develop unconscious sexual desires for their mothers. They also feel jealousy and hatred towards their fathers, whom they view as competitors. These boys experience a deep sense of guilt for their rivalry and fear punishment from their fathers, including castration. Freud referred to this complex set of emotions as the "Oedipus Complex," named after the Greek legend of Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. While Freud initially proposed that females also experienced a similar complex called the "Electra complex," he later changed his perspective, stating that only male children exhibited this combination of love for one parent and simultaneous hatred for the other as a rival (1931, p.229). Children eventually repress these threatening feelings and then identify with and emulate the parent they perceive as the rival. Through this process of identification, children's superegos gain strength as they adopt many of their parents' values. According to Freud, identifying with the same-sex parent contributes to our gender identity - our sense of being male or female.

According to Freud, when children repress and redirect

their sexual feelings, they enter a stage known as latency. This stage typically lasts from around age 6 to puberty, during which sexuality is not active and children tend to play with peers of the same sex. However, during puberty, the latency stage ends, and youths start to develop sexual feelings towards others in what Freud calls the genital stage. According to Freud, unresolved conflicts from earlier psychosexual stages can lead to maladaptive behavior in adulthood.

At any stage (oral, anal, or phallic) during the development, conflicts can occur and fixate a person's pleasure-seeking energies in that particular stage. If a person is either overindulged or deprived orally, for example through abrupt weaning, they may become fixated at the oral stage. Adults who are orally fixated may either exhibit passive dependence like that of a nursing infant or deny their dependence by acting tough and macho. They may engage in behaviors such as excessive smoking or eating to satisfy their oral gratification needs. When individuals fail to resolve their anal conflict, which involves the desire to eliminate at will conflicting with demands of toilet training, they may exhibit either messy and disorganized behaviors (anal expulsive) or highly controlled and compulsively neat behaviors (anal-retentive). Living in social groups requires the control of impulses in logical and socially acceptable ways instead of freely acting on them.

According to Freud, anxiety arises when the ego is afraid of losing control over the inner conflict between the id and the superego. Freud believed that anxiety is the cost of civilization, unlike specific fears, anxiety is not focused and can be challenging to manage as it leaves us feeling unsettled without a

specific reason. To protect itself from anxiety, the ego employs defense mechanisms, which distort reality in order to reduce or redirect anxiety.

Some examples follow: 1. Repression banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts and feelings from consciousness. According to Freud, repression underlies all defense mechanisms, each of which can disguise threatening impulses and prevent them from reaching consciousness. Freud theorized that repression explains the lack of memories regarding desires for a parent in childhood. However, he also stated that repression is frequently incomplete, leading to the leakage of repressed urges through dream symbols and slips of the tongue. 2.

Regression involves retreating to an earlier, more infantile stage of development where some psychic energy still fixates. Therefore, when a child faces the anxious first days of school, they may regress and seek comfort by sucking their thumb orally.

In reaction formation, the ego unconsciously alters unacceptable impulses to appear as their opposites. This means that the hidden thought of "I hate him" can transform into "I love him" as it moves towards the unconscious. Similarly, timidity can become daring, and feelings of inadequacy can turn into bravado.

According to the principle of projection, individuals who passionately advocate against gay rights may be driven by their own subconscious homosexual desires. This defense mechanism allows individuals to hide their threatening impulses by attributing them to others. For example, the statement "He hates me" could actually be a projection of the person's own self-hatred. Freudian theory suggests that racial prejudice may stem from projecting one's own unacceptable impulses or traits onto members of a different group.

The familiar mechanism of rationalization allows people to unconsciously generate self-justifying explanations to hide from the real reasons for

certain actions. Thus students who fail to study may rationalize, "All work and no play makes Jill a dull person."

Displacement diverts one's sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more psychologically acceptable object than the one that aroused them. For example, a student upset about a bad grade may snap at their roommate.

Sublimation is the transformation of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motivations.

Sublimation is a socially adaptive process that can lead to significant cultural and artistic achievements. According to Freud, the paintings of Madonnas by da Vinci can be seen as a sublimation of his desire for an intimate connection with his mother, whom he was separated from at an early age. Despite facing criticism, Freud remained steadfast in his beliefs and principles. While his ideas were controversial, they attracted a loyal group of followers who formed a close-knit inner circle. Occasionally, conflicts arose within the group and individuals would leave or be excluded. However, even those who left still showed the influence of Freud's ideas.

Erik Erikson, an outcast, shared Freud's belief that development advances through critical stages. However, he contended that these stages were psychosocial rather than psychosexual. Erikson also posited that life's developmental stages encompassed the entire lifespan. In Erikson's perspective, a crisis represents a pivotal moment in life where there exists the potential to move forward or regress. During these instances of transformation, individuals can either successfully resolve conflicts or fall short in adequately addressing the developmental task.

Erikson asserted that each stage of life presents its own psychosocial task. For young children, trust is an issue, followed by autonomy and then initiative. School-age children strive

to develop competence, feeling capable and productive. In adolescence, the challenge involves synthesizing past, present, and future possibilities to form a stronger sense of self.

Adolescents engage in a search for identity by questioning their individuality, life goals, values, and beliefs, according to Erikson. They typically experiment with different personas in various situations – displaying one self at home, another with friends, and yet another at school or work. If these situations intersect, such as when a teenager introduces a friend to their home, it can cause discomfort and confusion regarding which self is the authentic one. Resolving this role confusion involves gradually reshaping one's self-definition to create a unified and comfortable sense of identity. However, this process doesn't always occur smoothly. Some adolescents establish their identity early by adopting their parents' values and expectations. Others adopt a negative identity that opposes societal norms but aligns with a specific peer group, sometimes evident through distinct physical appearances like shaved heads or colorful hair. There are also individuals who struggle to find themselves or develop firm commitments.

The struggle for identity often extends beyond adolescence and resurfaces during key moments in adulthood. In the initial stage of social development, known as trust versus mistrust, infants must cultivate trust in themselves, others, and the world. It is crucial for infants to rely on others and form a sense of acceptance and security. This trust is acquired through gentle touch and attentive care. Erikson believes that if the important individuals in an infant's life offer unconditional love, the infant will develop trust. However, without love, a pervasive sense of mistrust towards others emerges.

Infants who experience acceptance have a better

chance of successfully navigating future developmental challenges compared to those who lack sufficient nurturing. Yet, Erikson suggests that personality is not static at any point in life due to ongoing development. Events, situations, and social connections are fluid and evolving. Consequently, even a child who initially forms a strong trust in others during the first stage of life can develop mistrust and cynicism if betrayed in subsequent social interactions.

According to Freud, personality is seen as changeable throughout a person's life, rather than fixed by the age of five. Between the ages of one and three, children are developing a sense of control over their lives, known as the anal stage. They are able to perform tasks such as walking, running, climbing, and getting into mischief. This stage is titled Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt by Erikson, as children learn new skills and gain a sense of control over their environment. However, during this time, some parents may intervene out of concern or impatience, doing things for their children that they should be doing themselves.

Parents may have unrealistic expectations of their children's capabilities, causing them to doubt themselves and feel ashamed when they fail to meet these expectations. This feeling of shame and doubt can hinder children from developing the skills needed to navigate the world around them. In the preschool years, children go through the Initiative versus Guilt stage, where they actively seek to explore their abilities. According to Erikson, the main goal during this stage is for children to establish a sense of competence and initiative. Preschoolers start taking the initiative in their activities and begin to engage in pursuits that interest them, as

they become physically and psychologically prepared for independent exploration.

Providing children with the freedom to choose their activities and make decisions leads to the development of a confident and proactive attitude. Conversely, if they are overly restricted or mocked for their choices, they tend to feel guilty and withdraw from taking initiative. At the age of six, children typically start elementary school, which coincides with the Industry versus Inferiority stage. During the following five years, achieving goals related to school becomes a crucial aspect of their lives. By successfully mastering the expected behaviors during this period, children cultivate feelings of competence and a sense of industry.

They might express sentiments like: "If I put in enough effort, I can achieve anything." Children who face setbacks in the early grades may face significant obstacles in the future. A child who struggles with learning may start to feel inadequate. These emotions can greatly impact their relationships with their peers, which are crucial during this period. In adolescence, teenagers go through the Identity versus Role Confusion stage.

Adolescents commonly perceive themselves as the focal point and believe that they are constantly being observed by others. They frequently exhibit stringent self-judgment and assume that others have the same level of scrutiny. Their thoughts tend to be introspective as they assess their own worthiness compared to their peers. Additionally, they contemplate their long-term aspirations and professional trajectories, questioning their prospects in the adult world.

Their ruthless self-appraisal is often beneficial as it leads to the development of values, social attitudes, and standards. This introspection is crucial for developing a strong sense of self and understanding one's place within society. As they navigate the stage

of Intimacy versus Isolation, individuals leave their adolescence behind and face the challenges of early adulthood. Their focus shifts towards building careers, forming long-lasting social connections, and establishing and sustaining intimate relationships. Marriage or cohabitation introduces new responsibilities, such as sharing, compromising, and sacrificing some degree of social mobility.

Many young adults may start having children and raising families, but those who were unable to resolve their identity crises may become isolated from mainstream society and struggle with maintaining healthy intimate relationships. The period between the ages of 35 and 60 is a time for individuals to learn how to live creatively with others, which can be the most productive stage of their lives. According to Erikson, the crisis of Generativity versus Stagnation or Self-Absorption serves as the stimulus for continued growth in middle age. Generativity refers to more than just fostering children; it encompasses being productive in various aspects such as pursuing creative careers, engaging in leisure-time activities, volunteering, or caring for others. The ability to love well and work well are two important qualities of a productive adulthood.

Adults who do not achieve a sense of productivity begin to stagnate, which is a form of psychological death. The years of maturity are characterized by the Integrity of the Self versus Despair stage, which is the most enlightening stage of a person's life. If all the previous stages' crises are resolved, looking back with satisfaction on a life well lived is a healthy reflection of self. It is natural to maintain a sense of worth and personal integrity during the final years. However, those who could not resolve earlier crises will view old age and death

with deep dread and despair.

Erikson's system emphasizes the importance of ego identity development and the related ego strengths for each of the eight stages. This system highlights how the ego plays a central role in shaping an individual's identity. According to Erikson, as the ego evolves through various life crises, it becomes better equipped at navigating the challenges presented by both internal and external factors. Additionally, Erikson suggests that ego strength is attained through a series of psychosexual stages.

From infancy, the child's ego must develop trust in itself and others in order to become independent and self-sufficient. Trust and autonomy bring the virtues of hope and will, which provide enough security for the child to take the risk of potential disappointment that hope brings, and enough independence to willingly adapt to their unavoidable realities. Once these essential ego strengths are acquired, the child can develop a sense of purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom - the ego strengths associated with each stage. Erikson's theory combines a balanced concern for universal psychological "laws" with a psychoanalytic focus on the individual's uniqueness, particularly in clinical application and psychohistory. So what does all this theorizing mean for Jenny Masterson? A Freudian psychoanalyst might ask Jenny to freely associate with certain terms. Perhaps her free association would go something like this: Psychoanalyst: Jenny, I want you to relax and lay back.

Please close your eyes and give me the first word that comes to mind when I mention a certain word. For example, if I say "Dog," you might respond with "Cat." Jenny: No, if you said "dog," I would say "dependent." Psycho: Interesting, why do you think you

would say "dependent?" Jenny: "Well, they are, aren't they? I have to feed them, bathe them, wash them, and walk them - just like a small child. Except they won't disobey you, and I expect they'd be more respectful of everything I do for them. Psycho: Alright, the next word is religion.

Jenny expresses her thoughts on love and marriage as futile and non-lasting. She argues that love is useless and holds no meaning, similar to the pointlessness of marriage. The psycho acknowledges Jenny's perspective.

Next word, sex. Jenny expresses her disapproval by using words like vulgar, dirty, disgusting, and beastly. Psycho responds with a nonchalant "okay".

How do children fare? Jenny: Ungrateful. Possessions. Truly, children fail to comprehend the extent of our efforts for them. We give up our own desires and work tirelessly to improve their lives, yet what do they offer in return? Nothing but constant heartbreak.

Psycho: Alright, this will be the final remark, lady. Jenny: Prostitute. Chip. Unclean.

Most women are unattractive both internally and externally. I cannot tolerate their welcoming smiles, especially those deceitful individuals. Jenny had significant issues regarding sexuality, which may be the root cause of all her "problems." Sex, the main topic that connects her animosity towards other women, her implied incestuous relationship with Ross, her intense jealousy of Ross' partners, her possessiveness, and her dearth of close friendships.

Jenny could be described as having an anal character, potentially due to her behavior during her toilet training phase where she displayed refusal, prudishness, and retention. It is possible that excessive parental pressure caused her to develop a strong but fearful attachment to this bodily function. In accordance with Freud's beliefs, individuals

with this type of personality become excessively organized to the point of obsession, self-centered, overly concerned with trivial matters, materialistic, and stubborn - all traits that Jenny possesses. Additionally, Freud's theory suggests that the anal character is also prone to sadomasochism.

Jenny displays a penchant for both causing and enduring suffering throughout her entire life. She persistently seeks anguish from Glenn and Isabel through constant insults, yet they consistently refuse to succumb to her desire to inflict pain on them. She deliberately creates circumstances that inevitably lead to suffering for herself and those around her, such as the ill-fated decision to move in with Ross in the same apartment.

Despite constantly obsessing over where he was, whom he was with, and why he wasn't paying rent, she ultimately drove herself crazy and alienated her son. In a strangely perverted way, she seemed to enjoy her distress and relish in her martyrdom, much like a masochist. According to Freudian theory, Jenny's persistence in her treacherous behavior must provide her with some form of gratification since instincts seek pleasure. Although her behavior contradicts the survival instinct and is therefore considered neurotic, it satisfies her masochistic needs. Furthermore, Jenny held the belief that sex was dirty and beastly. Not much is known about her marriage, but it is difficult to imagine Jenny as a promiscuous woman or even someone with normal sexual desires.

Jenny's marriage possibly stemmed from her desire to rebel against her family, reflecting her anal trait. In a Freudian analysis, her confused sexual identity would be the main factor. It can be suggested that she never resolved her oedipal complex effectively. However, according to her sister, Jenny did

show identification with her mother. This identification may have led her to adopt a masculine role.

By the age of 18, she had become the primary earner in her household, which potentially led to a desire to control her mother as she had taken on traditional male responsibilities. However, her psychosexual confusion remained unresolved even after getting married, and it may have even exacerbated by her husband's death.

Jenny's alleged lack of mourning for her husband is said to have been a result of her shifting her affection from him onto Ross, desiring a romantic relationship rather than a maternal one. Her jealousy towards his girlfriends and their moonlit kisses suggest abnormal emotions towards him. It is possible that Ross became a substitute for the absent male organ in Jenny's life, embodying her true masculine essence.

By being one with Ross, she was able to adopt a masculine identity, which she cherished even after his death by keeping his robe and pipe. Her love for Ross gives the impression of an incestuous relationship as she exhibits jealousy over his lovers, refers to him as "sex mad," and speaks of him affectionately ("kissed under the stars"). She deludes herself into believing that she is responsible for his existence and that he owes her nothing, although her actions contradict this belief.

She is always making exaggerated sacrifices for Ross, hoping to receive undying devotion from him. She desires to possess him. Similarly, her relationships with women are troubled. She quickly becomes close friends with them, but then becomes alarmed and resists her attraction to them.

The unconscious behavior of a woman can lead to homosexual panic and denial of her own nature.

This may result in her developing a negative attitude towards women, seeing them as repulsive and unattractive. Instead of acknowledging her love for women, she redirects her feelings into hatred and disgust. Women become the target of her hatred due to factors such as taking her partner away and being seen as greedy. Jenny struggles with the idea that she may be suppressing her true feelings for women, which leads her to find superficial reasons for her animosity.