The name of the Austrian scientist Sigmund Freud is perhaps one of the most famous in the modern world. He is known even by those who have never opened his works, not to mention small articles. Most of all, the famous Freudian slips are heard, people like to recall his name at the sight of meaningful oblong objects, such as a cigar or a banana. The concept of the unconscious is also often recalled. However, not everyone can accurately explain its essence. In this article we will discuss the psychology of the unconscious, its manifestations, as well as the theory of its follower Jung.
Sigmund Freud
So, this is an Austrian neurologist who became the founder of psychoanalysis. His ideas still cause constant discussions, both in scientific and philistine circles. He certainly became an innovator in the field of psychiatry.
Let's give a little biography. Freud was born in 1856 in Freiburgin the family of a cloth merchant. Shortly after the birth of Sigmund, the family had to move to Vienna. From childhood, high hopes were placed on the boy, and he read completely non-childish literature - Kant, Hegel, Shakespeare. In addition, he was very good at learning foreign languages.
After studying at the gymnasium, he entered the Faculty of Medicine, but he did not experience cravings for this field of science. In fact, the young man chose for himself the lesser evil among the traditional fields of activity for the Jews of that time - trade, medicine and jurisprudence. After graduation, Sigmund intended to continue his academic career, but was forced to give preference to work and soon opened his own office, where he worked as a neurologist.
In 1885, Freud got an internship with the psychiatrist Charcot, from whom he adopted the technique of hypnosis. In addition, in working with patients, he began to use conversation, allowing patients to fully express their emotions. This method will henceforth be called the "method of free associations". He allowed the shrewd doctor to understand the problems of patients and free them from neuroses.
Gradually, Freud began to publish his books, which first caused rejection, and then a wide resonance in society: "The Interpretation of Dreams", "Psychopathology of Everyday Life", etc. A circle of disciples formed around him, among whom the famous split occurred in 1910. The main stumbling block was the Freudian idea that the psychoses of the human personality are associated primarily with the suppression of sexual energy.
Sigmund Freud married relatively late, he had six children. The famous psychoanalyst died of cancer in 1939.
Concept of the Unconscious
To be fair, Freud was far from the first to come up with the idea that a person is not completely in control of his actions, that there is something in him that makes him act unconsciously or even irrationally. The idea that the basis of many mental disorders is the repression of sexuality was not new either. The aforementioned teacher of Freud, the French psychiatrist Charcot, has already expressed this idea.
The merit of the Austrian psychoanalyst is as follows. He was the first to start talking about the fact that a person's consciousness is only a small part of his personality in comparison with a huge number of unconscious drives. The help of an astute psychoanalyst is needed to try to understand and deal with them.
Furthermore, Freud claimed that these forces were of an entirely sexual nature, which he called "libido". It becomes active, according to the scientist, from the very first years of human life.
Sigmund Freud's Theory
First let's talk about the structure of personality in the concept of psychoanalysis. So, according to Freud's theory, a person consists not only of a person's consciousness, but of several interacting components.
Super-Ego (Super-I) is an unconscious part that is acquired even before the appearance of speech in a person. It includes various norms of behavior, taboos and prohibitions,shaped by culture. This also includes all sorts of family prohibitions that cause the individual to feel guilty and painfully afraid.
Id (It) is also the unconscious and most primitive part, which includes all kinds of desires and libido. These are exceptionally ancient, archaic attractions that are mostly aggressive and full of sexuality.
Ego (I) is a conscious component that reacts to what is happening in reality and helps a person adapt to it. It is a kind of mediator between the other two parts, both of which are unconscious. The ego is forced to constantly bifurcate in order to ensure the interaction of the Super-Ego and the Id, between the biological desires inherent in everyone and the moral standards that society imposes.
In principle, there are two main aspects of the unconscious according to Freud. One of them, unconscious and non-verbalized, part is an integral element of the human psyche. Thus, the latter is divided into two disproportionate (this will be discussed later) parts. The other side is divided, in turn, into two ego-states - Super-Ego and Id.
Priority of the Unconscious
According to Freud, the human personality is like an iceberg. On the surface there is a visible, conscious part, the state of the Ego, and under the water there is a block of unconscious drives and desires. And there is always a risk that this iceberg can completely swallow the individual.
This idea was a strong blow to the accepted concept of man. After all, this is actuallymeant that he had no power over his own personality, which was influenced by something unconscious and unreflected.
The connection between the psyche and somatics
Initially, according to Freud, the unconscious was studied within the framework of natural science theories. The psychoanalyst believed that he could find a direct connection between the neurophysiological reactions of a person and the movements of his psyche. The main stages of work at the beginning of the formation of his theory were the following: the search for the cause that caused the disease (most often it becomes a kind of trauma, often it occurs in childhood), studies of the consequences (that is, malfunctions in the psyche) and treatment (it is necessary to provide the patient with the possibility of mental discharge). Gradually, Freud began to use word therapy, and this went far beyond the natural science concept.
Essence of the Unconscious
It is important to note that according to Freud, the unconscious is a product of repression. What is exposed to such an impact and how, here the opinions of various researchers may differ. But the psychoanalyst himself believed that repression can only occur in the direction of the Super-Ego. It is a kind of representative of society in man.
In the course of child development, various unwanted drives gradually pass into the area of the Super-I, and it is impossible to extract them from there, except by the method of free association or hypnosis. Undesirable may be thoughts and inclinations that are contrary to the norms accepted in society, its morality, as well as those inclinations thatwhich disturb us excessively.
In this case, the Super-Ego is a stronger entity that displaces some weak psychological forces, such as childhood impressions, that are unacceptable to society.
Foundation of the concept
Conflicts arise between the conscious and unconscious parts of a person, resulting in neurosis, mental disorders that interfere with normal human life. This became the main idea behind Freud's concept of the unconscious. Painful and shameful experiences are repressed in the Super-Ego and manifest as unpleasant symptoms somewhere on the verge between somatic and mental manifestations.
Accordingly, in order to balance these conflicts, it is necessary to establish a balance between the Ego and the Super-Ego, which is what psychoanalysts do. In the course of a long story of the patient about his thoughts and feelings, he gradually comes to the true cause of his neurotic behavior with the help of a specialist. "According to grandfather Freud", such a reason, of course, is repressed sexual desires. According to the versions of modern psychoanalysts, there can be a large number of reasons, and for each person they are individual.
How the unconscious manifests
According to Freud, unconscious aspirations are hidden from the conscious part of the human personality. However, they can manifest themselves in a variety of ways in reality.
So, this can manifest itself in the form of reservations, random slips of the tongue, unexpected actions in which a person is not aware of. In fact, this is the idea of the phrase "Freudian slips". ExceptIn addition, the Id and the Super-Ego are reflected in dreams that haunt a person. Psychoanalysts pay a lot of attention to dreams. They are considered messengers of the unconscious, filled with important symbolism.
Thus, the forms of manifestation of the unconscious in a person's daily life are varied. But in order to understand whether the hidden part of our personality really makes itself felt, it is still worth contacting a specialist. Unfortunately, from his point of view, a person is far from always able to judge his personality. However, that's why it's unconscious.
What can manifest
In addition to individual prohibitions, in the unconscious, in that part of it called the Id (It), there are two main human aspirations - Eros and Thanatos. These are the names of the ancient Greek gods. Freud, in principle, tends to use ancient mythology in his theories. It is worth remembering at least the Oedipus complex or the Electra complex.
Eros
Eros is a sexual instinct, it is a manifestation of libido. A person, being not in the herd, cannot fully realize all his sexual desires. He involuntarily has to suppress them, limiting himself. In a favorable situation, sexual energy will be directed to creation, creativity, science or political activity.
In other words, in any direction that requires a powerful investment of strength and manifestation of oneself. This displacement of the sexual instinct into another sphere Sigmund Freud called the term "sublimation".
Thanatos
So the psychoanalyst called instinct,leading to destruction and death. He, in turn, finds its manifestation in the negative side of the human: these are wars, crimes, murders.
Carl Jung and his ideas
One of Sigmund Freud's most beloved students was Carl Gustav Jung. He subsequently disappointed his teacher.
Jung and Freud were very similar in their ideas. However, Sigmund paid attention to a specific personality, as if split into three main components common to each person. Thus, for Freud, the unconscious was contained within the individual.
Jung singled out one more concept - "collective unconscious". According to his ideas, it is common to all mankind and unites a wide variety of people. The collective unconscious in culture manifests itself in the form of archetypes, some common symbols that are significant for every person, no matter what culture he belongs to. These images - Anima, Animus, Mother, Shadow, etc. - will evoke a response in his soul. Accordingly, such archetypes manifest themselves in one way or another in every culture.
However, the collective unconscious should not be understood as something supra-individual. This is a complex scheme, but according to Jung's psychology, a person goes through the process of individualization through it, in fact, this is the process of becoming a personality in the full sense of the word. Thus, this is both a deeply individual beginning and common to all people.
Results
So, according to Freud, the unconscious is a mental phenomenon universal for every person, whichdetermines his behavior in many ways. It is also the source of mental disorders.
Austrian psychiatrist defined the concepts and types of the unconscious - Id and Super-Ego. The second has a much stronger effect on a particular person, since it is his individual unconscious.
Further on, Freud's students developed the concept of personality structure. It became clear that there are much more types of the unconscious than the discoverer of this concept assumed. Post-Freudianism and neo-Freudianism have gained a large number of followers - Jung, Adler, Fromm, etc.
Freud's theory is still discussed and criticized. But it is impossible to deny that it had a massive impact on the development of science and philosophy of the 20th and 21st centuries, and in particular on the study of the psychology of the unconscious.
