Download Sigmund Freud`s theory of psychoanalysis takes a

Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis takes a layered approach to the study of the human mind.
He asserts that all human action and desire can be placed in three broad categories: The Ego, the
Superego and the ‘ID’.
The ID consists of our most primitive urges and instincts, that which is biologically inherited. Sexual
impulse and the need for physical gratification are products of this section of our mind.
The Ego is the bridge between the ID and reality. It uses what is learned from outside influence to
identify the most realistic means of meeting the ID’s demands, recognising when to make sacrifices
and compromise. Freud has called the Ego the “rider to the ID’s horse.”
The Superego consists of morals and values impressed upon us by our parents and our environment
from a very young age. It is this which instils a sense of morality on the Ego, and a sense of restraint
on the ID.
Below are some examples of psychoanalytical study of literature.
To His Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell
We have chosen to analyse a poem with reference to Freudian theory; ideas of sex drive and death
drive.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires and more slow;
Vegetable love is a euphemism for the erect penis, quite clearly showing his desires/intentions, that
would normally be repressed in the ID, however the ego and superego have conditioned it such that it
has been euphemized making it seem more socially acceptable to hear.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
Admiring her body again showing the Freudian idea of sex drive and repression of it in the ID.
Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
Adoration of the body, specifically her youthful skin. Demonstrates desire. It doesn’t quite represent
the violence and want of the id but it shows a longing.
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
The primal-ness of fire and its inability to be tamed reflect his desire and by extension the ID
Now let us sport us while we may,
Sport being competitive and often aggressive is evidence for the dominance of ID in this stanza. It also
shows how both the super ego and ego are being repressed as clearly one should not treat a
relationship as a competitive thing or a sport.
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Animalistic. Clearly shows the dominance of the ID, the lust and sexual desire.
Rather at once our time devour
Maybe represents the death drive? I don’t know about that one.
Than languish in his slow-chapped power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
More desire, implication of sex
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Through the iron gates of life:
Clear rape imagery. ‘The iron gates of life’ representing the vagina.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
In this final stanza there is a lot of rape imagery, starting with the idea of sex as sport, comparing his
desire to a bird of prey, presumably with the mistress as his prey and culminating with tearing
through the iron gates of life with rough strife. A clear victory for the ID as rape clearly disregards any
moral and social norms of both the ego and super ego.
The fact that this is written as a poem makes it more socially acceptable to show the desires of the ID
on a conscious level, when the ideas are usually explored on a subconscious level. It is written
coherently and eloquently which could demonstrate the ego and super ego trying to justify the
desires of the ID.
Freud’s controversial and often challenged theory of psychoanalysis
can be seen in all aspects of the humanities, and through Sylvia
Plath’s ‘Daddy’, we can see aspects of the psychologist’s theory. As an
overview, ‘Daddy’, shows a perspective of Plath herself, comparing
her father to Adolf Hitler, and her childhood and what she was put
through, in parallel to the Jews in the holocaust. The start of the
second stanza opens with; “Daddy, I have had to kill you.” Linking to
Freud’s psycho analysis and the phallic stage, we can see jealousy for
the father, hatred and anger being emitted towards him. The start of
the ninth stanza states that she is scared, and has always been scared
of her father. This supports the Freudian view of psychoanalysis.
Stanzas four, five and six develop into how Plath cannot express her
feelings towards her father, with statements such as “tongue stuck in
my jaw” and “I could hardly speak”. From a Freudian and
psychoanalytical point of view, it could be argued that Plath’s ID and
Superego are being restricted and suppressed by her ego. The desire,
hatred and more are being controlled by her ego, so she doesn’t go
out of control.
Finally, throughout the poem, Plath refers to her father with
darkness, the word ‘Black’ popping up over and over again. The
constant comparison to Hitler and the constant references to
darkness just shows her ID, how she cannot speak the words, rather
write them and express her ID in this way.