Freud

Psychoanalytic criticism

A form of literary criticism that uses the techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature.

Conscious

The part of the mind that contains thoughts and feelings that we are aware of.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that contains repressed thoughts, feelings, and primitive drives.

Id

The most primitive part of the psyche governed by the pleasure principle, seeking immediate satisfaction.

Ego

The part of the psyche in contact with reality, governed by the reality principle, balancing desires and external world.

Superego

The part of the psyche representing morality and ideals, developed from the internalization of parental and social rules.

Oedipus complex

A central concept in Freudian theory describing a child's unconscious sexual desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.

Infantile sexuality

Freud's theory positing that children go through different phases of sexual development.

Dream analysis

Freud's theory that dreams are disguised expressions of unconscious desires and requires deciphering the latent content.