Psychoanalytical Lens

Founded by Sigmund Freud, a Jewish Austrian neurologist, created the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. The Psychoanalytical critics views works through a psychoanalytical lens to break down how the mind works. Often, they look at the psychological motivations of the characters or the authors themselves. Often applying the Freudian psychology to works.

Freud is best know for…

theories of the unconcious mind

Psychoanalysis

A method of investigating the unconciouss elements of the mind

Major Theory 1

The Concious and Unconcious Mind

Concious mind

includes everything we are aware of. The mental process where we can think and talk rationally. Includes memory that can be retrieved and brought to awareness.

Unconcious mind

resevoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside awareness. Most of the time the contents within this are UNACCEPTABLE or unpleasent; pain, anxiety, or conflict.

What does Freud say about the concious and unconcious mind?

unconcious influences our behaviour and experience, which we can be unaware to

Unconcious mind, aka…

One’s “Shadow Self”, opposite of what we “are” in our concious mind.

Major Theory 2

ID, SUPEREGO, EGO (The Three elements of personality)

Freudian approach includes

pinpointing the influences of a character’s ID, SUPEREGO, and EGO

ID

the instinctual, pleasure seeking part of the mind

Superego

the part of the mind that represses the id’s impulses - society’s expectations

Ego

the part of the mind that controls the id’s impulses and releases them in a healthy way

Freud and Human sexuality

believed that all human nature is motivated by sexuality, so critics try to point out any sexual implications of symbols and imagery