[Critical evaluation of the usefulness of Freud concept of the unconscious for understanding human psychology]
[Date of Submission]
Introduction
This essay aims to address the question that whether the unconscious concept proposed by Freud is useful for understanding human psychology. Sigmund Freud was one of the most prominent neurologists, who developed the psychoanalytic theory. There seems to be debate pertaining to the fact that whether unconscious is more dominant or conscious. Different authors tend to have distinct perspectives related to Freud’s theory. This essay will further explore the criticism of Freudian theory, Oedipus complex and the element of feminism.
Discussion
The development of psychoanalytic theory by Freud has been subjected to criticism by numerous scholars. There seem to be both positive and negative points associated with the theory. Sand (2013) argued that the Freudian theory can be revisited, as it can lead to the development of a peaceful unconscious theory, which may be accepted by all. The uncertainty about the theory can be removed and human psychology can be better understood by making certain changes in the concept of Id, ego, and superego. There is an inconsistency with the argument, as the researcher did not clearly explain how Id and superego concepts can be modified and how we can explore them in detail. However, Lothane (2006) points out that the elements of id and superego cannot be justified if we observe them from own perspective. The researcher highlights that “Id” can be influenced by logic and reality as opposed to Freud’s view of the element. Westen (1998) challenges the widely held review that psychodynamic view continues to flourish and tend to converge progressively with the concerns of developmental, social and personality psychologists. This point indicates that the psychoanalytic theory seems to be considered by a number of psychiatrists till now. The revolutionary treatment by Freud of his first patient highlighted that his theory contains utmost significance. Tauber (2013) argues in favour of Freud, as the researcher pertinently pointed out that new findings related to unconscious thinking tend to follow the normative strategy. It focuses on suggesting an appreciation of the thought proposed by Freud. However, the researcher failed to note that repression was also considered by Freud. In fact, Freud had a strong emphasis on the repressed memory and he formed the basis of treatment based on this concept. Despite of criticism, Freud’s theory has still lived up to the expectations as it opened a door to analyse numerous opportunities related to understanding the human psychology in depth.
Considering the Oedipus complex, Chasseguet-Smirgel (2018) discussed that Freud attempted to explain that little boys or kids (male) tend to hate fathers, as they get sexually attracted to mothers. Wright (2013) questions the usefulness of this approach, as the researcher asked that whether little boys have negative feelings towards the father. The researcher criticises Freud’s theory since it does not provide a robust justification as to how male kids get sexually attracted to mothers. A recently published article by Vice (2013) argues that during childhood, no child gets sexually frustrated and instead show the equal feeling of love to both mother and father. There can be differences where some kids are more attached to mother, however, it is not justified to say that kids get jealous of their fathers just due to sexual frustration. However, Rennison (2001) favoured Freud’s theory, as the researcher argued that human psychology can be best understood by considering the psychoanalytic theory. In both of the sexes, the defence mechanism tends to provide resolutions (transitory) of conflict between drives of ego and drives of the id. The 1st mechanism involves repression, blocking of emotional impulses, memories, and concepts from the conscious mind. The theory can be considered in terms of treating a person facing psychological issues. The key issue with this argument is that the unconscious is not always required to be explored in order to resolve the complex human psychology issues. Freud’s theory was subjected to considerable criticism by Webster (1995), as the researcher attempted to develop his own theory and rejected the original one. He challenged the relationship of Oedipus complex proposed by Freud. He stated “theories of human nature which repudiate the evidence of behaviour will never in themselves be able to unlock the most significant mysteries of human nature”. This aspect clearly indicates that Freud’s concept of human psychology has limitation since human nature is a typical mystery, which cannot be resolved completely.
There has been a decline in the reputation of Freud and up to some extent it has been due to the revival of feminism (Smyth, 2017). Marso (2014) tends to be critical of Freud’s theory, as the researcher criticised several aspects of the theory. He argues that Freud observes “original superiority” within men and held the view that it is socially induced. Millett (2016) pertinently points out that the concept of penis envy by Freud leads to oversights and confusion. This can create severe confusion, as the sexual relationship may not be relevant, especially understanding the child psychology. However, one problem with this argument is that the researcher herself did not explain how sexuality cannot be related to exploring child psychology. As opposed to Freud’s view, Horney (2013) argues that it is males who tend to be affected adversely by their incapability to have children, and the researcher termed it as “womb envy”. This aspect highlights that Freud considered men as superior to women, which cannot be justified completely. The argument related to superiority would continue and hence argument on this aspect seems to be futile (Cioffi, 1998). Many of the researchers have failed to note that Sigmund Freud was successful in treating his patients and based on these treatments, he attempted to put forward the concepts. This aspect helps to understand that the theory cannot be neglected completely since it provides a basis to understand human conscious and unconscious. Weiss (1919) indicates that if women (females) envy men, then it is due to the privilege and social power enjoyed by men and not just due to the element of anatomical superiority. However, one of the limitations with this argument is that the element of envy is not totally justified by the researcher. Whether it is sexually or socially, the element of envy tends to exist and this indicates the fact that there are a number of differences in men and women.
Certain defense mechanisms were proposed by Sigmund Freud throughout his works (Vaillant, 1992). Some of the critics, including Erdelyi (2001) have argued that the defense mechanism, including repression, can be unconscious or conscious. The critic supported the position of Freud and indicated that defense mechanism must be considered in order to explore the human psychology in depth. On the contrary, Cramer (2000) challenged the view that defense mechanism lies in both conscious and unconscious. The researcher pointed out that defense lies only in the unconscious and it possesses the capability to protect an individual from anxiety that may emerge from unnecessary feelings or thoughts. This aspect negatively highlights the concept of Freud regarding the defense mechanism. According to Freud, the personality of a newborn person involves only ‘id’ and in the later stages, ego and super-ego are developed. Pincus (2006) questioned the usefulness of such an approach, as the researcher argues that all the elements including id, super-ego, and ego tend to be present in an individual. This aspect further highlights that defense mechanism seems to be present since birth and it is only subjected to further development. The regression mechanism has been proposed by Freud, which involves an example of a child sucking thumb in case of stress. Fayek (2005) challenges the theory, as the researcher highlighted that this mechanism is arguable and there is no sufficient evidence that a child may suck thumb if he wants to avoid a situation or is going through stress. This aspect clearly indicates that the defense mechanisms cannot be justified totally, as the situations provided by Freud seem to be somewhat vague and generates questions about the authenticity. There seems to be an inconsistency with the argument by Pincus (2006) since the researcher does not clearly point out as to why all the 3 key elements seem to exist in the newborn. Despite certain controversies, Freud tends to be a prominent contributor to human psychology.
Conclusion
This essay argued that whether the concept of Freud related to human psychology is reliable. Certain weaknesses have been observed in the viewpoints of critics. It has been observed that the elements of id and superego cannot be justified if we observe them from own perspective. However, certain authors have argued that Freud’s theory clearly indicates that unconscious can help in exploring human psychology and can be utilised for the treatment of patients. Considering the Oedipus Complex, certain questions are raised regarding the usefulness of this approach. It is concluded that human nature tends to be a mystery and the sexual attraction of male kids towards mother tends to be unjustified. Based on the relation between feminism and Freud’s theory, it is concluded that Freud viewed men as superior to women. However, views of certain authors agree with Freud that men tend to have superiority over women in certain aspects. It is further concluded that the defence mechanisms explained by Freud are of utmost importance to every human being. It is true that these mechanisms are both unconscious and conscious.
References
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