Exploring texts through the human psyche. -...
Transcript of Exploring texts through the human psyche. -...
Exploring texts through the human psyche.
What is Psychoanalytical Theory? • A literary theory which looks at the
psychology present in the story
• Looks within and without the text
• Based in psychoanalysis- Sigmund Freud
• Everything goes back to the parents & childhood
Sigmund Freud -From Austria -Revolutionized ideas on how the human mind works
-Very controversial for his time -Theory: unconscious motives control behavior -One of the world’s most influential thinkers -Affected the areas of psychology, medicine, literature, and art
Parent Relationships
• Oedipus Complex
• Oedipus—Character in a Greek play
• Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother
• Freud says we go through this phase as a child
– Boys resent their fathers and love their mothers
– Girls resent their mothers and love their fathers
– This is a normal phase for children
– Prepares us for relationships later in life
Conscious & Unconscious Mind
• Conscious Mind—includes everything we are aware of
• Rational thinking
• Memories that we can access when we want to
• Unconscious Mind—a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, and memories outside of our conscious awareness
• Suppressed memories
• Unconscious mind influences us even though we are unaware
Elements of Personality • Part of Freud’s Theory of Psychoanalysis
• Personality is composed of three elements:
• The Id
• The Ego
• The Superego
• These elements work together to create the
complexity of human behaviors
Elements of Personality
• The Id:
• Present from birth
• Entirely unconscious
• Instincts
• “Pleasure Principle” – strives for immediate
gratification of all desires, wants, and needs
• Important early in life for survival
Elements of Personality • The Ego:
• Deals with reality
• Ensures that impulsive behaviors from the id are
expressed appropriately
• Acts like a filter to keep wants and desires in check
Elements of Personality • The Superego:
• Holds our moral standards
• Shaped and influenced by parents and society
• Begins to emerge around age 5
• Perfects and civilizes our behavior
Elements of Personality • Balance!
• Balance between the id, the ego, and the superego
is key to a healthy personality
• What might happen if an adult’s id was stronger
that the ego or superego?
• What might happen if an adult’s superego
suppressed the id completely?
Ok, sooo….what does all that mean?
• Everything possesses meaning-EVERYTHING!
• What the characters do
• What the characters say
• Symbolism—
– Names
– Settings
– Occupations
Connect to The Lion King • Explore the relationship between Mufasa and
Simba and the relationship between Mufasa and Scar. Discuss Oedipus Complex themes in The Lion King.
Connect to The Lion King • When Simba repeatedly disobeys Mufasa as a
child, what level of consciousness do you think his behavior is coming from?
Connect to The Lion King • Many people think that the three hyenas
symbolize Freud’s Elements of Personality. Explain why they might think that.
Connect to The Lion King • Which element of personality is Simba
exhibiting when he is living in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa? What element of personality is Nala representing when she finds Simba?