Emmeline Leggett

Ms. Simchak
English D
3.11.14

Sigmund Freud: The Father of Psychoanalysis
After writing a book, The Interpretation of Dreams, and researching the human mind
nearly his entire life, Sigmund Freud is regarded as the father of psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalysis is based on psychological theory and is a therapy system that uses the
interactions between the conscious and unconscious mind to try and treat mental disorder.
Freud believed the human psyche is separated into three parts: the id, the ego, and the
superego. The three parts combined make up a person's conscious and unconscious mind.
Any imbalances among these three parts could cause a mental disorder, and treatment
included ways to try and reestablish the balance.
The id is the oldest portion of the psychical apparatus. It is inherited, and it exists at
birth. It is said to be the most important throughout a person's life; therefore, Freud first
started investigating psychoanalysis by studying the id. The id is made up of all the
inherited parts of a person's personality such as the life instinct, eros, and the death
instinct, thanatos. As an unconscious and impulsive section of our psyche, it responds
immediately to instincts. A newborn baby is born with the id intact, and later develops the
other portions of its psyche. The id demands satisfaction as soon as possible, and when it is
satisfied a person experiences pleasure. When it becomes unsatisfied, a person experiences
displeasure or pain. The id is not affected by reality, the everyday world, or logic. It
operates on Freud's idea of the "pleasure principle." This is the idea that every impulse or
need a person feels should be satisfied immediately. The id does not consider
consequences; thus, it thinks irrationally, and it is fantasy oriented.

Freud described the ego as "a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the
superior strength of the horse [the horse being the id]." The ego acts as the mediator
between the fantasy driven id and the real world. It is the part of the personality that
makes decisions. The ego works according to Freud's idea of the "reality principle." It
works by reason, and it works out realistic ways to satisfy the id's usually unrealistic
desires. Often times it needs to postpone or even diminish the satisfaction the id craves,
avoiding negative consequences. The ego seeks pleasure, like the id, and avoids pain, yet
unlike the id, it considers the consequences before attempting to obtain this pleasure. The
id's power is superior to the ego, yet the ego's job is to direct the id in the correct direction.

The superego adheres to the values and morals that the child learns through his
parents and other people in his life. It develops between the ages of three and five. Its main
job is to control the inappropriate commands and impulses that the id produces, such as
aggression. It also turns the ego's unrealistic goals into simple, realistic ones. The superego
is made up of two parts: the conscience and the ideal self. The conscience is what causes a
person to feel guilt. Guilt is the superego's way of punishing the ego. For instance, if the ego
gives into the id's unacceptable command, the superego will punish it through guilt. The
ideal self, otherwise known as the ego-ideal, is the person's idea of what he should strive to
be like. It includes the correct ways to behave in his society, his career goals, and the right
ways to treat other people. The superego punishes a person if he contradicts his ideal self
through guilt; yet, it also awards him through pride when he 'behaves properly.' Both the
ideal self and conscience are developed according to the parental values the child
experiences.

Using his idea of the mind, Freud attempted to understand and treat disorders such
as hysteria, a condition from which many of his patients suffered. They had an inability to
use a certain limb or organ, yet it had no apparent physical cause. Today, this condition
would be diagnosed as psychosomatic. Freud developed his own methods and resources in
order to treat hysteria for he found hypnosis had little to no effect. For instance, he decided
to treat his patients by seating them on a couch and asked them about their past. Freud
believed all adults are influenced by childhood events. After realizing many hysterics were
women, he began to brainstorm theories why this was so. He believed this had to do with
the bond the father and daughter formed at a young age. Freud argued that every child is
attracted to the parent of the opposite sex. The male child who looks for intimacy from his
mother usually receives it due to a mother's nurturing nature. The female child who craves
intimacy from her father is often turned down, for a father tends to be more stern and less
nurturing toward his children, regardless of the sex. As the female child gets older, she
develops a worshipful attitude toward her father and gets hurt when he does not
reciprocate the tenderness and affection. When the woman is an adult, these issues with
her father reappear in the form of hysteria.

Freud also developed an interest in analyzing dreams. He believed that dreams, and
slips of the tongue, are concealed desires, constantly conflicting within a person. He
attempted to explain why these desires are unintentionally expressed on occasion.
Unconscious acts, such as dreams and slips of the tongue, reveal concealed wishes a person
would rather not directly face. Freud decided the human mind represses thoughts, fears,
and desires that could be harmful and cause anxiety. Yet, repression is not completely
successful for Freud believed there is the "return of the repressed." These thoughts and
desires are expressed through dreams, Freudian slips, or slips of the tongue, and even
jokes.
Although Freud's theories cannot be scientifically proven, many of his methods have
been proven effective, and his ideas of psychoanalysis are still used to treat disorders and
study the human mind in the modern world.










Bibliography: Works Cited
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Gay, Peter. An Outline of Psycho Analysis. Trans. James Strachey. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, n.d. Print.
McLeod, Saul. "Id, Ego and Superego." Simply Psychology. N.p., 2008. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
Paley, Alan L. Sigmund Freud Father of Psychoanalysis. Charlotteville: SamHar, 1974. Print.
"Sigmund Freud: Conflict & Culture." Library of Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/freud/freud02a.html>.