FREUD'S THEORY AND STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

PRESENTATION

Freud's theory and the stream of consciousness

SOCIETY & culture

HISTORY

Edward VII (1901 to 1910): period of transitionGeorge V (1910-1936): turmoil Suffragette movement: (1918) right to vote for women of 30 years (later extended) Home Rule for Ireland World War I Colonies: British Commonwealth of Nations -> significant change Rise of Totalitarianisms: "-isms" era

Period of economic growth and technological progress Emancipation of women Rigid class system: middle class vs working class and economic inequalities The fragmented world of contemporary art: sense of loss of modern man in an alienated urban landscape and a widespread feeling of uncertainity

Culture

Freud and Jung: individual & psychoanalysis Albert Einstein: Theory of Relativity (1915) Extraordinary vitality in visual arts: Picasso, Duchamp, Matisse, Klee, Kandinskij, Munch

RELATIVITY in Literature

1. There's no only ONE truth, but many
2. Focus on SUBJECTIVITY
3. Disorientation and alienation
4. The individual search of himself and his place on the outside
5. The text become a realistic display of what is happening inside human mind

FREUD's iceberg theory

Freud related the mind to an iceberg. The small tip of the iceberg visible above water represents the conscious mind. The bulk of the iceberg below water represents the 90 percent of the mind filled with unconscious desires.

THE ICEBERG

Conscious: our thoughts and perceptions. Preconscious: our memories and stored knowledge. Uncoscious or Subconscious: our fears, immoral urges, irrational wishes, shameful experiences, selfish needs, unacceptable sexual desires.

3 COMPLEMENTARY parts of our personality: ID, EGO AND SUPEREGO

1) The Id: is the unconscious part of the mind that wants immediate gratification for primitive urges, such as hunger, thirst, and sex. Freud believed the Id is present from birth. It operates on the pleasure principle, or the instinctive drive to seek pleasure and avoid pain. 2) The SuperEgo: social interactions lead to the development of the ego and superego, to control the instinctual id. The superego is the part of the mind that acts as the conscience and moral compass; it tells a person how to behave, strives for perfection, and judges behavior. The superego produces feelings of pride in accomplishments and guilt about shortcomings. It follows the morality principle. the Id and the superego act as two conflicting forces. 3) The Ego: develops from the Id during infancy. The ego's goal is to satisfy the demands of the Id in a safe a socially acceptable way. In contrast to the Id, the Ego follows the reality principle as it operates in both the conscious and unconscious mind. The third part of the mind is the ego, or the self, the rational part of a person seen by others. Freud believed the ego operates on the reality principle, attempting to satisfy the demands of the id by balancing internal urges with behavior that works in the real world. The ego finds a middle path between the id's primal desires and the judgement and guilt from the superego.

the iceberg theory: two examples

For example, the id might say, "I'm hungry, I need to eat now!" The superego argues, "You can't do that, you are in the middle of class right now," and the Ego compromises, "I will drink some water and chew a stick of gum and eat after class."

to gain further insight...

NEW LITERARY TECHNIQUE:

INTERIOR MONOLOGUE

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

FREE ASSOCIATIONS

Freud's techinique during psychoanalysis. Free flow of thoughts expressed not in a logical order with no censorship and release of the unconscious to the conscious surface

The individual talks to himself.The best way to represent emotions and thoughts. It can be direct or indirect (see other slides). In Italy: Pirandello & Svevo In Germany: Musil In Ireland and UK: Joyce & Woolf