Expansions on Freud

1
Expansions on Freud

• Freuds modern relevance, PsychoDarwinism Lacan

2
Pro's and Con's

• Cons
•  
• scientifically weak
•  
• biology is destiny, no cultural recognition
•  
• misogynistic
•  
• pessimistic view of humanity

• Pros
•  
• recognition of unconscious motivations
• issues in childhood can have long lasting
  influence
• importance of parents in
• moulding their children
• importance of anxiety and mechanisms used to
  avoid it

3
Modern Developments

• Empirical testing - Fisher Greenberg (1996)
• Support for Oral and Anal Personalities
• Support for Origins of Depression and Paranoia
• Blindsight
• Drive theory (Eros Thanatos) reborn as
  cognitive emotion theory (Otley Johnson-Laird,
  1987). 5 basic emotions
• 1anxiety 2sadness 3disgust 4anger
  5happiness
• Dreams - link between brain structures
  responsible for biological emotions and
  motivations and the structures responsible for
  dreaming. (Solms, 1997)

4
Links between Freud Darwin

• Freud highly influenced by "The Expressions of
  Emotions in man and animals"
• Freud recognised "archaic heritage", unconscious
  drives that were inherited from our ancestors.
• Freud also recognised that that man might be seen
  as a "vehicle for his germplasm.... receiving
  pleasure as his reward" .  
• Freud saw our sexual drive as the force behind
  the ID.
• Freud believed that the parents treatment of
  their children shaped their psychological
  development.

• Darwin wrote the The Expressions of Emotions in
  man and animals"
• Darwin recognised instinctual drives that are
  inherited from our parents.
• Darwinian theory sees evolution as a process
  where success is rewarded by the ability to pass
  on your genes.
• Darwin saw the need to reproduce as the most
  significant drive in an organisms life.
• Darwin recognised that parents might also pass on
  instincts to their children.

5
PsychoDarwinism The Unconscious

• The unconscious developed as a place to hide
  those traits which were undesirable to society
• undesirability threat our reproductive chances.
  
• Other things might be hidden in the unconscious
  as a way of preventing us from tampering with
  them. 

6
PsychoDarwinism the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO

• The ID, EGO and SUPEREGO could all be
  re-interpreted in adaptive terms.
• ID - the basic biological drive to reproduce
• SUPEREGO - a monitor of those of societies rules
  that are relevant to attracting a mate.
• EGO - an executive to balance the adaptive
  priorities of the ID's drive demands and the
  SUPEREGOs rules.

7
Narcissism as an adaptive quality

• Freud said that
• The libido might become focused on the ego to
  produce self-love or narcissism.
• This is more likely prior to sexual maturity and
  drops off dramatically afterwards.
• Is this adaptive?
• Narcissism is negatively correlated with
  risk-taking or self-sacrificing behaviour.
• People rate Narcissism as an unattractive quality
  in a mate.

8
Lacanian Psychoanalysis

• Jaques Lacan
• 1901 1981
•  
• Reinterpret Freud in light of
• structuraist and
• post-structuralist philosophies.
•  
• Moves away from biological and emphasises
  cultural and linguistic forces.
• Biology is interpreted and interacts with the
  world around it through language and discourse.

9
Lacanian Unconscious

• Lacan believed we use language to express our
  desires, but that language can never quite
  express our desires.
• He also believed that we do not completely
  control the language that we speak and as a
  result we are somewhat at it's mercy.
• The unconscious
• arises as a function of the language we use.
• exists between people, not within the individual.
  
• Is structured, a coherent self, not a place of
  dark regressive tendencies.

10
Lacan and the Ego

• Between 6 and 18 months go through the mirror
  stage.
• They see themselves in a mirror and achieve
  identification by recognising that the person in
  the mirror is them.
• But the identification is a false one as the
  image in the mirror is not us (it conceals our
  flaws, e.g. we are weak and uncoordinated at that
  age).

11
Lacan and the Ego

• This identification forms the basis of our
  identity it is the birth point of the ego
• So whats wrong with that?
• It is based on a false identification
• Thus the ego alienates use from our true selves.
• This illusion doesn't match reality it needs
  constant propping up (ego defences)
• As such the role of analysis should not be the
  reinforcing of these defences but tearing them
  down.

12
Conclusions

• Freud is relevant
• Freudian theory has evidence to support it and
  integrates with much existing research
• Psychoanalytic theory continues to develop and
  evolve.

13
Further Reading

• Sarup, M. (1992) Jaques Lacan. Harvester
• Wheatsheaf. (Hope Liv)
• Fisher, S., Greenberg, R.P., (1978) The
  scientific evaluation of Freud's theories and
  therapy a book of readings Harvester, Brighton
  (Liv)
• Badcock, C. (1995) PsychoDarwinism The new
  synthesis of Darwin and Freud. Harper
• Colins. (Hope Liv)

14
References Links

•  Fisher, S., Greenberg, R.P. (1996). Freud
  scientifically reappraised Testing the theories
  and the therapy. New York Wiley.
• Oatley, K. Johnson-Laird, P.N. (1987) Towards a
  cognitive theory of emotions. Cognition and
  Emotion, 1, 29 50.
• Solms, M. (1997). The neuropsychology of dreams.
  Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum.
• The Psychologist Vol 13, Part 12 (Dec 2000) -
  Special Edition on Freud
• http//www.bps.org.uk/index.cfm?F308855C-306E-1C7F
  -B651-31728A71313Efuseactioninc_volumeeditioned
  ition51volume13Publication_ID1
• www.lacan.com American Lacanian Supporters
•  
• www.lacan.org