Freud and the Unconscious Essay Example for Free

Freud and the Unconscious Essay Few theories hold more intrigue than that of human psychology. Throughout history, many have sought to decode the structure of the mind. Amongst those who were determined to investigate the nature of psychic material, one of the most prominent remains Sigmund Freud (also known as â€Å"the archaeologist of the mind†). Freud had very pronounced views on the innate components of human psychology, within which one idea remained central the ‘unconscious’ mind; he uses this concept to make sense of phenomenons such as that of parapraxes. In his essay, â€Å"The Unconscious†, Freud introduces a unique perception of human thought, action, interaction and experience. He details a state of dualism that exists in our psychical life in stating, â€Å"consciousness includes only a small content, so that the greater part of what we call conscious knowledge must in any case be for very considerable periods of time in a state of latency, that is to say, of being psychically unconscious† (2). He argues that although we are blind to our unconscious mind, it determines a greater part of our behavioural being and participates just as much as psychical activity as our conscious mind. Freud also adds, â€Å"In every instance where repression has succeeded in inhibiting the development of affects, we term those affects ‘unconscious’† (7). He states that the unconscious is where repressed desires are stored, ideas that are suppressed from surfacing into the realm of our awareness e. g. we recognise our emotions we ‘feel’ because they have moved from amongst the elements of the unconscious mind to the conscious mind. The notion of â€Å"what you see is not all there is†, of the uncertainty of appearance or self-knowledge is a message that identifies very well with Freud’s theory of the unconscious. Freud’s arguments entail that a significant reality (and â€Å"most importantly† he would most likely say) exists in that which is intangible. He claimed that the unconscious could not be realized by the individual themselves through introspection, but is potentially made possible during psychoanalysis. In â€Å"The Unconscious†, Freud states, â€Å"[it transforms] into a qualitatively different quota of affect, above all into anxiety; or it is suppressed† (7), alluding that the unconscious mind, or rather a conflict between conscious and the unconscious intentions is the root of neurotic or histrionic behaviour. Thus, not only did he perceive psychoanalysis as a useful tool for uprooting unconscious ideas, but the very understanding of the concept played a central role to the successful treatment of his patients (that is to say, that Freud believed that he could lead his patient to recovery by making aware the unconscious idea that is conflicting with the individual’s consciousness). Freud believed that naturalized phenomenons such as innocent ‘mistakes’ (â€Å"parapraxes†) or the state of dreaming were in fact meaningful and were indications of the active unconscious, an idea which echoes to the notion of conscious and unconscious communications which we discussed in the second week of class that in both forms there were â€Å"logical relations†. This is the essence of Freud’s belief that there is psychical process in every movement or act (whether in a state of wakefulness or asleep/acts that are intended of ‘unintended’), which is to say that order exists in every action including the seemingly ‘disconnected’. With reference to this notion, he famously claimed that parapraxes (slip of the tongue, mishearing, forgetting, memory loss) were significant phenomenons worthy of interpretation, because they were evidence that the unconscious mind exists. In â€Å"Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis†, Freud explains his view in which the unconscious plays a significant role in the phenomenon of parapraxes. Though parapraxes are often disregarded as â€Å"small failures of functioning, imperfections in mental activity† (28), he explains, â€Å"They are not chance events but serious mental acts; they have a sense† (44). Before moving on interpret what Freud meant by this, it seems useful to first introduce an idea which Louis Althusser presents in â€Å"Lacan and Freud† (which was also touched upon in class), in which he states: â€Å"the ‘effects’, prolonged in the surviving adult, of the extraordinary adventure that, from birth to the liquidation of the Oedipus complex, transforms a small animal engendered by a man and a woman into a little human child† (22). The transformation that Althusser describes resonates with a sense of ‘humanization’ whereby a feral being is tamed by society and progresses into a ‘human’ existence; it alludes to the ultimate sacrifice that is made by the primitive soul in order to survive amongst civilization [the desire for instinctual satisfaction]. Keeping Althusser’s portrayal in mind, perhaps it could be said, then, that the unconscious manifests impulses whose intentions are deemed ‘too disturbing’ or unfitting with civil behaviour. This conforms to Freud’s argument that a ‘spontaneous’ or unexplainable error is an indication of a compromise between two conflicting aims of the ‘disturbed’ and the ‘disturbing’ consciousness (44). By means of distortion or substitution, the irrational impulse disguises its intentions under an appearance of rationality. He communicates, essentially, that parapraxes should be interpreted less as â€Å"faulty acts†, but instead, should be considered as faulty achievements of our unconscious desires. He indicates this when he states, â€Å"the disturbing purpose only distorts the original one without itself achieving complete expression† (35). Freud theorizes that an inaccessible part of our mind the unconscious does exist and evidence of its reality is apparent, such as in the very happening of everyday pathologies, or â€Å"parapraxes†. He maintains the significance of the unconscious mind as a meaningful, valid psychical force that pursues its own intentions (its presence undeniable in its ability to elicit bodily responses). In the discovery of this, Freud stresses the idea that individuals should place more value in what we so often dismiss as ‘mistakes’, ‘accidental’ or ‘random’ behaviour, because there may be significant meaning to the obscured intentions they convey. On a different note, the underlying notion that there is no such thing as ‘involuntary’ acts or ideas, reinforces more than ever a disparate sociological thought: that we, as individuals, are truly and solely responsible for our own actions.

Therapeutic Benefits of Stem Cells Essay -- Science Health Technology

Therapeutic Benefits of Stem Cells A stem cell is a cell which can differentiate into any other type of cell in the body. It can become a blood cell, a liver cell, or even a nerve cell. The only problem with stem cells is that they can only be found in the bone marrow of living humans or the gonadal tissue of developing fetuses. There are many people who believe that stem cells are the miracle cure for cancer, Parkinson’s, and many other terminal diseases, but there are large groups of people opposed to the use of stem cells because of the means by which they are attained. This debate will go on indefinitely, because there are prodigious amounts of support for both sides of the issue. The many benefits of stem cells out weigh the ethical issues behind the retrieval methods. There are many diseases that can be cured with stem cells. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a disorder in which the â€Å"nerve cells which operate muscles degrade over time† (Langreth, 2001). There is no certain cure for the disease, but â€Å"embryonic stem cells have been known to differentiate into motor neurons† (Langreth, 2001). The fact that stem cells can become motor neurons is astonishing because they can lead to a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The possibility of curing this disease has many positive implications. Before, anyone who developed this condition was labeled as â€Å"dead† because there was no possibility of curing the disorder. The fact that we have a chance to cure this disease through the use of stem cells gives the people who suffer from the disease a glimmer of hope that they can be cured. Another disease which can possibly be cured through the use of stem cells is X-SCID. X-SCID is an X-linked immunodeficiency that is genet ically inherited... ...5F0+ds+%5Fs%5F0+dstb+KS+fcl+Aut+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00236207+sm+KS+ss+SO+C061&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1&+KS+so+b+ss+SO+C495&cf=1&fn=311&rn=319 4. Langreth, Robert. Daring to Live. Retrieved March 25, 2003 from http://web13.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=dbs+0+ln+en%2Dus+sid+EEDE302C%2DD4AF%2D4AE5%2D8E99%2D32B074FDD225%40sessionmgr3%2Dsessionmgr4+2762&_up=dba+aphdeh+st+alpha+43DB&_us=bs+ALS++AND++stem++cells+ds+ALS++AND++stem++cells+dstb+KS+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00282442+sm+KS+so+b+ss+SO+1F99&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1& 5. FDA Consumer. Temporary Halt on Gene Therapy Trials. Retrieved March 25, 2003 from http://web13.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=dbs+0+ln+en%2Dus+sid+EEDE302C%2DD4AF%2D4AE5%2D8E99%2D32B074FDD225%40sessionmgr3%2Dsessionmgr4+2762&_us=bs+X%2DSCID+ds+X%2DSCID+dstb+KS+gl+%5Fs%5F8+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00282749+sm+KS+so+b+ss+SO+CBEE&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1&

Marriage vs Living Together Essay

Marriage vs Living Together Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is also defined as the union between two people that are recognized by cultural or religious tradition. Older generations would feel that living together was disgraceful. The only way that living together was seen as acceptable was to be married. There are several differences between being married and living together such as the status in the government, status in the religious community, and status in each others eyes and each others families eyes. Television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that does not mean every non-white character on television represents a step forward. Some programs seem not to do anything but pump racial stereotypes into the public eye. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who is literally an object in a white lady’s house. Another example would be from the show called , â€Å"Rob Schneider†, This new comedy is about Rob Schneider’s character attempting to connect with his wife’s large Mexican family, most of whom do not like him. It seems as though he’s supposed to be a sort of Archie Bunker character who makes awful stereotypical jokes and then is promptly dismissed by, you know, reality, but in this world the stereotypes seem to be true – the members of Maggie’s family are almost entirely defined by their Mexican-ness, right down to the mute, diminutive grandmother with a shrine to Jesus in her bedroom. We’re all for more Latino characters in primetime, but this is a pretty horrifying way to do It. (Victoria Mcnally, mar. , 2012) Children movies, television shows, and commercials are not immune to the typical racial stereotyping. In our increasingly ever-changing society, children are deeply drawn into television viewing and their consumption of television programming varies by ethnicity. Ethnic portrayal in children’s advertising is an important public policy and self-regulatory topic that may influence children’s self-perception and brand perception. Another show that promotes stereotypical behavior in television programing would be the Glee Club, that s essentially a show about the performing arts and the arts have always had an association (earned or perceived) as being gay friendly. If a guy tells someone that they are a dancer, they will assume he is gay. Glee stereotypically has gay characters. In conclusion, even commercials such as tide have shown racial stereotypical antidotes in them for example have you seen the latest Tide commercial where a â€Å"sassy black woman† is sitting on a bench getting very annoyed with being told she cannot wear white jeans after Labor Day. She actually gets up, starts with the neck swivel and the hand, and says she will do whatever she wants because Tide will keep her jeans white, â€Å"Not white-ish, not eggshell, and not ecru, whatever that is. † But pure white. Just another way of showing that no matter what genre of television programming, stereotyping is a part of it. Mostly due to television trying to appeal to different types of audiences to include ethnicity, sex and age.

The Financial Crisis Of America - 1007 Words

Introduction In the end of the year 2007 onwards to the beginning of 2008, America experienced the financial crisis. This was something that took place in America and went on to affect the world at large. The financial crisis threatened to collapse the large financial institutions were in the country as a result of lack of funds. The global financial crisis, as it is known, lead to several problems including in the real estate industry where housing became a problem and it lead to evictions from properties as well as foreclosure of many different buildings both industrial and office property. According to Bernanke, (2013), it also led to a lot of unemployment in many industries which was not for a shot time but a prolonged period of time. This led to the levels of unemployment in the country increasing. It led to failure of key businesses in different sectors of the economy and this only made the effects to be felt harder on the consumers and ultimately reduced the consumer’s wealth in all the sectors. This also led to a liquidity crisis that affected most financial institutions. The main issue however was what exactly led to such a big problem that could affect many of the big developed countries and the businesses that they run. Events Preceding the Financial Crisis The events that led to the financial crisis had begun some seven years before in the year 2001. This was the year when the country almost went to a recession period. 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