Truth can often be expressed through the means of visual art. But even then the concept of truth, of authenticity, is disputed. The True and False Self is a combination of pathological perceptions that explains an individual’s sense of self, as well as the way in which defences are used (Winnicott, 1960). The False Self is a psychoanalytic theory, coined by D.W. Winnicott in order to explain the use of a defensive veneer. By comparison, the True Self is the theory that humans display an authentic self, a sense of realness. (Winnicott, 1960). In its most basic psychoanalytic form, the True Self refers to activities of the ego. Winnicott theorised that the false self develops in infancy and that the mother, the good-enough mother to be exact, plays a huge role in the competent development of the True and False Self. (Winnicott, 1960).
The exploration of both the true and false self is most apparent within works of art and culture. In fact, there is an underlying belief that visual art, painting, is a physical representation of the unconscious processes. This essay will cover one of those processes, the True and False Self (Winnicott, 1960).
“In the healthy individual who has a compliant aspect of the self but who exists and who is a creative and spontaneous being, there is at the same time a capacity for the use of symbols. In other words health here is closely bound up with the capacity of the individual to live in an area that is intermediate between the dream and the reality, that which is called the cultural life.” (Winnicott, 1960, p. 150).
Examination of dreams and reality is not only a speciality of the arts, but also one of psychoanalysis, the area from which the True and False Self concept arises. Therefore, for purpose...
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...ud’s painting of his baby daughter Bella is a touching display of the true self in its purest form, a baby simply sleeping. This is something of a rarity both in reality and in art (Winnicott, 2005). This particular painting is said to be the one containing Freud’s youngest sitter (Haag and Sharp, 2013). To highlight the child’s human nature with all of its flaws, the tone and texture of the skin in portrait cleverly pulls together all the ideas associated with ‘lived in’ skin. It is therefore no surprise to hear that the skin can be a window to the unconscious. “Every man has a secret life hiding from itself, meaning that it is dominated by an unconscious representation.” (Ulnik, 2008, p. 232). I believe that Freud’s painting of his baby daughter Bella is a display of the baby’s True Self, whilst concurrently being an exposure of Freud’s own True and False Self.
Artists in the Modern period illustrated the existential idea of individuality through visual imagery to convey the power of man and the fallacious influence of the external world. For instance, M.C. Escher’s noteworthy piece, Hand with Reflecting Sphere, epitomizes the idea of self-derived identity. The message of the piece revolves around the idea that when searching for meaning, one should look within. Specifically, this is seen in the imagery of the reflecting sphere, for as Escher gazes into the sphere to discover his purpose, he simply sees himself. Moreover, the artistic element of depth amplifies the effect as the highlighted image is the one of the author, further illustrating how, at a primal level, the one unwavering source of meaning is the spirit of the person itself. In addition, M.C. Escher implements the aesthetic quality of contrast, by overlaying the detailed reflection on top of an unrefined background. Furthermore, this bolsters the message, as the importance of reflection is shown to be greater than the mundane outside
The essay How You See Yourself by Nicholas Mirzoeff discusses the evolution of art. The author discusses the use of art to represent changing identities over the years including cultural practices and societal expectations. The selfie, according to Nicholas Mirzoeff’s essay, is the equivalent of a self-portrait in the previous centuries preceding the technological development required for the present day selfie. The essay explores the different periods and the significance of art, particularly self-portraits, the selfies of the time, and their development over time. The author focuses on different themes including heroism, gender definition, and the focus of an image. Mirzoeff effectively provides examples illustrating and reinforcing the themes he highlights in his essay.
Dreams occur every night. While they are not always remembered, it has been proven they transpire. So what is the importance of dreams? What do they say about the person? Antonio Marez, from Rudolfo Anaya's debut novel Bless Me, Ultima, has asked himself the same questions plenty of times.
Steven Winn. "PAINTING A PICTURE OF THE CREATIVE MIND / It's in this delicate negotiation of conscious choices and unconscious summons that art finds its form and communicative power :[FINAL Edition]. " San Francisco Chronicle 28 May 2007, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
In 1930, amidst the fields of rural America affected by the bitter realities of the Great Depression, Grant Wood preserved a piece of Americana that would resonate throughout history. Using meticulous brushstrokes, Wood captures the essence of a nation in hurt and triumph in his iconic painting, American Gothic. I will argue that the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood holds significant importance in art history due to its portrayal of American rural life during the Great Depression era, its exploration of national identity and values, and its lasting impact on American art and culture, symbolizing both tradition and modernity. The Great Depression was a severe economic downturn that burdened the United States, along with much of the world,
It is universally known that dreams are full of meanings and emotions. In Freud’s theory, all dreams are wish fulfillments or at least attempts at wish fulfillment. The dreams are usually presented in an unrecognizable form because the wishes are repressed. Freud proposes there are two levels in the structure of dreams, the manifest contents and the latent dream-thoughts. The manifest dream, a dream with understandable contents, is a substitute-formation that hides latent dream-thoughts, which are the abstract ideas in dreams. This translation of latent dream-thoughts to the manifest dream-content is defined by Freud as “dream-work”. Dream-work consists of certain types of transformation.
Based on On Dreams, written by Sigmund Freud, and Spellbound, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, provide the most psychological significant aspect of dreams through the theory of dreams made by Freud. I partially agree with Freud’s theory on dreams and the dreaming process. Dreams have the ability to form a bridge from reality to transfer over to the unconscious mindset. Throughout his article, On Dreams, he gives explanations behind his theory. The human psyche has a vital role in psychology, including the way humans interpret dreams and their sequence.
During prescientific days, dreams were interpreted as ‘manifestations’ of a ‘higher power’. Since the introduction of psychology, dreams have had 4 distinct interpretations. The first interprets dreams as a “liberation of the spirit from the pressure of external nature”. The second interprets dreams as “accidental disturbances from ‘internal organs’. The third interprets dreams as a foretelling of the future. The last interpretation is Freud’s. He interprets dream as an expression of subconscious desires.
During the transition from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, a psychologist named Sigmund Freud welcomed the new age with his socially unacceptable yet undoubtedly intriguing ideologies; one of many was his Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreams. Freud believed that dreams are the gateway into a person’s unconscious mind and repressed desires. He was also determined to prove his theory and the structure, mechanism, and symbolism behind it through a study of his patients’ as well as his own dreams. He contended that all dreams had meaning and were the representation of a person’s repressed wish. While the weaknesses of his theory allowed many people to deem it as merely wishful thinking, he was a brilliant man, and his theory on dreams also had many strengths. Freud’s theories of the unconscious mind enabled him to go down in history as the prominent creator of Psychoanalysis.
Works of art such as books, paintings, poems, and sculptures oftentimes are said to express the feelings, personalities, interests, and desires of their creator. One method for interpreting these details from books and other literary works is known as psychoanalytic literary analysis. This analysis seeks to identify the nature of relationships between characters as well as the author’s relationship with the characters. In the analyses the critic will discuss interactions between characters and with the author and often go so far as to make assertions about the author’s conscious and unconscious reasons for telling their story in the way they did. While psychoanalytic criticism is well accepted it is not without its own critics. At times it
In 2004–2005, the Penn Humanities Forum will focus on the topic of “Sleep and Dreams.” Proposals are invited from researchers in all humanistic fields concerned with representations of sleep, metaphors used to describe sleep, and sleep as a metaphor in itself. In addition, we solicit applications from those who study dreams, visions, and nightmares in art or in life, and the approaches taken to their interpretation. We also welcome proposals about the effects of dreaming on the dreamer, and the resulting emotions, behaviors, and actions taken or foregone in response to dreams. In this Forum on Sleep and Dreams, we will see how the diversity of academic disciplines can help answer important questions about sleep and dreaming—questions that may touch the basis of human intellect.
Sigmund Freud known to be the father of Psychoanalysis , contributed a large deal of this research on the construct of the unconscious mind. Freud valued the effect that the id, ego and superego had on a pe...
Paintings, like many forms of art, are very subjective—what one may find intriguing another may completely disagree. “Art is physical material that affects a physical eye and conscious brain” (Solso, 13). To glance at art, we must go through a process of interpretation in order to understand what it is we are looking at. Solso describes the neurological, perceptual, and cognitive sequence that occurs when we view art, and the often inexpressible effect that a work of art has on us. He shows that there are two aspects to viewing art: nativistic perception—the synchronicity of eye and brain that transforms electromagnetic energy into neuro-chemical codes—which is "hard-wired" into the sensory-cognitive system; and directed perception, which incorporates personal history—the entire set of our expectations and past experiences—and knowledge (Solso, preface)
Freud's often-controversial psychoanalysis was an attempt to explain the human psyche (mind) which is comprised of three components: the id, ego, and superego; and the conflict between these components shaped personality (Swanson, 1963, p. 14-16). He believed the ego is responsive to the id that developed at infancy. He also believed that defense mechanisms are unconsciously adopted to protect the ego from anxiety. He was convinced that anxiety was used to warn the ego of potential threats. He focused on internally held forces, including conflicts, biological dispositions, and sexual motivation for his theories (Macintyre, 1963, p. 98-99). He sought to address underlying issues in a person's life, and personal cha...
Important concepts in psychoanalysis are the id, superego, and ego. The id is an entirely unconscious and instinctual layer of an individual and operates on what is known as the “pleasure principle”, meaning it is constantly seeking immediate satisfaction. The ego is the component of the self that deals with reality and operates on the reality principle, which tries to satisfy the id’s needs in a much more socially and morally acceptable way. The superego is the last part to develop and this is what individuals learn from their surroundings, like society and the people ...