Freudian psychoanalysis is dead. Murdered initially in the manner of Caesar, with multiple assassins impaling the theory with their attacks. Simone de Beauvoir was one of the assassins, early to the regicide with a blade forged from positivism, existentialism, and feminism; but certainly not the first to deliver a blow. The echoes of the passing of Freudian psychoanalysis reverberate to this day, as does Caesar’s influence. The influence of Freudian psychoanalysis can be seen throughout western society, even in the assassins’ existentialist and feminist descendants. "…when beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes"1 This essay will place Beauvoir’s criticism of Freudian Psychoanalysis (FP), The Psychoanalytic Point of View in context by discussing criticisms of FP made prior to Beauvoir’s work as well as those made after. Through this analysis, Beauvoir’s work will be portrayed as influenced by the spirit of the age in which it arose. This essay will show her criticisms of Freud to be only partially informed given postmodern hindsight. However, her work is still applicable today, as other scholars did not seriously echo several of Beauvoir’s criticisms until forty years after they were espoused. Criticism of Freud Prior to The Second Sex “And public reasons shall be rendered of Caesar's death.” Adler, Jung, and Horney; initial adherents of FP, were three of the first people to realize the shortcomings of FP. All three argued that FP was inadequate in a variety of ways. Adler emphasized the social and political factors that shape people’s lives, while Jung argued for a greater focus on the self and the impact of spirituality (Mitchell & Black, 1996 p. 21). Ho... ... middle of paper ... ... York: Basic Books. Sartre, J. (1981). Being and nothingness: an essay in phenomenological ontology /by Jean-Paul Satre; translated and with an introduction by Hazel E. Barnes. New York: Philosophical Library. Shakespeare, W. (2007). Julius Caesar [electronic resource] / William Shakespeare. Chandni Chowk, Delhi: Global Media, 2007. Thompson, 2007 PAGE NUMBER Webster, R. (1996). Why Freud was wrong: sin, science, and psychoanalysis. London: Harper Collins. Zakin, E. "Psychoanalytic Feminism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (Ed.), Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/feminism-psychoanalysis/ 1 All quotes in greyed boxes are taken from Shakespeare, W. (2007). Julius Caesar [electronic resource] / William Shakespeare. Chandni Chowk, Delhi: Global Media, 2007.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” Elements of Literature: Kylene Beers. Austin: Holt, 2009. 842-963. Print.
The Web. The Web. 25 Nov. 2013. http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/273442>. The "Julius Caesar."
Shakespeare, William. "The Death and Life of Julius Caesar." www.shakespeare.mit.edu. N.P., n.d. Web. 22 Feb 2016. ;.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”. Elements of Literature. Ed. Deborah Appleman. 4th ed. Texas: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2009. 843-963.
Cook, James Wyatt “Caesar, Julius” ” Encyclopedia of Ancient Literature, New York: Facts on File. 2008 Bloom’s Literature Webb May 4, 2014
Allen, Janet. "Julius Caesar." Holt McDougal Literature. Orlando, FL: Holt McDougal/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Sigmund Freud is considered to be one of the most studied and respected historical figures in psychology. Freud has had a huge impact on the way we think today. He also is responsible for creation psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud is even known as the “father of psychoanalysis”. Through endless contentious theories such as, the Case of Anna O, the Unconscious Mind, the Psyche, and the most infamous of his theories, the Psychosexual stage, Freud has generated many fans and supporters. His works has earned him a place in the list of psychology legends today.
Sigmund Freud believed that he “occupies a special place in the history of psychoanalysis and marks a turning point, it was with it that analysis took the step from being a psychotherapeutic procedure to being in depth-psychology” (Jones). Psychoanalysis is a theory or therapy to decode the puzzle of neurotic disorders like hysteria. During the therapy sessions, the patients would talk about their dreams. Freud would analyze not only the manifest content (what the dreamer remembers) of the dreams, but the disguise that caused the repressions of the idea. During our dreams, the decision making part of personality’s defenses are lowered allowing some of the repressed material to become more aware in a distorted form. He distinguished between
Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: an Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2009. 92-115. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Elements of Literature. Ed. Edwina McMahon et al. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1997.
In psychoanalysis the therapist takes on the role of the expert, listening and interpreting Ana’s free associations from her unconscious process. The therapist role is to discover what is real and what is not real. The therapist is not to have an agenda and to remain passive and only engage when interpreting something Ana has stated (Murdock,
Bloom, Harold. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Chelsea House Publisher; Connecticut, New York, & Pennsylvania. 1988, Pg. #33 - 36
By considering such arguments, psychoanalysis can be said to have no ultra fundamental meaning when assessing an author’s work. For former advocate of this analysis, Frederic...
Kittredge, George Lyman. Introduction. Antony and Cleopatra. By William Shakespeare. Waltham, MA: Blaisdell Publishing Company, 1966.
Many feminist critics have perceived Freud to be an active force in Victorian gender politics that claim women's inferiority. His attitudes towards women, as reflected in his psychoanalyses, consciously reflect the patriarchal assumptions of Victorian society, but unconsciously reject gender roles and stereotypes about women. Freud is therefore complicit in accepting sexist perceptions of women, but is not a perpetrator who attempts to entrench patriarchy by portraying women as inferior. Because Freud is a victim of the prevalent stereotypes of society, feminist critics are unwarranted in characterizing him as an instigator of female degradation. Rather, his skewed perceptions reflect the male-chauvinist beliefs of his surroundings and influences. Freud's relationships with his female patients indicate that he simultaneously identifies with and fails to understand women. In identifying with women patients, Freud demonstrates concern for the underlying causes of psychological affliction, namely the constricting nature of gender roles. This fixation with the feminine complaint is exemplified in particular by Freud's dream of Irma and his case study of Dora, two recalcitrant female patients who refuse to accept his theories. Freud's failure to completely understand his female patients, however, indicates that he has begun to question patriarchal assumptions by realizing that fulfillment of stereotypically female roles leaves women unfulfilled. Unfortunately, he has not acted upon this realization because he consciously sees women through the clouded lens of Victorian bias. Because Freud fails to bring his unconscious desire to reject gender roles to the conscious surface, he never completely frees h...