Psychoanalytic Criticism
Psychoanalytic criticism is defined as �a form of literary criticism which uses some of the techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature. Psychoanalysis itself is a form therapy which aims to cure mental disorders �by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind�� (Barry, 92). In other words, it is an approach in which literature is analyzed from a psychological standpoint and the analyzer aims to �investigate� the reasons behind the character�s or characters� actions.
Psychoanalysis is classically carried out by having �the patient talk freely, in such a way that the repressed fears and conflicts which are causing the problems are ...
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unconscious. The �idea of repression�, is linked to this, and is � �forgetting� or ignoring of unresolved conflicts, unadmitted desires, or traumatic past events, so that they are forced out of conscious awareness and into the realm of the unconscious. A similar process is [called] sublimation, whereby the repressed material is �promoted� into something grander or is disguised as something �noble�� (Barry, 92-3). Sublimation can be alternatively defined as �a defense mechanism where undesired or unacceptable impulses are transformed into behaviors which are accepted by society.� �For instance, sexual urges may be given sublimated expression in the form of intense religious experiences or longings� or an individual �experiencing extreme anger might take up kick-boxing as a means of venting frustration� Freud also �suggested a three-part�model of the psyche, dividing it into the ego, super-ego, and the id, these three �levels� of personality roughly corresponding to, ...
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such mechanism is projection, when aspects of ourselves (usually negative ones) are not recognized as part of ourselves but are perceived on or attributed to another; our own desires or antagonisms, for instance, may be �disowned� in this way� (Barry, 93-4)�. To illustrate, �if [one has] have a strong dislike for someone, [they] might instead believe that he or she does not like [them]� �Both these might be seen as defense mechanisms, that is as psychic procedures for avoiding painful admissions recognitions� (Barry, 94).
�Another such is screen memory, which is a trivial or inconsequential memory whose function is to obliterate a more significant one. A well-known example of ...
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Psychoanalytic Criticism. (2011, April 27). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Psychoanalytic-Criticism/98529
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"Psychoanalytic Criticism." Essayworld.com. April 27, 2011. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Psychoanalytic-Criticism/98529.
"Psychoanalytic Criticism." Essayworld.com. April 27, 2011. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Psychoanalytic-Criticism/98529.
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