Psychological Criticism

Psychological Criticism The application of specific psychological principles (particularly those of Sigmund Freud [1856-1939]) to the study of literature Psychological Criticism may focus on the writer's psyche, the study of the creative process, the study of psychological types and principles present within works of literature, or the effects of literature upon its readers

Psychological Criticism Most controversial, most abused, least appreciated form Emphasis on the unconscious aspects of the human psyche All human behavior is motivated ultimately by the prime psychic force, libido Because of the powerful social taboos attached to sexual impulses, many of our desires and memories are repressed

Psychological Criticism Freud's Model of the Psyche Id - completely unconscious part of the psyche that serves as a storehouse of our desires, wishes, and fears. The id houses the libido, the source of psychosexual energy. (Little Devil on the left) Superego - often thought of as one's "conscience"; the superego operates "like an internal censor [encouraging] moral judgments in light of social pressures“. (Little Angel on the right)

Psychological Criticism Freud's Model of the Psyche Ego - mostly to partially conscious part of the psyche that processes experiences and operates as a referee or mediator between the id and superego. Unconscious - the irrational part of the psyche unavailable to a person's consciousness except through dissociated acts or dreams.

Psychological Criticism Personal trauma = hidden, unacceptable fears Hidden, unacceptable fears or desires = internal conflict Ways in which internal conflict manifests itself: depression, emotional disturbance, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, obsessive behavior, “abnormal” sexual activity, etc.

Psychological Criticism Methods of Dealing with Internal Conflict: Denial: refusing to accept one’s unacceptable desires or fears, or refusing to accept a traumatic event. Repression: hiding one’s desires and fears in the unconscious Displacement: replacing an unacceptable object of one’s emotion Isolation: disconnecting one’s emotions from a traumatic event

Psychological Criticism Methods of Dealing with Internal Conflict: Sublimation: redirecting an unacceptable desire into a creative act Projection: placing one’s unacceptable or unworthy desires or fears onto another Intellectualization: avoiding one’s desires and fears by analyzing and rationalizing them – instead of feeling them Reaction Formation: believing the opposite is true to avoid facing the truth about a traumatic event

Psychological Criticism: What to Look For Instances of repression, isolation, sublimation, displacement, denial, projection, intellectualization, and/or reaction formation in the actions of characters Internal conflicts present in characters that cause them difficulty fitting into society or being happy Expressions of the unconscious in characters – dreams, voices, creative acts (or actions), slips of the tongue, jokes, etc. Descriptions of the unconscious in texts Patterns or repeated behavior in the text How a character’s identity is developed

Psychological Criticism Advantages Helpful for understanding works whose characters have psychological issues A valuable tool in understanding human nature, individual characters, and symbolic meaning Disadvantages Psychological criticism can turn a work into little more than a psychological case study, neglecting to view it as a piece of art Critics tend to see sex in everything, exaggerating this aspect of literature - some works simply do not lend themselves to this approach

Psychological Criticism Checklist of Psychological Critical Questions Why did the author create such a text? What may have been his/her unconscious motivations? Why did the character act a certain way? What may have been his/her unconscious motivations? How does your understanding of the characters, their relationships, their actions, and their motivations in a literary work help you better understand the mental world and imaginative life, or the actions and motivations of the author? To what extent can you employ the concepts of Freudian psychoanalysis to understand the motivations of literary characters?