The Life & Times of the Author i.e.…why authors can’t keep their life experiences from being reflected in their books…

Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud

Who was this guy? A Czech-Austrian Jew (& Atheist) Lived from Interested in Darwinian theories of evolution Trained as a doctor of neurology (brain & its impulses) & psychiatry (mental disorders) Did a fellowship using hypnosis as a way of curing, “hysterical” or anxious patients

The Change That Made Him Famous Opened own practice using hypnosis Felt it was ineffective Thought that talking about problems was more effective…created “talk therapy” or “the talking cure” Through “talk” felt that patients could “release” emotional energy that had been “repressed”…thus beginning to develop his own theories of human psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis = The study of the mind Comes through discussion (of dreams, memories, associations, etc) between patient and analyst Undertaken in order to heal mental illness And, hopefully to cure any “psychosomatic” physical illnesses (illnesses that originate in the mind) He became the first theorist to write about non- biological approaches to illness

Overtime, Freud developed theories about the mind, human behavior, & how to treat people… Areas (or Organization) of the mind MotivationsInstincts Anxiety Defense Mechanisms Therapy

Areas of the Mind…

They said ONE … He said THREE Areas of Consciousness Areas of Consciousness

1. The Conscious Mind or the “right here, right now” mind… 1. The Conscious Mind or the “right here, right now” mind…

2. The Preconscious Mind or the “all I need is a reminder” mind 2. The Preconscious Mind or the “all I need is a reminder” mind

3. The Unconscious Mind Supposedly the largest part of mind – full of motives, instincts, anxieties, memories, dreams, neuroses, etc. *According to Freud, this part controls most of what we do.* this part controls most of what we do.*

So then, according to Freud, what are some of our MOTIVATORS?

1.The Id: The Desirer Immediate needs and basic urges - food, water, shelter and sex.

And, in the conscious mind…

2. The Ego: The Enabler Your reason – the part of your mind that figures out how to get what your id wants

3. The Superego: The Controller Your sense of right and wrong. Controls impulses of the id, and guides the ego with your morals & those of society

What 2 INSTINCTS do we have in the unconscious mind?

The Life Instinct The desire to survive at all costs The desire to spread your genes – libido – so that part of you will survive.

2. The death instinct An unconscious wish to escape life’s harshness through death, to return to calm

ANXIETY “Why am I so stressed out?!” Three reasons…

1. Real Anxiety Scary stuff in the here and now – big hairy spider crawling across your face. That’s real anxiety.

2. Moral Anxiety Your id says “gimme food/water/women/men”. Your ego says, “Here’s how to get food/water/women/men”. But your superego says, “Dude, what you’re doing - that’s just not right, Dude!” That’s moral anxiety.

3. Neurotic Anxiety (hiding in the (hiding in the unconscious) unconscious) Your id feels like it may overwhelm you and you’ll “lose it” and kill someone, or ravish them, or go mad and end up in an asylum. That’s neurotic anxiety. Mostly, you don’t know why it’s there…

That’s why it’s said to be UNCONSCIOUS

So, how do we protect ourselves from moral and neurotic anxiety? Defense Mechanisms

1. Denial This simply isn’t happening…

2. Repression Inability to recall a threatening situation or event

3. Reaction Formation Taking the opposite belief or feeling because the true belief or feeling causes anxiety.

4. Intellectualization Avoiding unacceptable emotions by focusing on the intellectual aspects.

5. Displacement Redirection of an impulse onto a substitute target

Displacement

6. Projection Tendency to see your own unacceptable desires in other people.

7. Undoing “Magical” rituals that cancel out unpleasant thoughts after they’ve occurred.

8. Regression Movement back in psychological time when we are faced with stress.

9. Sublimation Transformation of negative impulses into socially acceptable, productive forms.

The Treatment…

Therapy The goal: to “make the unconscious conscious”, relieving anxiety and curing personality disorders. Some approaches…

1. A relaxed atmosphere Hence the couch!

2. Free association When relaxed the client is encouraged to talk about anything at all.

3. Resistance When defense mechanisms give the therapist clues to unconscious problems

4. Dream analysis Dreams provide clues to problems clues to problems of the unconscious of the unconscious

5. Parapraxis a.k.a. the “Freudian slip” – no mistake is innocent

6. Projective tests tests e.g. The Rorschach test: What do you see?

7. Transference Getting angry with your therapist is encouraged… as long as you don’t punch him/her.

8. Catharsis A sudden outpouring of emotion when trauma is raised from the unconscious. Therapists provide tissues.

9. Insight Consciously coming to terms with sources of anxiety, disorder and trauma.

What does Freud and Psychoanalysis have to do with the Salinger and Catcher in the Rye?

1. Freud’s theory is ALL ABOUT the individual He inspired 20 th century thinkers to look inside themselves & into their pasts to understand themselves and how they acted.

2. Salinger and Freud Salinger’s world show clues of influence by Freud’s ideas. Remember: Remember: Salinger suffered a mental breakdown after assisting survivors of the concentration camps in WWII.

3. Holden and Freud At the age of 13, Holden loses his younger brother He has been through three schools in three years He does not appear to be coping with his brother’s death Was Allie’s death a trigger for his present trauma?

Conclusion Freud had a huge influence on writers in the early 20 th century Salinger was in therapy due to a mental breakdown A writer’s own history will probably influence his writing