But back on topic. Sigmund Freud. The creator of the psychoanalytical way of analyzing. It has branched into the most popular uses in the psychologist world being the most used basis of psychology in the world. The basis of it derives from a few key points.
-The first being the unconscious which is divided into three other parts: descriptive, dynamic and system. Descriptive unconscious refers to mental life where people are not completely aware. Dynamic unconscious refers to the more specific function where memories are removed due to conflicting attitudes. The system unconscious was divided again into the second key point.
-Id, Ego and Superego. They are the functions/personalities of a person's semi-conscious meaning that they active in conscious and unconscious ways.
Id is the reference to the "Pleasure Principal" which overall says that your mind will instinctively avoid pain and search for pleasure.
Ego is the part that finds the balance between Id and Superego searching for compromising ways to deal with pleasure and structure presented to it.
Superego is the self gratifying and socially acceptable part of the semi-conscious. It is usually referred to as the actual "conscious".
-Psycho-sexual development is one of his most known theories. It involves several stages going as stated: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Oral dealing with birth to about 2 years old where the Id is the ruler of decisions and examining with the mouth is where the child's earliest memories are created. Anal starts from 1 and a half until about 3. Where compulsiveness is created based on the amount of cleanliness is enforced by the parents. Next is Phallic which deals with Oedipus and Electra complexes which start from 3 until about 5. The complexes are focused on trying to become head of household. The Electra complex makes the woman feel inferior to the males for their genitalia signifying power so in turn she seeks to become a mother. After that is the Latency stage where during age 5 until the end of puberty the child will make any of the former stages latent and find what is socially acceptable if no problems occur. Then after that the Genital stage occurs which is similar to the phallic stage but goes through a secondary adult thinking process where symbolic gratification is used such as creating a family and getting married to fulfill the Oedipus and Electra complexes.
-The Life and Death Drives. The simplest of his theories where the body aims fro two distinct feelings. The first to thrive and live and the second to remain in a state of calm and eventually staying in the calm (death).
All these are present in using a Freudian lens to analyze a work of literature. Making sure you realize the characters unconscious motives, where they derived from, what part of the life it's in and if it's being the affecter and if the moment is directed towards life or death. It is actually very simple when put into 4 concise versions isn't it?
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