The Ego and the Id (The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud)

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  A book which is a landmark in Freudian thought. This short work expounds the conflicts and antinomies occurring between Eros and the death-instinct, first introduced in his 'Beyond the Pleasure Principal' and proceeds to demarcate his later theories of the id, ego and super-ego (the ego ideal) which subsumes his earlier work on the unconscious, preconscious, etc. A bit laden with terminology, but a seminal work that I'm sure I'll be reading again.

  Now any mention of this author will likely... (show more)

  A book which is a landmark in Freudian thought. This short work expounds the conflicts and antinomies occurring between Eros and the death-instinct, first introduced in his 'Beyond the Pleasure Principal' and proceeds to demarcate his later theories of the id, ego and super-ego (the ego ideal) which subsumes his earlier work on the unconscious, preconscious, etc. A bit laden with terminology, but a seminal work that I'm sure I'll be reading again.

  Now any mention of this author will likely evoke guffaws, trenchant condescenions and retorts such as: 'Oh well I prefer Carl Jung'. A sad lot and legacy for a man whose intricacies of mind can only be properly considered after many a laborious hour of erudition and self-contemplation. I for one find this sort of thoughtless vehemency only in support of the theories of this brilliant and dynamic author

  I could go on to point out popular misconceptions and etcetera but I think what it comes down to is that the lot of man prefers his philosophy on a bumper sticker and his reflection a warm, reminiscent ambiguity; a vague concept of Eastern thought or, even more, a absent minded pretense given them by the muddled inanities of '68, who want every story to end in 'strawberry fields forever...'

  Freud paints a dark cloud on a cerulean sky, not of self-renunciation but of explication. He does not tell you to follow your heart or to 'go by your gut' (the pleasure principal of the id placated by the ego) or to find religion, or even agnosticism (the ego-ideal, where the idea of God is set up in place of the father after childhood, compensating for the dissolution of the Oedipus complex).

  Freud does not assert to know the whole of this picture, he merely sheds a light. He opens a door and with every word he leaves it open and those uninquiring minds who shun these words before even setting eyes upon the page only do so lest they find themselves. (show less)

   

  by Glenn Maur on Oct 28, 2009 at 11:21AM

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  Presuppositions: “Consciousness and the Unconscious”
  Great Book The Ego and the Id are built upon the presupposed existence of conscious and unconscious thoughts. On the first line, Freud states, “[About consciousness and the unconscious] there is nothing new to be said... the division of mental life into what is conscious and what is unconscious is the fundamental premise on which psycho-analysis is based” (9). He further distinguishes between two types of unconscious thoughts: “preconsciou... (show more)

  Presuppositions: “Consciousness and the Unconscious”
  Great Book The Ego and the Id are built upon the presupposed existence of conscious and unconscious thoughts. On the first line, Freud states, “[About consciousness and the unconscious] there is nothing new to be said... the division of mental life into what is conscious and what is unconscious is the fundamental premise on which psycho-analysis is based” (9). He further distinguishes between two types of unconscious thoughts: “preconscious” ideas, which are latent yet fully capable of becoming conscious; and “unconscious” ideas, which are repressed and cannot become conscious without the help of psychoanalysis.

  It would be overly simple to assume that the unconscious and the conscious map directly onto the id and the ego, respectively. Freud argues that (according to his work with psychoanalysis) the supposedly conscious ego can be shown to possess unconscious thoughts (16) when it unknowingly resists parts of itself. Thus, a third kind of unconscious thought seems to be necessary, a process that is neither repressed nor latent (18), but which is nonetheless an integral part of the ego: the act of repression.

  If this is true, Freud argues that the idea of “unconsciousness” must be reevaluated: contrary to prior belief, human psychodynamics cannot be fully explained by a tension between unconscious and conscious thoughts. A new framework is required, one that further examines the status of the ego. (show less)

   

   

  by Feliciano Tapini on Jul 31, 2009 at 06:38AM

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