Freuds Idea Regarding the Structural Model of Personality - Essay Example

You Are There Paper Haishan Luo Number: 998110262 XXXX 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, September, 1938. Dear YYYY After the lastdiscussion we had regarding the structures of personality developed by Sigmund Freud, I decided to travel to London. This is a topic that intrigues me considering the current developments in Europe where there is an emergence of totalitarian governments in some parts of Europe. Particularly, I am concerned about the ideas advanced by Adolf Hitler. With the advent of psychoanalysis as a way of understanding dysfunctional behaviors in humans, I have decided to visit the originator of this theory to learn more about the human psyche. Though I left in a hurry without informing you and other significant persons back home, I arrived safely and cannot wait to meet Freud at his home in Maresfield Gardens, London. It took me the whole day looking for a place to stay, but I managed to find a hostel along 20 Maresfield Gardens where I will be staying for the next three months. During my consultation with Freud’s assistant, I learned a brief history regarding Freud’s family background. Just to mention a few anecdotes regarding Freud’s family, his father is an authoritarian figure while Freud’s mother is a permissive type of parent1. On the other hand, while Freud has two brothers, he seems more attached to his nephew who is slightly older than him2. According to his assistant who was taking me back into Freud’s family history, the family moved to Vienna in 18603. However, it appears that Freud never liked the imperial city of Vienna because of the frequent anti-Semitism from the city’s residents4. According to the information provided by his assistant, Freud became a lecturer in the field of neuropathology in 1885 where he continued to advance his studies on the various theories related to the psyche5. In addition, I have also learned that in the 1880s, Freud shifted his focus to clinical practice in neuropsychology. On this note, the works that Freud has managed to publish jointly with another proponent of psychoanalysis include Studies in Hysteria6. In their publication, Freud and his colleague known as, Josef Breuer focuses on a therapy that involves encouraging psychologically disturbed patients to express random thoughts that emerged associatively to mind. This technique as explained by Freud’s assistant denotes uncovering what is in the unconscious mind7.According to Freud, it is the unconscious mind that holds biologically based instincts that contributes to urges such as sex or aggression, for example.8 I am eager to meet Freud after I have booked my appointment probably next week Sorry, but I almost forgot to mention that Freud moved to London this year because of the Nazi advancement to Austria9. Hope I will write again to let you know what I have discovered so far. Otherwise, wish you a nice time back home and please pass my regards to everyone. Your best friend, XXXX XXXX 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, October, 1938. Dear YYYY It is now four weeks since I traveled to London, and I am enjoying my stay here, which has been interactive so far. I managed to attend my first appointment with Freud at his home where he talked briefly about the structural model of personality10. Other than discussing the structural model of personality, he also took time to let me know that he moved to London with his wife Martha Bernays and youngest daughter, Anna Freud11. Through our discussions, I also learned that he published his works on Ego and Id in 1923, however; it was also sad to learn that in the same year, he developed jaw cancer12. In my second appointment, my discussions with Freud focused more on the publication of Das Ich und das Es13 (The Ego and the Id). When I asked him about this publication, he narrated that he wanted to provide clarity regarding the link that exist between his previous works related to conscious, unconscious and the subsequent introduction of the structures of personality that include id, ego, and superego14As posited by Freud, the psyche is divide into three parts (Id Ego and Super Ego) and each structure develops at different stages in human life15.However, he did not go into the details of the personality structures which we intend to discuss in my next appointment with Freud. Hope at least when I write again, I will have some concrete information regarding the first structure of personality as posited by Freud. Hope you are faring on well back home. Your best friend, XXXX XXXX 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, October, 1938. Dear YYYY At least now I am beginning to understand Freud’s idea regarding the structural model of personality. This model defines three structures of human psyche where id represents impulsiveness, the ego denotes human’s ability to reason and the superego involves embracing values and morals of the society. When we met again in my second appointment, we went straight to discussing the first structure that is, id16. According to the explanation, from Freud himself, id denotes the immature part of an individual’s personality. In this sense, an individual’s behavior is influenced by the pleasure principle and does not consider the consequences of a particular behavior. To further provide clarity, Freud mentioned that in the state of id, a person’s behavior is entirely instinctual and not well thought out. In addition, operating at this state of mind according to Freud is directed only to satisfying individual’s biological needs17. The examples that Freud gave me during our second meeting include eating and sleeping as biological needs that are instinctual18. In trying to imagine the truth of Freud’s explanation regarding id, the wave of violence that was currently spreading across Europe, could it be that people are operating under id structure because it was difficult for me to understand the Nazi’s agenda in Europe? In supporting my fear, Freud further mentioned that the id structure only operates as a primary process thinker and as such, the id structure of personality is irrational, primitive and illogical19. At least now, I am beginning to apply a few concepts of structural model of personality to real life situations. For example, it is possible that people like Hitler and Benito Mussolini are operating at the id structure. However, that is just my thought again, but the behaviors exhibited by some leaders currently in Europe can be related directly to the structure of personality advanced by Sigmund Freud20. In order to assist me understand further how the id structure operates, Freud gave me another example that involved a real life situation. The example he gave was as follows: “Jane is walking along the street, and she is very hungry. She only has an id so when she sees an apple in a grocery store, she takes it for herself”. At this juncture, Jane seems preoccupied with eating something and nothing more matters. In this case, she never considers what will happen if she does not have money to pay for the apple. Her thinking at this moment is purely irrational and can land her into problems. I hope you find this explanation by Freud informative regarding the id structure. In my next discussion with Freud, he will be explaining to me how the super- ego structure operates21. Your best friend, XXXXX XXXX 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, November, 1938. Dear YYYY I hope everything is fine back home; this is my second month since I traveled to London, and my interaction with Freud is turning out to be the best experience I have ever encountered. Indeed like I told you in my previous letter, I had a very informative discussion with Freud regarding the super- ego structure. First, this personality structure as explained by Freud relate to the morals, principles and ethics that people attach to the behavior. In essence, the super-ego plays a role in guiding people on what is right and wrong respectively22. Since individual’s conscientiousness develops with age, I asked Freud to explain the age at which individuals acquire the super- ego structure. Well, the answer came as a surprise to me because I knew in the formative years, individuals deductive thinking is probably shallow compared to adult. However, Freud asserted that the super- ego structure develops between the age of 3 and 5 respectively23. Consequently, as people grow, they learn to accept the principles, morals and ethics embraced by the grown-ups in the society. You remember we argued why anti-Semitism was rife in some part of Europe such as Germany and Austria. It could be possible that people grow up by observing what is going on in their surrounding and eventually adopt similar behaviors. For instance, the German leaders saw it necessary to instill a belief on citizens that it was necessary to expand their territory across Europe. As such, people begun to embrace such a belief system and most of the citizens enlisted themselves to the Nazi military. In order to justify whether my thinking was reasonable, I asked Freud to illustrate an example of how the super- ego structure manifest in people and the society, in general. This is what he told me: Jane is walking along the street, and she is very hungry. She only has the super- ego structure; as a result, when she sees an apple at the grocery, she does nothing. Her super-ego convinces her that the apple is for sale, and it is not acceptable for her to grab it without paying24. As you can see, there is a set of established moral about what is right and wrong and as such, Jane avoids grabbing the apple because she did not have money to pay. However, it is important to note that leaders in the society have a greater influence on the morals that citizens embrace. For instance, if leaders convince their people that it is right to take weapons against another community or group, then, chances are high that the people will regard their leaders to be right in their arguments because they are supposed to provide direction for their people. In this sense, it is considered morally wrong to go against the decision of a leader. In Germany, nobody is questioning the agenda of the Nazi regime even when WWII is on the horizon as a result of the Nazi’s military advancement in Europe. It could be that, the entire nation has established a belief system that what the Nazi regime is doing is justified. The people who never embraced the same morals, principles and ethics of the Nazi regime like Freud had to escape the Nazi expansion to Austria25. On the other hand, the decision to form an Allied force to counter the Nazi regime could be as a result of different nations viewing the Nazi’s actions as morally wrong and against humanity. However, in my discussions with Freud, there were many issues that were contestable regarding the formation of the super-ego structure. For instance, the society places numerous demands on people such as the adoption of communism versus capitalism in different parts of Europe. Take, for instance, the capitalist nations sees it right to embrace individualism while communism lays an emphasis on the community, in general. However, it is not morally right for an individual to work hard only to share his or her gains with other persons who did not contribute anything. Similarly, it is not justifiable to create a society where there is a gap between the poor and the rich because of embracing a capitalist system. At the moment, describing what is right or wrong in the society is rather challenging especially with the imminent WWII26. At the moment, I am confused regarding what is right or wrong to do within the structure of our societies. For example, it is difficult to understand why one country decides to take arms against another country without any justifiable cause. Indeed, the super-ego as postulated by Freud provides an avenue to think about how morals need to be constructed in the society. The proper application of the super- ego structure would allow leaders and the society to construct morals, principles and ethics that advances equality and peaceful co-existence. At present, UK embraces a patriarchy society but is it justified to deny women freedom to express themselves or look for work outside the home. These are some of the issues that the super- ego structure needs to address as countries across Europe become industrialized. Similarly, the super- ego structure can play an important role in understanding why some countries in Europe have adopted a totalitarian rule while others have embraced a democratic system of governance27. Essentially, my discussion with Freud regarding the superego structure opened up my world view regarding various issues that are predominant in Europe at the moment. This was my third session with Freud regard the structural model of personality; however, I still have one session left where he will be explaining what ego entails. I hope the information I have relayed in this letter is educative regarding the beliefs that people attach to various situations or events in the society today. Your best friend, XXXX XXXX 20 Maresfield Gardens, London, November, 1938. Dear YYYY How is everything back home, I am doing fine though I am worried because of the Nazi military advancement in Europe.28 I Hope the war will not spread to the United Kingdom. At least here in London, I am receiving the latest information regarding the Nazi activities in Europe. The situation at the moment is not encouraging, but I hope things will change for the best given the concerns from other world powers. I also have bad news in that; Freud’s health is also deteriorating because of the jaw cancer29. As a result, I did not manage to have the last session with Freud, but his assistant took me through the third personality structure known as the ego. According to the explanation from Freud’s assistant, ego acts as the moderator between id and the super- ego structure. In essence, while id operates on the pleasure principle, ego focuses on the reality principle. The ego structure is the one that establishes the decisions considered to determine the behavior30. This structure also considers rules, customs, and social realities when making decisions regarding behavior. In this regard, ego appears to delay the pleasure provided by id until the necessary outlets are established. While id relies on the primary process thinking, ego, on the other hand, relies on secondary process thinking that help to prevent negative consequences within the society31. For instance, if the Allied forces decided to attack the Nazi military in Europe, their decision needs to rely on the secondary process thinking rather than the primary process thinking. Attacking the Nazis without a proper plan will mean acting on impulse or the pressure principle. It would mean a neglect of the realities on the grounds in case of a preemptive attack. As such, there is a need to consider the civilians on the ground to avoid attacking indiscriminately. In trying to explain the ego structure, Freud‘s assistant also provided an illustration. The illustration was as follows “Jane’s ego would tell her that she should not grab the apple from the grocery store, but instead buy it from the grocery owner”. Ego involves weighing out the consequences of various alternatives before selecting the right decision that generates a positive outcome32. For example, I believe that the Allied Nations were right to discuss the Nazi issue prior to deciding to intervene and save Europe from the Nazi regime. The meetings to discuss the Nazi expansion in Europe is critical to understanding the dynamics on the ground and how the Nazi aggression can be stopped in a way that will not cause collateral damage in Europe as a whole. After my session with Freud’s assistance, I also came to realize that the ego plays an important role in the decision individuals make in life. For instance, we choose careers after weighing out different options at our disposal. On the other hand, the customs established in the society are geared towards creating harmony. For instance, while men act as the breadwinners, women, on the other hand, take the responsibility of the home. However, while holding such a view, it is also important to accommodate changes in the society such as acknowledging the right of women to seek paying jobs. These are decisions that need to be taken as a result of considering the social realities in Europe today. For instance, industrial development requires more human capital and as such, affirmative action for women is necessary for the 19th and 20th-century industrial development in Europe33. I believe at this juncture, I have gained significant knowledge regarding the structural model of personality advanced by Sigmund Freud. The application of this model in real life situation makes sense, and further research is needed to improve on the Freud’s idea regarding personality structures. It is now three months since I left home, but I think I will extend my stay in London. The city is more developed, and it is easier to find employment. Many industries are coming up, and I think I will earn better working in London compared to my rural home where I relied on peasant farming. Freud’s health is still a concern, but I pray that he finds strength to continue his work in advancing the psychoanalysis approach to psychology34. I am also praying that peace prevails in Europe with the imminent WWII. I think after settling down in London, I will relocate my family due to concerns over WWII. Hope you also relocate to London soon so that we can compare notes on how to improve our status economically in this industrialization era. Pass my regards to everyone back home and hope to communicate soon after I settle down in London. Your best friend, XXXX Post Script: XXXX relocated his family to London, and his friend YYYY also moved to London where they both worked in a textile factory. On a sad note, Sigmund Freud succumbed to the Jaw cancer in 1939, and the same period, the dreaded WWII commenced35. Bibliography Allenby, Braden. “The paradox of dominance: The age of civilizational conflict”. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 71, no. 2 (2015): 60-74. Blatt, Sidney and Auerbach, John. “Psychoanalytic models of the mind and their contributions to personality research”. European Journal of Personality 14, no. 5 (2000): 429-447. Breuer, Josef and Freud, Sigmund. Studies on hysteria. London: Standard Edition 2, 1955. Edmundson, Mark. “The death of Sigmund Freud: The legacy of his last days”. Kirkus Reviews 75, no. 13 (2007): 645-646. Freud, Sigmund. “Beyond the pleasure principle”. SE 18 (1920): 1-64. Freud, Sigmind. “The ego and the id”. SE 19 (1923): 1-66 Huopainen, Hikka. “Freuds view of hysteria in light of modern trauma research”. Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review 25, no. 2 (2002): 92. Johnston, Adrian. “:The Vicious Circle of the Super-Ego: The Pathological Trap of Guilt and the Beginning of Ethics”. Psychoanalytic Studies 3, no. 4 (2001): 411-424. Kohut, Heinz. The analysis of the self. New York: International Universities Press, 1971. Laplanche, Jean and Jean-Bertrand Pontalis. Dynamic Unconscious in the language of Psychoanalysis. London: Karnac Books, 1973. Lesmeister, Roman. “The super-ego, the voice of the self and the depressive position”. Journal of Analytical Psychology 43, no. 2 (1998): 287. Soudek, Miluse. “Sigmund Freud’s Writings”. Library Journal 103, no. 5 (1978): 553-591. Read More