Andrea Bobadilla
Professor Mario Garcia
ENGL MO1B
10 May 2016
(title)
Abstract
In the short story “Rationalizing Malibu”, Mario Garcia portrays his characters as two conflicted men whose strange friendship helps lead them to the answers to their internal conflict. In this paper, the actions of Garcia’s narrator are interpreted in terms of Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychosexual development and the theory of repression. It is believed that the psychosexual development and theory of repression is unconsciously employed by the narrator as a way to prevent himself from dealing with past traumatic events, which led to the creation of Blaine. By using Freud’s psychosexual development and theory of repression, it is concluded that both theories are useful tools for understanding the narrator’s cause for creating Blaine. As a result of inadequately meeting multiple stages as well as repressing traumatic events, the narrator was driven to create Blaine, leading him to self-destruction.
1. Introduction
Mario Garcia’s short story “Rationalizing Malibu” uses a first-person perspective, the narrator, the protagonist, who tells the whole story beginning to end. It is a story about the strange friendship between the narrator and Blaine. The narrator introduces Blaine as, “north of ruthless” (2) when dealing with people and who’s strange and often times upsetting behavior draws the narrator closer to him, “I envy him the most…I visit Baine often, and each time…my envy is
The unconscious mind houses the preconscious, a small section that houses material that is non-threatening, and easily brought to mind. But deeper in the unconscious mind are the instinctual drives, the wishes, desires, demands, and needs that are kept hidden from out conscious selves because of the conflicts and pain they would cause if they were brought to bear every day. Psychoanalytic personality theory tells us that the personality consists of three separate, but forever intermingling elements, id, ego, and superego. The id section of a personality is by far the largest, the only section that we are born with, and the section that contains the unconscious thoughts, it is raw, unorganized, and from the time of birth it tries to reduce tension caused by our primary drives. The ego, a section that develops soon after birth, balances the instinctual desires of the id and the realities of the outside world. Last of course is the superego, the final personality structure that is developed in childhood, and represent the rights and wrongs of society, contained within the superego is the conscience, the part of us that prevents us from behaving in a morally deplorable way and is responsible for guilt. Psychoanalytic personality theory is not without its virtues; Freud’s proposed five psychosexual stages – oral, anal, phallic-oedipal, latency and genital – are all supported in life.
Sigmund Freud and Carl Rogers are two extremely renowned individuals who have greatly contributed to the history of psychology. Their contributions are the foundation for the tools, techniques, and methodologies used by psychologist today. Although, each psychologist is from different times and developed different methods, they shared a passion for the workings of the human mind. As a result, their drive and foundation has motivated and prompted new theories and research for the future. This paper will provide a summary of two articles highlighting the processes contemporary psychologists use to develop the theories of Freud and Rogers. It also explains their views of human nature and worldviews as
Freud’s theory of personality examined the interplay between the primitive, instinctual urges—the ‘id’; the practical and rational ‘ego’; and the morally attuned ‘superego’; ‘object relations’ refer to the "object" of an instinct”, which is “the agent through which the instinctual aim is achieved”—most often a person and, according to Freud, most often the mother (Ainsworth 1969, p. 1). The psychosexual development theory that Freud launched reduces our behaviour to mechanistic responses to an instinctive need for pleasure fueled by the ‘libido’ and barriers or distortions to the gratification of the libido at various delineated stages of development were responsible for later problems in life (Kail & Zolner 2012, p. 5). Erik Erikson later added depth to the approach by including more humanistic elements to Freud’s stages and including more periods of development (p.
Reading a narrative from a psychoanalytic perspective can prove to be a sometimes frustrating experience. Psychoanalysis often disregards the actual texts and verbal context of a piece of literature in favor of the Freudian and Lacanian ideas, which seek to find encrypted motifs in the depths of every creation in order to reveal the author’s unconscious mind. Nevertheless, the critiques of psychoanalytic interpretation of literature claim that such interpretations focus on the content of the text at the expense of the literary form and temporal dimension, which can reduce the literary plots to lifeless machinations. Furthermore, psychoanalytic interpretation of a text may tell us less about the author’s unconscious mind and more about the
Junot Díaz, unlike most authors, has an ability to tell his stories without the use of large, descriptive passages. With only a few words he can immerse his readers into the environment of his stories, such as the subject work, Drown. Whether in a comfortable suburb or a decrepit neighborhood, Junot Diaz is skilled in producing active scenes with minimal words in his piece Drown. As Barbara Stewart writes about Junot’s work in Outsider with a Voice, “The New Jersey of which [Junot] writes is the one he knows: a place of blue-collar towns and Latino immigrants, of tostones (mashed fried plantains) and malls and roads where ‘beer bottles grow out of the weeds like squashes’” (New York Times, 8 Dec. 1996). I agree with Stewart’s assertion that, “[Junot] writes about the [place] he knows” because of his rich environmental descriptions, and the way he uses this information to provide context within Drown. Díaz uses his language to immerse the reader into his works. One chapter within Drown that illustrates this well is “Aurora”, a chapter centered on the life of drug dealer Lucero and his romantic endeavors with a questionable woman named Aurora. Díaz uses his careful word choice to illustrate the story setting, to provide context clues, and to provide a deeper meaning to the text in “Aurora”.
The movie Antwone Fisher represents what can be characterized as the quintessential approach, or deconstruction of the psychodynamic theory. Specifically, the movie outlines the main character’s personality pathology. It goes on examines various aspects of the
In the short story “Cathedral”, written by Raymond Carver, the story is told through the narrator’s eyes as the audience gains insight on his perspective of his life and, more specifically, his views on his wife and her blind friend. The narrator’s name is never mentioned throughout the story, but his personality and initial narrow-minded bias towards his wife’s friend Robert depicts his character traits. Throughout the story he does not seem to change his views, but once he experiences Robert’s point of view in his life, the narrator changes his perspective. This suggests the narrator is a dynamic character in the story due to his change after getting to know Robert.
To emphasize the baffling aspects of the piquant moments in the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the author relates in the story by using first person narrator. The anonymous narrator is narcissistic; anxious only with how the little stay from Robert will imitate him. He is also envious of how would be the relation of his wife and Robert will be in the past. The narrator also seems to lack self-awareness. He feels sorry for Robert’s wife, Beulah, because her husband wasn’t able to admire her beauty, never understanding that he doesn’t really know his own wife notwithstanding the fact that he can see her. The narrator is not a very good storyteller too, putting his narrative together ineptly, with rough switches and defensive disruptions.
This research paper will compare and contrast two of the most influencial psychologists who helped shape the way we understand the development of the human mind; Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. The paper will focus on the similarities and differences between Freud’s Psycho-sexual theory, and Erikson’s psychosocial theory. Freud was one of the very first influencial psychologists who changed the way we study humans. Erikson recognized Freud’s contributions, and although he felt Freud misjudged some important dimensions of human development, he was still influenced by Freud, which caused some similarities in their theories.
Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud’s most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires,
The main aim of this essay is to demonstrate an understanding of Freud’s theory of psychosexual development and how this theory may help us to explain and identify adult neurotic behaviour. I shall be evaluating the pros and cons of psychosexual theory and the extent to which it helps us to understand a client’s presenting issue. I shall also define and consider the relationship between the Id, Ego and Superego and the way in which these constructs of our psyche are in many ways representative of earlier experiences and of those early
The psychodynamic perspective focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality. Freud believed that the personality develops in a series of five stages that develop the three divisions of personality. In the oral stage, the fixation is in the mouth, and would be the cause of his introverted nature; likewise, in the anal stage, Roberto would discover his reserved nature, while the phallic stage, he would further refine his reserved nature as a sense of humility in his actions, also defining his mild mannered portion of his personality. In the latency stage, his social skills would refined and he would become introverted. Freud would think that Roberto’s mild-mannered, reserved, and invertedness is caused by intense suppressing of the id by the ego, having Roberto adopt the personality that he does; however, Karen Horney would classify Roberto’s personality in respect to her theory of neurotic personalities- personalities typified by maladaptive ways of dealing with relationships- with moving away from people by withdrawing from personal relationships.
Camilla, Arturo, Sammy, Vera and Hellfrick are all non-entities in the bustle of L.A. culture, but all are profoundly human in their suffering, confusion, and vices. All are battling a poor sense of self-worth and struggling to survive in an indifferent world. Arturo Bandini takes us through this story in intimate first-person, exposing us to his mood swings, his astute observations and his growth as an author and a man.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was an influential Austrian psychologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud went on to produce several theories, such as his theory on psychosexual development, which will be the focus of this assignment. Using the case study of a six-year-old patient, I will discuss the key principles of Freud’s theory on psychosexual development. Including, comprehensive definitions of the concepts used, and the stages of Freud’s psychosexual development. Lastly using Freud’s theory, I will explain how the patient’s current behaviour, could impact her behaviour in adulthood.
The following will analyse the Psychodynamic theory founded by Sigmund Freud. It will focus on the components of the ‘mind’ including the Conscious, the pre-conscious proper and the Unconscious. Examining his structure of Personality with reference to The’ Id’, ‘Ego’ and ‘Super-ego’. It will discuss Freud’s proposal of stages within his ‘psychosexual development’. It will then focus on Carl Rogers Humanistic theory, explaining his concept of the ‘Actualizing tendency’ and incorporating his creations of ‘Self concept’, the ‘Organismic self’ and the ‘Ideal self’. As a contribution to Roger’s work also highlighting Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of needs’. Freud and Rogers will then