The Century Of The Self

The idea of self has for long been the topic of discourse amongst thinkers. The ambiguity of the self has resulted in variants in definitions and meanings, and brought about the question of its very existence. Rene Descartes, in his books First and Second Meditations believed that the existence of self is attributed to the supposition of the self, whereas Derek Parfit in Persons and Reasons was skeptical about the existence of self and believed that we do not have an ultimate identity. In this paper, I will argue that Derek Parfit’s views are justifiable as he has provided sufficient reason to his claims on continuity. Descartes non-reductionist arguments, though not incorrect, lack the soundness that Parfit poses with his reductionist

In a planet consisting of over six billion humans, finding individuality in oneself becomes an arduous task. There exists in man the desire to be recognized by others as an individual with specifically positive qualities. Therefore, based on the labels assigned to him, he creates his desired persona. This concept is exemplified in Rewriting the Soul by Ian Hacking through his theory of the looping effect, which portrays a cycle of mutual changes based on the influence of classifications and those classified. Humans are given labels and thus act appropriately to either maintain the favorable labels or diminish those which appear negative. This creates a fabrication based on the influence of others rather than a true self. The mimicry of

The 20th century is considered to be a money culture. Materialism, a devotion to making money and to having a good time are all products of a money making culture. All of technology is controlled by an interest in private profit (Dewey, p15). Sigmund Freud and John Dewy both see this day in age as a time devoted to the “scientific revolution” and profit from this drastic advance in mankind. Civilization, as we know it today, is largely to blame for the misery of the common people. The American people no longer have a sense of individualism. Luxuries have become a necessity instead of a vice and materialism has become a way of life. The characteristics of the modern world surround the importance of the attainment of material possessions

Freud is regarded as the founder of modern psychology, developing psychoanalysis. The therapy is based on the idea that a great deal of the individual behavior are not within conscious control. Therefor the main emphasis is to help the client get to the deep root of the problem often

Upon review of Civilization and its Discontents, it is apparent that several themes emerge throughout the essay that offer insight into Freud as the individual and his own personal journey navigating his place in civilization, as well as his position in the professional and clinical psychological communities. Freud holds that the division between the individual and civilization exists, in one form or another, due to a clash of needs: the individual desire for freedom and satisfaction of instinctual needs naturally collides with society's need for conformity and obedience, which thereby creates the most tragic of paradoxes in the human realm - our most basic needs and wants are, if manifested completely, harmful to our existence as a group.

Through analyzing the science of the human mind and emotion, Sigmund Freud changed the world’s view on the human psyche. Freud influenced the entire concept of psychology with his many books and theories, proving the structure of the mind, the motivations for human actions, and ultimately that everything done has an explanation. His legacy in the field of psychology has completely altered the way society thinks of the mind and behavior. While many theorized that Freud himself was crazy, his insights into the human mind have been the basis for much of psychological theory today. The childhood experiences of Sigmund Freud allowed for his later explanations of the unconscious, the deep motivations within humans, and the acceptance of sexuality.

Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalyst and recognized the importance of unconscious mental activity. Freud’s theories on the inner constructs of the mind are now accepted by most

This week, we talked about the development of the self. The most interesting readings for me was “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life” by Erving Goffman. In this piece, Goffman discusses the dramaturgical theory of social interaction, which is the view that we put on a social facade in our daily lives, as if we are all actors in a theatrical performance.

Based on Page 14-15 in our text talking about conflict theory by Karl Marx, this documentary depicts the cruel reality of our society.The film continues to examine today’s industry by exploring the economic and legal powers large food companies have. This simply means by using power to gain control in a large proportion of the society. As we now the main point of conflict theory is inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s resources actively defend their advantages. According to sociology.com this theory is based on the masses that are not bound to society by their shared values, but by coercion at the hands of those in power. This perspective emphasizes social control, not consensus and conformity. Groups and individuals advance their own

After Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud (1836 – 1939) probably revolutionized Western thought more than any other thinker in the past century. His psychodynamic approach to psychology and the forces behind human motivations is best known for its focus on childhood sexuality and his picture of the mind. His research focused on case studies of individuals and their motivations first through hypnosis and later through a technique that he called “psychoanalysis” where he allowed the patient to talk freely and experience a cathartic release of emotions.

Sigmund Freud: America was a land in its infancy, obsessed with the pursuit of happiness that would soon grow to be a compulsion, they were not ready for the “plague I was bringing them” (harper). Is that all there is to my legacy? Surely my work has secured its place in the grand history of psychology!

The Psychoanalytic approach to human behaviour was founded by Sigmund Freud – neurologists who believed that the key

Freud’s “All of Civilization and Discontents” can be described in a great to be a philosophical treatise where he attempts to introduce a psychological framework to replace the existing metaphysical and idealist framework. In his style, he persuades the audience to analyze the philosophical problems by applying them in his daily life. Nevertheless in his persuasion, he wants the reader to go beyond and see his own metaphysical construction. Written in the 30s, the book came at a time when Europe and America was experiencing growth in civilization and human existence was rapidly evolving. Consequently, the book focuses on the friction between the two and the change that civilization had achieved at that time while on the other hand there is the disquiet on the prohibitions that it brought to humans. To a large extent therefore, Freud tries to illustrate the two parallel paths that civilization and humans sought to contain.

In Sigmund Freud’s “Civilization and its Discontents”, we are introduced to a new outlook in the way we view our lives due to his analysis of civilization and how it has affected our happiness. Freud uses his theory of instincts in order to explain what encourages us as well as how our behavior is all linked together and is motivated by our instincts. He explains why humans seek happiness and how it is one of the toughest things to achieve. Towards the end of his book he also gives an insight on how the individual psyche which consist of the id, ego, and super-ego leads us to feel guilt and its impact on civilization. Through his theory of instincts and the individual psyche, Freud is able to demonstrate how civilization has set limits to

As a whole, we have increasingly become cautious in regards to how we behave and how we portray ourselves in society. In other words, we live our lives as though we are prisoners in the panopticon model in which we are unaware whether or not we are being watched (Foucault, 1984, p. 20). It is for this reason that we act well-behaved (Foucault, 1984, p. 20). By doing so, we are taking part in what is called, “soul training,” which essentially means that surveillance has required us to not only become conscious of our surroundings, but also ourselves (Lyon, 2006, p. 27). In order to accomplish this, we engage in self-surveillance, which means our goal is to accomplish self-discipline, so we can make certain that we do not get into any unnecessary trouble (Lyon, 2006, p. 27). Thus, the power of control used in the panopticon in the eighteenth-century has now spread to the twenty-first century in that our bodies are still highly scrutinized from all angles (Kaplan, 1995, p. 95). For this reason, I am proposing that the panopticon has influenced how members in society live their lives through self-surveillance. Therefore, my research question is “How does self-surveillance impact individuals in society?”. In my investigation, I will be using three specific points to support my research question: Self-care, self-protection, and entertainment. In my exploration, I found these three to be prevalent on the topic of self-surveillance as our well-being, safety, and enjoyment are