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The Eternal Internal Conflict Of The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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The Eternal Internal Conflict Sigmund Freud laid an elaborate framework for modern psychology in the early twentieth century, and his principles have resonated throughout time. In fact, the respected American Psychoanalytic Association still discusses Sigmund Freud and his work, despite it being almost a century old (Landau 2). Psychotherapist Avinash De Sousa writes, “...one must admit that no other therapist ever constructed a conceptual and metatheoretical framework like Freud did” (3). Thus, his theory of the human psyche is universally applicable. In this theory, Freud proposed that the human mind comprises three aspects: the id, the ego, and the superego. Arthur Miller’s fictionalized account of the Salem Witch Trials hysteria, The Crucible, involves some of the most fascinating yet disturbing psychology in the interactions amongst the characters. The heroic protagonist John Proctor is at the crux of this conflict. Starting with an oppressive id that is soon restrained by the ego and subsequently the superego, John Proctor adheres to Sigmund Freud’s theorized progression of the human mind. Every human being has an innate desire for certain necessities such as food, sex, etc. Freud was the first to name this cornerstone of humanity. The id, as he called it, merely strives to satiate basic instincts (McLeod 5). Proctor’s id is most evident regarding his relationship with the reprobate Abigail. Prior to the events of the play, Proctor had had an affair with Abigail,

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