Psychoanalysis and Understanding Contemporary Culture - Essay Example

? Psychoanalysis is a theoretical framework developed by Sigmund Freud, and its main emphasis was on how the unconscious mind influences the behavioral patterns of an individual. While developing this theory, Sigmund was of the opinion that the mind consists of three elements, namely the super ego, the ego and the id. According to the theory, the development of an individual is influenced by the various events that characterized their childhood (Freud et al, 1938). The theory denotes that, the behavior of a person, their cognition and experience, are determined by irrational drives, and these drives are unconscious. When an individual tries to reconcile these drives, and create a means of social awareness, he or she is meet by resistance. Sigmund Freud terms this notion as Psychological resistance (Storr, 1989). The individual behaves in a manner that he or she is uncomfortable with the process of reconciling the various irrational drives, to a point where he or she will recognize the irrationality of these values, and change their behaviors (Minsky, 1998). During this process, Sigmund Freud denotes that the conflict between the conscious and the unconscious mind intensifies, and if not checked, it can result to mental instability, anxiety, stress and depression, neurosis and neurotic disorders. Psychologists attribute the behavior of individuals to culture. They argue that the various cultural beliefs and values have an impact to the behavioral pattern of an individual. There are various theories that relate culture to an individual’s behavior, and they are, Feminism, Masculinity, and Narcissism. Psychoanalysis theory links sexuality to the behavior of an individual, and this notion is construed at the unconscious mind of an individual. For instance Sigmund Freud observes that Psychoanalysis does not describe a woman, but it outlines the processes of the development of a woman, from childhood to an adult (Minsky, 1998). Another theory that relates to sexuality is Sigmund Freud theories of masculinity. Freud believed that sexuality and gender developed over a long period of time, through a conflict ridden process. The key in this development is the middle childhood that involved the desire to love one parent, and hate another parent. Sigmund denotes that boys saw their fathers as rivals, and they dreaded castration, and in view of this, Sigmund developed his theory of masculinity. Sigmund denotes that it is during this period that the concept of male masculinity develops, and their application to the society. This paper focuses on Narcissism as a psychoanalytic theory of culture. This paper also focuses on the applications of Masculine theories, and Feminine theories in understanding culture. It defines Narcissism, and the various Scholars who advocate for it, and their thoughts. This paper discusses culture, and how it relates to the Psychoanalytic theories. On Narcissism, this paper identifies how it affects the contemporary culture, by analyzing the movie sky fall. It also analyzes how culture plays a role in the development of the masculine and feminine theories of psychoanalysis, and their application in understanding the various behaviors of people. This paper has a conclusion, which is a summary of the main points denoted in the paper. Freud (1952), Freud (1957) and Freud et al (1938) observes that culture emerged from the desire olf an individual to justify his actions that emanate from the conflicts between his conscious and unconscious mind. Freud further argues that culture plays an important role in shaping the actions and behaviors of a person (Freud et al, 1938). Culture emanates from the ego’s dependent on the external environment and internal environment to reconcile the various drives that emanate from the conflict between the unconscious and the conscious mind. On this note, behavior is determined by the action of an individual in reconciling these two elements of psychology (Reef, 2001). However, the external environment influences the behavior of an individual. This is because the environment identifies, coordinates and provides the socio-cultural requirements, for the adaptivity or acceptance of the behavior. Sigmund Freud understands culture as an expression of the desires that conflict with one another and the society (Freud et al, 1957). Freud observes that religion, science and art are important elements of culture, and an individual can use such believes to reconcile the various drives that are in conflict with his unconscious and the conscious mind (Minsky, 1998). According to Freud, if these cultural beliefs fail to reconcile the conflict that emanate from within and outside the environment of an individual, then the person is most likely to face depression, stress, neurotic disorders and unstable mental conditions. On this basis, culture is an important element that defines the behavior of an individual. As an example of culture, Sigmund Freud believed that religion is an attempt by a person to escape the realities of nature, in case his desires are not meet. He therefore states that religion provides a temporary solution in the satisfaction of an individual need (Pals, 1996). He therefore believes that the application of scientific and artistic beliefs present the best opportunity to solve the various conflicts emanating from the unconscious and the conscious mind of an individual. In 1946, Talcott Parson developed the social action theory. The author was interested in knowing why people behave the way they behave. Talcott identified four mechanisms that influence the behavior of an individual, and they are; 1. The Biological needs and requirements of an individual. 2. The Characteristics of an individual in relation to the social world. 3. The Social system in the community. 4. The cultural values and norms that regulate the society. Grindstaff (2008) and Adams (2003) denote that Talcott Parson views culture and the social system as the most important elements that influence the behavior of a person. Talcott further explains that the society in which a person resides in places various norms and values that the individual has to obey (Grindstaff, 2008). An example involves is when a community expects men to provide for their women. Such kind of a society takes it as a taboo, for a woman to provide for a man. Talcott Person therefore denotes that the community has set up punitive measures that will act as deterrence in case a person considers breaching the cultural values set up by the society. In relation to this, culture is an important aspect that determines the behavior of an individual and how that person reacts with the society. Sigmund Freud in his analysis Psychoanalytic theories identifies Narcissm as an important factor that contributes to the behavior of an individual in the contemporary culture (Freud, 1938). Narcissism is a trait that denotes the concept of self-love, and it is characterized by the following elements (Hollan 2000 and Freud et al, 1957), 1. A person views himself as superior, compared to other individuals, and he or she expects to be recognized as such without any achievements. 2. The person has fantasies of unlimited and unconditional power, beauty and ideal love. 3. The person believes that he or she is special, and he or she places standards of social interactions. In other words, the person can only interact with people of higher standards. 4. An individual seeks attention and unconditional admiration. 5. The individual expects everybody to agree with their requirements and expectations. 6. The person is mean and uses others to achieve his or her own objectives. 7. The individual does not care about the needs and requirements of other people. Basing on these elements of Narcissism, Sigmund Freud observes that they influence the character and the behavior of individuals in the contemporary society. Sigmund Freud belief’s that Narcissm tendencies develop from a person’s childhood, to adult hood (Freud, 1938). In adulthood, it is difficult to shape the persons behavior and beliefs because they have developed through a series of conflicts and resolutions. Freud observes that narcissism is a disorder, and it negatively impacts on the narcissist and those closer to him. According to Freud, the victim suffers from repressed emotions and feeling, and to discard those emotions, they lash their anger to other people surrounding them. In view of this, Narcissist constructs an image of fantasy, to protect them against the realities of the world (Freud, 1938). The Narcissism theories of Sigmund Freud played a great role in determining and influencing the behaviors of the American consumer culture. For instance, in 1929. Edward Bernay developed public awareness campaigns to sensitize people on the emergence of venereal diseases and sexual hypocrisy by creating advertisements through the application of psychoanalytic theories of Narcissism. In 1929, George Washington Hill approached Edward Barney to help him develop a campaign that will reverse the culture of the time which viewed women smoking publicly as sexually promiscuous. George Hill was the President of the American Tobacco company. Barney, by linking smoking to the emotions of people, developed an advertisement that elicited mixed reaction. He equated smoking, to challenging the dominion of men; this is because, to women, smoking was a symbol of male domination. And to develop an advertisement campaign that will attract women, he had to develop a tobacco advertisement program, program that will challenge this notion. One of the elements of Narcissm theory is dominance, and a sense of entitlement. One during this period believed that it is only them who should smoke in public, therefore developing an advertisement challenging this notion elicited complaints and disapproval from the male population. The movie Sky fall is an important example of a motion picture that portrays the use of Narcissism theory to depict a contemporary culture. Sky fall is a movie under the James Bond series, and is the 23rd edition of the movie series. It is a spy film, produced by Eon Productions, that features James Craig as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva. The producers of this movie have used the Freud’s theory of Narcissm to develop the plot and the characteristics of the cast. Through this theory, the producers of the movie have managed to bring out the elements of the contemporary culture. From the movie, James Bond is tasked with tracking and destroying a threat that emanates from his former colleague, Raoul Silva (Mendes, 2012). Raoul Silva seeks to kill M, for her role in humiliating her during their past life. M was his boss during this episode. The contemporary culture portrayed here is revenge. Narcissm comes in the form of Raul’s ego. Raoul felt that he was better than M and humiliating him is unacceptable (Mendes, 2012). According to Narcissism theory, a Narcissist views himself as superior, and tends to undermine the value and beliefs of other people (Storr, 1989). A narcissist is empathetic, and will use any method to achieve his objectives. Raoul, to achieve his objective of killing M, decides to blow off the offices of M16, resulting to the deaths of the various employees in the organization. On a Narcissist perspective, this aspect by Raoul, to kill everybody in the office, despite their innocence, amounts to selfishness and arrogance. All this are meant to satisfy the battered ego of Raoul Silva. It also portrays the contemporary culture of violence. In the current era, societies engage in wars to solve their different views. During the era of George Bush, the American government engaged on war various wars, with Iraq and Afghanistan. There is the rise of different terror organizations such as Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, and they promote the culture of terror, as opposed to diplomacy in solving their various problems. There is also the element of power. According to Narcissism theory, control of power is an important element that defines a Narcissist (Minsky, 1998). From the motion picture, M is the head of M16, the British spy agency. She plays an influential role in re-hiring James Bond, despite failing the psychological and physical tests. This plot highlights the new cultural beliefs in relation to the productivity of women. Women can access power, and control large institutions such as the M16. In the traditional culture, it was the duty of women to stay at home, and act as house wives, taking care of their husbands. In the contemporary culture, women are allowed to engage in viable economic activities such as trade, act as government employees, or head institutions as depicted by the roles of M, in the motion picture. To depict how the movie influenced the contemporary culture is its release and reception at the market, and box office theaters. The movie was released on 23rd of October 2012, in England. To date, the movie has earned an approximate amount of 800 million pounds, from 25 markets of the world. The response of the movie in North America was awesome. It premiered in more than 3500 cinemas, earning an average amount of 30 million dollars in Canadian and American movie houses. Various newspapers such as the Sunday Times, The Observer, the Daily Record, and the Washington post commended the creators of the movie for originality and innovativeness. The reception of a motion picture is determined by the culture in operation. This movie managed to attract viewers and such positive comments because it appealed to the contemporary culture, and used various theories of Sigmund to highlight the contemporary connotations of culture. For instance masculinity is depicted by the roles of James Bond to protect M, and the pressure from Gareth Mallory, to M, advising her to resign from her position. It is also depicted by the un-acceptance of Raoul to admit the humiliation he suffered from M, who was his boss. There are a number of ways in which culture defines, and identifies with the theories of masculinity, feminism and narcissism. DiCenso (2007) and Adams (2003) observe that for therapists and psychologist to diagnose and treat a patient’s problem, they need to understand the values and the norms of the culture in which the individual comes from. For instance, the Psychoanalytic theories of masculinity and feminity describes a degree in which an individual views himself as either masculine, or feminine, and the societal values associated with them. Culture defines, and decides the roles of the male and the female gender. The society places various expectations on how a male and a female figure ought to behave, and it is therefore possible for an individual to see himself as either feminine or masculine, irrespective of gender. These theories distinguish between gender identities, gender roles, and gender stereotypes. According to the theories, gender identity denotes the sexual characteristics of a man, and a woman. These are the physical attributes that distinguish the two genders. Gender roles apply to the work that the two groups of people are supposed to do, while gender stereo types apply to a person’s gender (DiCenso, 2007). Adams (2003) observes that culture is a dominant element used to determine the various roles and functions of the male and the female gender. Various cultures denote that men are responsible for protecting the society, and this is because they are strong, and aggressive. This is in line with the ideas depicted by the teachings of masculinity theory (Adams, 2003). These old cultural values are challenged under the modern contemporary culture. In the modern culture, men are faced with various obstacles such as social class, and ethnicity in playing a dominant role in the society. The contemporary culture identifies class, as a method of measuring the influence and personality of an individual. Class is denoted by the value of resources an individual controls, and therefore a poor man, cannot claim a dominant role in the society, just because he is a man. According to the theories, the identity of a person’s gender is construed at birth, and developed at the social settings of the individual. This emanates from the interactions of the individual with peers, teachers and parents. These people help the child to identify the societal and cultural expectations of the person’s gender (Adams, 2003). As this roles and expectations are developed at the individuals mind, and advocated for by institutions such as religious organizations, and the school system, the person concerned departs from the masculine or the feminine notions of the society, and identifies with the one that satisfies all his characteristics. An individual might identify herself as female, but instead of possessing the societal and cultural attributes of the female gender such as being warm, submissive and expressive; she sees herself as aggressive, dominant and instrumental, and therefore she is considered masculine. To this point, it is important to denote that people view themselves in relation to the Feminine-Masculine context. These contexts are identified by the society, and the cultural values and norms that the society places on the male and female concepts. On this note, the behaviors of men and women, was as a result of the cultural expectations, and the socialization of these sexes. If a man acted as a woman, he was referred to as the Feminine Male, while if a woman acted as a man; she was referred to as a Masculine female (Hollan, 2000).In conclusion, Sigmund Freud, in his analysis of culture agrees with the notion that culture affects and determines the behavior of individuals in the society. Freud agreed with the notion that psychoanalysis theory plays a role in developing the contemporary culture. Take an example of the promotional programs developed by Edward Barney, in 1928 and 1929. Barney used the theories of Narcissm developed by Sigmund Freud. Using those theories, Barney developed a tobacco advert that challenged the dominant position of men in the society. From the adverts, the aim of Barney was to change the societal perspectives of a smoking woman, who was viewed as sexually promiscuous. Barney challenged the views of the American by appealing to their emotions. He achieved success by applying these methods in his advertisements, and he made extreme wealth through this knowledge. Sigmund believes that the conception of an individual in regard to whether he is masculine or not, emanates from his childhood, and is shaped by different elements of his development. Freud observes that the gender identity develops as a result of identification with the same sex parent. However, at age three, a child develops a strong attachment to the parent of the opposite sex. Freud further states that negative feelings develop towards parents of the same sex, which is often depicted through jealousies, and resentment. At the sixth age, the child identifies with the same sex parent, and therefore the ideas of masculinity, and feminity develops within a child. The boys identify with their fathers, and learn from them. The boy therefore exhibits the characteristics, depicted from the father, and likewise to the girl child. On this note, Freud argues that these theories explain the behavior of men and women. Bibliography: Adams, M. (2003). The Reflexive Self and Culture: A Critique. The British Journal of Sociology, 54(2), 221-238. BBC – Homepage. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from http://www.bc.co.uk DiCenso, J. (2007). 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Freud. Oxford: Oxford University Press. FILMOGRAPHY: Mendes, S. (Director). (2012). Skyfall [Motion picture]. England: Metacritics. Read More