20th Century Genius Award - Essay Example

20th Century Genius Award Paper It is my great pleasure to present the 20th century Genius Award. While a great amount of consideration was given tocandidates throughout the 20th century, the committee finally decided upon an individual that fundamentally restructured the very paradigm of psychology – Sigmund Freud. While most of you are cursorily familiar with Sigmund Freud, the extent and influence of his work is truly staggering. Through numerous published texts and consultation work Freud has influenced not just psychology, but nearly all disciplines within the liberal arts, and become a cornerstone of the modern vernacular. This essay considers Freud’s significant scientific and cultural contributions, in demonstrating why he was chosen for this prestigious award. Life Sigmund Freud was born in 1857 in the Moravian town of Pribor. At the time this region was part of the Austrian Empire, but has since become part of the Czech Republic. While Freud’s parent experienced significant poverty because of the economic climate, Freud was still able to attain a quality education. Freud excelled as a student and would go on to study under Darwinist Professor Karl Claus. During this period Freud widely read philosophy and came to understand many theoretical aspects that would later be incorporated into his own work. While Freud was initially interested in law, this concern would soon shift to philosophy, and ultimately the emerging field of psychology. In 1885 Freud would begin his study of psychology in Paris under Jean-Martin Charcot. After completing his study he would go on to open his own medical practice. A year later he would marry Martha Bernays. Through Freud’s medical practice, he made great gains in terms of developing his psychological theories that would ultimately become articulated into psychoanalysis. Previously the main approach to psychological challenges had been hypnosis. Freud would begin his practice by implementing hypnosis, but would later abandon this for an approach he referred to as the talking cure. As Freud’s practice further developed he would begin to write a substantial variety of texts that would eventually form into a comprehensive psychological approach known as psychoanalysis. After a truly outstanding life, that included bouts with cancer and an escape from Nazi Germany, Freud died in 1939. Survey of Contributions Sigmund Freud made a tremendous amount of contributions to the study of psychology. Freud developed a series of psychosexual stages of development that characterize the human development process from birth. As the child is born they enter the oral phase of development, and then subsequently progress into the anal, phallic, latency, and genital phases. The stages functioned to develop the sexuality of the individual, from one of polymorphous perversity to heterosexuality. It was Freud’s theoretical understanding that if difficulties were encountered in any of these stages that they would cause unconscious psychic dysfunctions later in life. At birth the child begins the oral stage of psychosexual development. This stage lasts until the individual is approximately two years old. As the moniker suggests, this stage of development is characterized by infantile fixation with the mouth. Examples of this include thumb sucking, breast-feeding, and the placement of other various objects in the mouth. Freud’s concept of the Id is notable here, as he believed that the child in the oral stage is Id driven, as the ego and superego have not entirely developed; furthermore, as the child’s self-concept has not emerged, they are driven by the pleasure principle. It is during this stage that the child’s self-concept forms, as they recognize that they are a distinct entity the rest of their environment. The child also notably experiences weaning – that is, their first sense of abandonment – as their mother or parental guardian leaves them alone. Freud believed that this experience greatly contributed to ego formation. The next psychosexual stage is the anal phase. This stage of development takes place between the ages of fifteen months through three years. The primary characteristic of this phase is the movement of the child’s pleasure area from the oral region to the anus. While the ego has begun its development in the oral stage, it is still not fully formed, and continues its maturation throughout the anal phase. The most notable developmental trait that occurs during this stage is that the child becomes toilet trained. Freud believed that toilet training, ego development and anal fixation were related as it is the infants overcoming of the overpowering urges of the Id to continue to engage in defecation without restraint; it is only through the infant’s restraint of these urges that there are able to become toilet trained and further develop the ego. The parents’ hyper-interaction with the child during this stage has been argued to potentially cause compulsive personality in later life. The next stage is the phallic stage. This stage occurs within the child from approximately 3-5 years of age and the child’s sexual fixation shifts from the anus to the genitals. This is one of the most important stages of development as the child experiences the Oedipal Conflict. This is the term Freud used to describe the child’s desire to engage in sexual relations with the mother; upon realizing the impossibility of this the male child develops castration anxiety, while the female child develops penis envy. This internal Id and ego conflict furthers develops the self-concept and gives rise to the superego. The next phase is the latency phase. While there are no major developments in this psychosexual phase, it is important for the further gestation of the previous stages of development. In this stage the individual’s Id drives have been subsumed to the individual’s ego, as they learn principles of delayed gratification, and their sexual drive is redirected into pursuits such as school, art, and play. The final psychosexual phase is the genital phase. This phase occurs from puberty to until approximately age 18. While the genital phase shares with the phallic stage pleasure rooted in the genitals, in this stage the ego is further developed and so takes on full adult sexuality. This stage also implements gratification through symbolic thinking, rather than simply the primary drives; this symbolic pleasure occurs in such things as love and relationships. Perhaps Freud’s label as the father of modern psychology is attributed to his theories on the structural model of the human psyche. In these regards, Freud proposes three main structural components: the id, ego, and the superego. For Freud, each of these elements of the human psyche contained different instinctual drives that contributed to overriding human emotion and action. Freud believed that each of these psychic components work in conjunction with the others, much like a system of checks and balances. According to Freud, the id represents the portion of the psyche that is responsible for human drives that are generally associated with pleasure. Essentially the id seeks to enjoy pleasure and avoid pain as much as possible; by definition the id is also regarded as entirely unconscious. The ego is more realistic that the id. The ego functions to achieve pleasure by developing long-term plans that will bring pleasure, instead of pain. The ego also represents conscious awareness; still, elements of the ego responsible for regulating and defense mechanisms are considered unconscious. The final element of the psyche is the superego. The superego functions in contradistinction from the id. In these regards, the superego represents the part of the individual’s psyche that attempts to act in socially appropriate ways. It is also responsible for guilt at wanton actions. The superego is largely unconscious, but is articulated in conscious actions. Within this structure of the human psyche Freud also proposes the concept of sublimation. For Freud, sublimation results when sexual or unhealthy id impulses are changed by the human psyche into more positive actions, such as the production of art. Another seminal contribution Freud made to psychology was his psychoanalytical theories on personality theory. When considering the relevancy for this personality theory it’s important to note that Freud believed that the conscious elements represented by the ego in certain situations experienced cognitive overload resulting in repression as a protective mechanism affecting the personality in later life. Psychodynamic personality theory understands personality as rooted in the complex interaction of conscious and unconscious forces governing the individual’s actions. In examining the psychodynamic aspects of personality theory, considering it in terms of therapeutic processes reveals its foundational theoretical perspectives. While psychodynamic personality approaches have been practiced for nearly a century and have engendered a number of therapeutic techniques, two of the most predominant techniques are free association and dream interpretation. In free association the patient is encouraged to freely express their thoughts while the therapist examines their narrative descriptions for its underlining subconscious motivation; similarly dream interpretation is a method used by the therapist as a means of direct access to unconscious impulses. Impact on Culture Sigmund Freud’s impact on culture has been nothing short of profound. Perhaps the most pervasive influence Freud has had is in reshaping psychological paradigms. Today talk therapy is a cornerstone element of psychological treatment, but during Freud’s time hypnosis was believed to be the only effective treatment method. While contemporary approaches to cognitive-behavioral therapy are very different than Freud’s psychoanalytic model, it’s clear that Freud was among the first to start the talk therapy structure. In terms of specific developments, Freud is recognized as the progenitor of the psychodynamic personality theory. Freud wasn’t the first to investigate the philosophical ramifications of the unconscious, but his early 20th century psychological examinations and development of psychoanalysis make him the progenitor of the psychodynamic personality theory. While psychoanalysis has been extended into a broad range of analytic fields, most notably literature, its implications for contemporary culture are enormous, as ego, id, and superego have become cornerstone elements of modern day vernacular. Conclusion Ultimately, it should be clear why Freud has been awarded the 20th century Genius Award. This has essay has presented his biography and tremendous contributions to psychology, and in shaping the modern world. In these regards, it’s noted that Freud developed the psychoanalytical approach. Within this theory of psychology, Freud made significant contributions in terms of his psychosexual stages of development, personality theory, and articulation of the modern psyche – all elements that contributed to his labeling as the father of modern psychology. Today Freud has made significant cultural impact, and is a recognized part of the modern vernacular. It is for these reasons that we are proud to announce Sigmund Freud as the recipient of the 20th century Genius Award. Read More