One thing that I've considered while reading Freud is the formation of the mind. Since we talked about this a little in class today, I thought it might be a good time to post on it.
We identified the Oedipal Complex as one of the defining events of the mind, as Freud describes in italics on pg. 30. However, it seems strange to me for a child, even a very young child, to not have an ego. Even a toddler who has supposedly not resolved the Oedipal Complex would need this function. I haven't finished the last chapter of the reading yet, so the answers might be in there, I just thought I might post on it to see what other people thought. Is there room (in this text at least, I don't want to open the can of outside arguments while I don't fully understand this) for the original structure of the mind to also affect its eventual formation? Or does the Oedipal Complex the only determining factor?
If this is not true, then how does Freud think kids operate before they resolve this conflict, or even before it happens? Or is it always happening?
Looking at the text, it seems maybe young kids have an ego, perhaps a very weak one? If the ego deals with sensory inputs and the concept of reality, how could children function without one?
ReplyDeleteIt's odd to think that the Oedipal complex alone determines individuality entirely, but Freud seems to suggest that this is the case. My understanding is that everyone begins with the same drives/instincts (interchangeable?) and must master them. What affects the ways in which individuals do this or their degree of "success" isn't really clear to me.
I know that bringing developmental psychology into this may be a wee but a stretch, but I can't help but notice slight overlaps between Freud and psychologists like Piaget, who theorized that, during the first few years of life, children are constantly discovering what the world is and how it relates to them. For a while, they don't even know that their own arms are a part of themselves or, a bit later, that a toy is not a part of their arm. Taking this into account, I think agree with Emily in that while an ego is always present, it must develop and grow along with every other part of the mind. It would seem rather strange if there was a part during a baby's life when their ego did not exist. That would open up a whole 'nother can of worms that I feel somewhat leery discussing. I don't claim to be an expert in dev. psych, but I do love it dearly...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I'm just expecting a continuity out of psychoanalysis that just isn't there are that I haven't read enough to know about (ha - that's probably more likely.) Although after discussion today it seems like the child's conflict/desires for the mother and father may serve as the same guiding factor as the ego might while they are at that young age. Hm...
ReplyDelete