The Unconscious Mind VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH!

VERY SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH WHICH SETS UP THE BASIS OF THE MEANING BEHIND MY PROJECT!

Freud and Jung

Sigmund Freud was the most influential controversial figure in the 20th Century, because of his psychological theories. He was dealing with psychological theories problems which hadn't properly been explored and so therefore it caused a lot of interest.

Carl Jung was another psychologist at the same time as Freud. Jung was very interested in Freud's theories, and worked with him for seven years. However, Jung started to oppose Freud's theories, believing they were wrong, and their friendship ended. He believed Freud's ideas were overtly negative.

Freud's Theories

'the unconscious mind'

The Freudian Slip

Everyone will have experienced saying something by mistake. e.g - calling a Freud by another friends name... and Freud believed these misstatements reveal your underlying thoughts and feelings. He truly believed your inner forces outside of your awareness are what dictates your behaviour on the surface.

Freud's ideas had a massive impact on sociology, anthropology, literature and art.

Conscious Vs Unconscious

Our conscious mind is rational, and aware.

Our unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, memories outside our awareness. Most things outside of our conscious are unacceptable and unpleasant. -pain/anxiety/conflict

Our unconsciousness is more aware of our discomforts than comforts.

Our unconscious behaviour is being influenced before being aware ourselves of the influences.

Instinct

Instincts are a big part of the unconscious mind, as we don't have much control or though over them. Freud belived instincts fell into two categories: life and death.

Life

Our life instincts are basic survival. -hunger/thirst/pain

-love and co operation - sexual instincts

life instincts are what keeps us alive, as well as bringing life to a new generation.

Death

This class of instinct is a little more complex.

'the goal of all life is death'

Freud believed everyone holds an unconscious decision to die, however this wish is distracted by our life instincts - so you just move round in circles.

Death instincts are expressed with self destructive behaviour, aggression and violence.

'one feels inclined to say that the intention that man should be happy, but it is not included in the plan of creation' Sigmund Freud, 1930.

Linking Everything Together

I have found that from analysing fairy tales, that beneath the lines, to our subconscious, they are very dark and negative, however on the surface they are more positive

The contrasts between life and death in fairy tales, is an excellent representation of the theories of the unconscious mind by Freud.

So by using imagery (very subtle) from fairy tales, representing 'darkness in disguise' which will be about juxtaposing different elements to create some surreal ideas - and to show negative with a streak of positive, and vice versa.

I hope for my outcomes to be subtle, so I need influences coming from all sorts of places.