Anonymous A started this discussion 7 years ago#82,198
I hope that the psychoanalysts of mc can correct me in my crude understanding of how your mum and dad plays a role in our development. As i understand it, a baby is born without the ability to have mental symbols, because of that, there's only a chaotic mess of perceptions that can't be understood. It is only later, through our mum, that things get a little bit more clear. Crying will be understood as having the ability to relieve discomfort like hunger. When that's understood, the attention turns towards your mum, what is mum? Is mum me? Nobody knows until the mirror stage, in the mirror stage you learn you're a object in the world and there's such a thing as a "i" and this is also where you learn mum is a "i" on its own. Then dad came and what a traumatic thing that was. You've been relying on your mum since forever, without her you'd be dead, every problem is solved by your mum. Now dad is consistently getting between you and your mum, and this is where you now become a person. You learn you can't always have what you want but if you try sometimes.
This is a successful outcome where three basic things are understood:
#1 there's you
#2 the answers to your problems
#3 the world, in this case your dad.
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 12 hours later, 12 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,564
The better question is why you're trying to fit the world into this framework. What does that thinking do for you and why? Psychoanalytic theory is based on vague, unprovable ideas that might sound true to some people. In terms of useful and true things, it offers about as much as any religious or mystical framework for considering yourself in the world. If you find psychoanalytic theory (or any other approach) ringing true for you, then you might want to ask why it sounds true to you and what that says about your thinking.
Sheila LaBoof joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 1 minute later, 12 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,566
so a man walks into a psychoanalyst's office and PENIS PENIS PENIS
Anonymous E replied with this 7 years ago, 2 minutes later, 12 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,567
@previous (Sheila LaBoof)
But did he have a cigar in his mouth?
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 1 hour later, 14 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,573
Yes that is a far better question, I don't know if i can even answer it.
You know, I consider my self Christian and I hope heaven does too. Seriously though, psychoanalysis and it's vast amounts of theories is a whole lot of things and I'm not sure what to make of it all, but psychology supposedly means the study of souls/minds. Why wouldn't anyone want to learn about souls and minds?
Anonymous E replied with this 7 years ago, 1 hour later, 15 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,586
@previous (A)
It is certainly fun to think about and learn about other peoples' views on the matter. Sometimes other people have good insights that can help you sort through your own thinking. I think certain ways of thinking make the world feel comfortable and safe or at least give us a perspective that helps it make sense to us. If psychoanalytic theory does that for you, then you should explore that. Just be aware that it is a cognitive lens through which to view your thinking and internal conflicts. Don't get too hung up on metaphor and think the map is the territory.
Freud hangs a lot of stuff on parental figures, developmental stages, and early home life. Maybe those things are causes of problems. Maybe they are contributing factors. Maybe they don't apply to some people but still give them a useful way to think about their impulses and drives. Take what's useful but don't get too hung up the metaphors. Sometimes it's just a cigar.
(Edited 35 seconds later.)
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 3 hours later, 19 hours after the original post[^][v]#950,610
I'm sort of curious where this plea for caution is coming from, nevertheless, I'll watch out for those metaphors. Too many people get hung up on freud when they think about psychoanalysis though, and even then they don't get it right, the point isn't that the secret meaning behind everything is sex, it's what you're thinking as you do it. Or at least to freud.
Anonymous G joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 10 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#950,808
What about when the child first sees daddy on top of the mom pounding his torso against her and mom is moaning and shrieking like she is in pain?
Anonymous E replied with this 7 years ago, 4 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#950,898
@950,610 (A) > I'm sort of curious where this plea for caution is coming from
That's probably a good question to ask. I think self-help and pop psychology dabble in Freud just enough to make it easy for people to blame all their problems on their parents. Some people do have genuine problems that stem from their relationship with their parents. Some people just want an excuse. I knew someone who was convinced that he was bad with money because his father was never strict enough with him. After reading some book that invoked some kind of psychoanalytic explanation, he decided that he was never given the right kind of upbringing to ever be particularly good with money. Not only was he resigned to not improving himself, but he had a ready excuse about how it out his control. This seems like the opposite of what psychology and introspection should be accomplishing. If I sound cautious, that is because I would urge you to try to understand yourself in order to find solutions. It's easy to feel like you're understanding things when you are only finding new excuses or explanations made up of just-so stories.
Of course, you are right that a modern psychoanalytic approach has grown beyond Freud. Modern psychodynamic approaches are a synthesis of many ideas that have mostly shed Freudian ideas about development and symbolism.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 11 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#950,975
Oh i see. Well I don't know how i gave you the impression that i might go the same road but you're quite right when you say psychoanalysis isn't meant for you as a excuse but it is not like you can psychoanalize yourself, you need two for that.