In "Dora", Freud highlights one of Dora's symptoms: a chronic nervous cough. Freud explains that Dora harbored repressed love for her father and was enraged at the thought of him having an affair with Frau K. However, in one of their discussions, Dora states that Frau K. loved her father because he was a 'man of means'. Freud, applying his "no means yes" theory, concluded that Dora meant her father was a 'man without means' meaning her father was impotent. Dora confirms this conclusion and shows that she knew there was more than one way of providing sexual gratification. From this, Freud states that the reason for her chronic cough was because "she pictured to herself a scene of sexual gratification per os between the two people whose love-affair occupied her mind so incessantly" (196). The cough was stimulated by the irritation of body cavities that would be engaged in such a sexual fantasy involving her father and Frau K.
This marks one of Freud's more important theories: that repressed fantasies often result in symptomatic manifestations. I find that this theory is expressed in many forms of literature but mainly in The Talented Mr.Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. In this novel, Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve a rich businessman's rebellious son, Dickie Greenleaf. When Tom meets Dickie, he is immediately enamored with him; however, he constantly represses his homoerotic tendencies. Convincing himself that he is not homosexual, through Freud's theory of reactive reinforcement (excessively reinforcing a contradictory thought to repress the actual thought), Tom succeeds in repressing his homosexuality and his sexual fantasies towards Dickie. However, this repression paired with Marge- Dickie's love interest who serves as a constant reminder of his heterosexuality- causes Tom to start exhibiting strange behaviors. Namely, Tom becomes dominant and controlling to the point of acting like Dickie. In one specific scene, he dresses up as Dickie and acts out strangling Marge in a mirror: getting rid of the one obstacle between him and Dickie. These behaviors are a direct result of Tom repressing his homosexuality.
This picture is from the film which is completely different from the novel. Jude Law is Dickie and Gwyneth Paltrow is Marge
In a deeper analysis, it seems as though the characters in this novel are different representations of the people involved in Dora's neurosis. Dickie is the equivalent of Dora's father in that he is the constant object of affection and prefers Marge to Tom, Tom is the equivalent of Dora in that he suffers neurosis because of his repression of the love he feels for Dickie, and Marge is the equivalent of Frau K. because she feigns affection towards Tom for the sake of Dickie and also represents one of the obstacles between Tom and Dickie.
In the analysis of a case of hysteria, case of "Dora" Freud gets into the case of figuring out the reasons why this young 18 year old girl, whom he calls Dora is showing hysteric symptoms. I want to focus on the first dream that Dora discusses with Freud of the "jewelry box," which he then gives his interpretations of the dream.
"…The mystery turns upon your mother. You ask how she comes into the dream? She is, as you know, your formal rival in your father's affections. In the incident of the bracelet, you would have been glad to accept what your mother had rejected… it means that you were ready to give your father what you mother withheld from him…" (Pg. 210)
Freud directly indicates that Dora's dream of the jewelry box is her incestuous wanting of her father. In the dream their house was on fire and her mother wanted to save her jewelry box but her father refused too. Freud tells Dora that she has everything backwards that she is desiring her father, wanting to give what her mother wouldn't; by him not retrieving the jewelry box in the dream indicates that he is not doing his duties as a father by protecting her "jewel-case" from Herr K. The reason behind it was because she when she first came to see Freud her relationship between her and her father went bad just like her relationship with her mother, because she suspected her father to be having an affair with Frau K. which upsets her greatly. And when telling her father about the kiss Herr K pushed upon her he did not believe it. As what Freud explains in the interpretation of the jewel-case dream. I find this to be typical Freud getting to the root of this girls dreams, and hysteria because of the Electra complex.
When thinking about this particular part in the case, relating it to modern day culture, it made me think about the film "Precious," which was about a young girl who was sexually abused by her father, and had children in this incestuous, unwanted relationship. Precious' mother Mary, was also extremely verbally and physically abusive towards her; obviously because of what her husband did to her daughter. It displays the Electra complex in reverse where it is not the daughter who is fixated on the father, but the father who is fixated on the daughter, committing full blown child abuse. But what I found interesting is in the clip below of Mary's confession to the social worker and to her daughter Precious. She tells them how she was so utterly fixated on "her man" that she just let him do as he pleased. She repressed the memories that she was the one who actually let the abuse continue, after it started. Mary blamed Precious for just "lying there" and "letting it happen," Precious was the one who made her man leave. By displacing the blame on Precious because her man left her, it made Mary feel that every thing that she had done, and said to Precious was okay, in her mind she deserved what she was going through, which was the insecurities of feeling ugly, fat, unworthily and unloved. In her mind she deserved what she went through; the jealousy, envy and competition that Mary felt with her daughter, let her allow the abuse.
Over all, I found this to be a twist to the Electra complex, the mother is the one who is in competition with the daughter rather than vice-versa. How would Freud interpret Mary's actions? Obviously because of her wanting to be loved by a man, she let abuse to occur to her own daughter and displacing the blame onto her as well, so the guilt won't afflict her and make herself believe she was the actual victim not her daughter.
"Our Civilization is, generally speaking, founded on the suppression of instincts."(4)
In Freud's 1908 article "Civilized Sexual Morality and Modern Nervousness, Freud touches upon the restrictive state of society, mainly cultural development, and the effect on the individual as well as society. Sexual and cultural "norms" are a mysterious term for there is no one normal but there is an overall understanding of what is perceived to be "right" and "wrong." In a culture where sex is still perceived to be taboo to talk about it, it is really all we do talk about. The norms placed on society, specifically when sexual aim is involved, still harbor a huge gap of space between those who follow it and those who do not. The most popular sexual moral opinons fall into three main categories: 1. Pre-marital sex
2.Extra-marital sex
3. Homosexual relations. Each of these categories have unsaid moral standings within them. I wanted to focus more on the emotions of the individual carrying the weight of moral anxiety rather than the aftereffects of such trauma. When researching just what exactly moral anxiety was, I found the definition to be not only highlighting the limiting scope of action but of emotion. In one definition, moral anxiety was defined as "anxiety which results from fear of violating moral or societal codes. Moral anxiety appears as guilt or shame. Guilt and shame lie on the outside of basic emotion being categorized as a "self-conscious emotion" one that would not even exist if humans did not relate sense of self and the consciousness of others reactions to them. These emotions, based purely on how one perceives others opinions, are crippling to cultural development and aiding to suppression of basic instincts. These emotions play heavily in the societal need to suppress natural tendencies and innate instincts. "Each individual has contributed some renunciation- of his sense of dominating power, of the aggressive and vindictive tendencies of his personality." It is when one cannot comply with the suppression that neurosis appears. The true neuroses are "disturbances, whether bodily or mental, appear to be of a toxic character." These disturbances can be induced by detrimental influences in sexual life. Freud then concludes that "it may be maintained that the sexual factor is the essential one in the causation of the true neuroses". On the other hand, there is the psychoneuroses which are more hereditary influenced (hysteria being an example.) This form of neurosis was found to be best approached with psychoanalysis for it was dependent on the unconscious and the repressed. Sexual instinct impacted cultural development heavily, for its original purpose was not procreation but pleasure. Three stages were then formed of cultural development in regards to sexual instincts. The first being a stage in which "the sexual impulse may be freely exercised in regard to aims which do not lead to procreation." The second highlights a cultural norm where all sexual aims are suppressed with the exception of those used to procreate. Lastly, stage three is which only legitimate procreation is allowed. If forced to live within the realms for these stages, most of 'civilized' sexual morality falls within stage three. These three stages of development are much like the three most controversial of moral opinions listed above. A
common place for the debate of sexual relations is within some
religions where premarital sex, homosexuality and adultery are all
highly frowned upon. The exceptions to Freud's three stages of cultural development being individuals whos development of the sexual impulse has been impaired and therefore fall within a deviation from normal sexuality. These exceptions are the different varieties of perverts and homosexuals or inverts. Freud attributes stronger development of these perversions to result in feelings of adaptability and unhappiness. It is when these sexual aims are successfully suppressed that the individual becomes "inwardly stunted and outwardly crippled." Overall, the norms placed on society have become so strenuous that many cannot comply with the demands. "All who wish to reach a higher standard than their constitution will allow, fall victims to neurosis." The question then stands, to have a working system should the individual have to suppress all feelings not accepted by the greater population? What effect on the 'civilized' morality does suppression of innate instincts have?
Thought I'd share a couple more of the illustrations from the graphic
novel based on the life of Sergei Pankejeff (The Wolf Man). There's
also a short making of film you can check out here.
Although Freud's case
study of the "Wolf Man" is loaded with several different theories and
concepts, I chose to focus on the ideas he presented in terms of
masculinity/femininity in relation to the castration complex. He refers to the
"sexual organization" of the patient in terms of his identity (and
desires) after unconsciously accessing his memory of witnessing his father and
mother having sex (415). The Wolf Man further processes this act by focusing on
the genital organization of his parents, particularly in regards to the
masculine and feminine roles they are playing in the incident. In a
traditionally gendered understanding of these terms (especially within the
context of Freud's use of them), the idea of masculinity is represented by the
"active" participant, while femininity aligns itself with the
"passive".
Therefore, what the young Wolf Man was witnessing in his
state of infantile neurosis was the beginning of a fear of castration and the
loss of the penis caused by the father. While he did not necessarily separate
the idea that his mother was not actually castrated, his witnessing of the event secured
this fear of femininity (and becoming feminine).
The potential loss of his masculinity (and being
penetrated by his father) was later transferred into several of his dreams. One
of the Wolf Man’s most powerful fantasies included a scene where several wolves
attempt to mount the tailless and “castrated” wolf, which is standing in as his
mother. His anxiety over his identity with the castrated wolf stems from both a
fear of his father and desire to receive sexual satisfaction from him, and this
identification with castration, passivity, and femininity creates a complicated
dream sequence. Freud states that his “last sexual aim, the passive attitude
towards his father, succumbed to repression, and fear of his father appeared in
the shape of the wolf phobia” (415). This was groundbreaking for Freud in terms of realizing the power and connection the dream world and its creative influence could have on the conscious psyche.
Kokoro is split up in to three parts, each containing a
different part of the story. The first is mostly around the student’s
relationship with Sensei, while the second focuses on the student and the third
focuses on Sensei. All of these sections contain Freudian concepts particularly
relating to Totem & Taboo.
Parts 1 & 2- Sensei as a “father” to the student
A la Totem and Taboo, the idea of “father figures” is very
strong in this novel. Particularly in the first part of the novel (where it
focuses on their relationship together) and the second part of the novel (where
it focuses on the student’s familial relations) we see a strong connection as
if Sensei was a father to the student. Even in the first couple pages, we see a
compulsion by the student to be one with Sensei – one day, as he’s watching him
at the beach he “had a sudden urge to follow him” (6). I think this sentence
really encompasses a lot of the book here in the beginning – as the student
learns from Sensei, he craves to know more about him and just wants to “follow”
his lead. As they develop a closer relationship, the student claims that
Sensei’s ideas “inspired [him] more than [his] teachers” (29). In part two,
when he goes home to tend to his father and family, the connection he has to his
real family are weaker than his connection with Sensei. He even sees himself a
little above his family and parents in terms of knowledge – giving advice &
expressing ideas that Sensei relayed to him, particularly regarding his
father’s illness. All the while when he is at home, he still thinks of Sensei
pretty constantly – writing to him for a job and updating him on his situation.
When his father is on his deathbed, at the end of part 2, he quickly takes the
train to Sensei (believing him to be dead) – the most important father figure,
it seems, was him.
Part 3 - The Sensei and K’s fight for the girl
Sensei describes, in depth, about the circumstances that led
him to suicide in his extensive letter to the student. He explains how his love
for Ojōsan developed, and his dismay when K confesses his love for her as well.
This leads to another Totem & Taboo concept of mutual sexual desires
leading to division in brotherhood. Sensei is extremely distraught when K
confesses his love to him, and what follows ends up being a competition for the
winner (in Sensei’s eyes) of Ojōsan. At one point, Sensei describes his
“savage” like behavior – as he “grabbed K but the scruff of the neck and
demanded to know what he would do if I tossed him into the sea” (177). His
unrestrained feelings ultimately end up in him asking Ojōsan to marry him – as he
wanted to “act before K did” (208). The burden on K is too much to bear to see
his love go away – and he commits suicide. Brother fought brother to the death.
In honor of the anniversary of the publication of Die Traumdeutung [The Interpretation of Dreams] on November 4, 1899, here is the only known recording of Sigmund Freud's voice, made by the BBC on December 7, 1938. After the Nazis took over in Austria on March 12, 1938. Freud and his family left Austria on June 4, 1938 and arrived in England two days later. Freud instructed his physician to administer a lethal dose of morphine on September 23, 1939, after decades of painful treatments for incurable bone cancer. You can hear that Freud could only speak with difficulty at this point in his life.
