Sigmund Freud

UNIT 1 SIGMUND FREUD

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 Freud and his career
1.1.2 Understanding the terms psychology, psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst and psyche
1.1.3 Major Freudian concepts
1.2 Oedipus Complex and Taboo
1.2.1 Totem and Taboo
1.2.2 Oedipus and Electra Complex
1.2.3 Interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
1.3 Dora: A Case Study
1.4 A psychoanalytical study of Gandhi’s Truth: Erik H. Erikson
1.5 Psychoanalytic criticism and Indian Literature
1.5.1 Girish Karnad’s Hayavadanaand Yayati
1.5.2 Vijay Tendulkar’s The Cyclist
1.6 Let us sum up
1.7 References and further readings
1.8 Check your progress

1.0 OBJECTIVES
After going through this Unit, you will be able to:
 Understand the term and process of psychoanalysis minutely;
 Learn basic Freudian concepts;
 Observe Freud’s way to apply psychoanalytic ideas; and
 Locate psychoanalytical elements in Indian literature.

1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.1.1 Freud and his career
Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, on the basis of his clinical observations,
coined the term psychoanalysis during the 1890s. At the University of Vienna, in
1881 he qualified as a Doctor of Medicine and in 1902 also became an affiliated
professor. He lived and worked in Vienna. Freud with his colleague Joseph Breuer
observed that, when a patient was brought closer to his/her repressed and
unconscious ideas the patient showed [Link] patient is treated through
a dialogue between him and a psychoanalyst.
Though contested and criticized extensively for its therapeutic efficacy, Freud’s
psychoanalytic theory influenced contemporary Western thought and culture as
well. It equally remains significant in the realm of psychology, psychiatry, and 105
Psychological Approaches psychotherapy and in the humanities as well. In 1940, W.H. Auden paid tribute
to Freud and described him poetically as having created “a whole climate of
opinion / under whom we conduct our different lives.”

1.1.2 Understanding the terms psychology, psychoanalysis,

psychoanalyst and psyche
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines psyche as “the mind, or the deepest
thoughts, feelings or beliefs of a person or group.” The word soul is also used
synonymously for psyche. It has an ancient history of use in philosophy and
psychology. From a scientific point of view it is a fundamental element to
comprehend human nature and behavior. In psychology, psyche refers to the
conscious and unconscious part of the human mind. Propounded by Carl Jung it
refers to the knowledge which human beings are supposed to inherit from their
parents genetically. This knowledge includes deep-seated beliefs such as sexual
behaviors, spiritual conducts, and life and death instincts. It is due to ancestral
experience rather than personal one that our unconscious mind encompasses this
knowledge. Because it is not subjective, it is sometimes called the “objective
psyche”.
Psychology implies the scientific study of the psyche. According to the American
Psychological Association it is an objective study of human mind and behavior.
As a discipline it includes multiple sub-fields like social behavior, cognitive
processes, health and human development etc. Although psychology advanced
recently over the last 150 years, its origin is found in 400-500 years BC ancient
Greece.
There are three terms – psychologist, psychoanalyst and psychiatrist - with respect
to psychology which are most often and unknowingly used synonymously by
people. A psychologist chiefly needs a PhD degree in clinical/counseling
psychology for practice. S/he primarily deals with emotional issues. A psychologist
is not supposed to carry out any medication or prescribe medication. Only that
person, who is not physically disturbed, visits a psychologist to release his
suppressed emotions. Psychologists aim at studying how human and animal minds
work.
A psychiatrist is a physician with an MD degree after completing MBBS and
treats mentally ill patients. Psychiatrists have medical rights to prescribe medicines
as they manage clinical issues rather than dealing with emotions. For instance, a
schizophrenic patient consults a psychiatrist because he undergoes certain physical
changes and needs proper medical treatment.
The work of a psychoanalyst follows from Freudian theories and concepts. These
include knowing the dreams, childhood memories in the unconscious mind,
infantile sexuality, repression and transference etc. of the patient. This process is
a therapy rather than a medication. Like a psychologist, psychoanalysts deal with
emotional problems to resolve the ongoing problem without any medical
prescription. However, their counseling methods differ from each other. The term
psychoanalysis has a dual dimension. It is a therapy as well as a theory based on
the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. Peter Berry puts it more clearly:
Psychoanalytic criticism is a form of literary criticism which uses some of the
106 techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature. Psychoanalysis
itself is a form of therapy which aims to cure mental disorders ‘by investigating Sigmund Freud
the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind’ (as the Concise
Oxford Dictionary puts it). The classic method of doing this is to get the patient
to talk freely, in such a way that the repressed fears and conflicts which are causing
the problems are brought into the conscious mind and openly faced, rather than
remaining ‘buried’ in the unconscious.
(Beginning Theory- An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theories, p. 90)

1.1.3 Major Freudian concepts

We must be aware of the leading tenets of psychoanalysis in order to have a
minute understanding of Freud’s ideas. Freud has divided human personality
into three parts namely- id, ego and superego. These three parts correspond to
three different levels of our mind – unconscious, conscious and subconscious
respectively. Preconscious and conscience are synonymously used in place of
subconscious. Below we will briefly observe how these operate within one’s
mind.
Id: It contains all of the unconscious urges unaccepted socially. It also comprises
unpleasant desires, feelings and thoughts. In order to avoid pain or conflict due
to unfulfilled desires, these primal urges are repressed deeply in the unconscious
mind. The unconscious, according to Freud, has an invisible though strong control
over our actions. However, Freud was not the first one to bring the unconscious
into the forefront but it is chiefly attributed to him because of the role he ascribed
to the unconscious in our lives.
Other related terms to it are repression and sublimation. The forgetting of the
‘unadmitted desires’, ‘unresolved conflicts’ and the ‘traumatic past events’ is
done by repressing conscious material to the unconscious realm. Sometimes this
repressed material finds its way out in disguise and is reflected as something
noble. This process is defined as sublimation. For instance, sexual urges, most
often, may be sublimated into religious desires.
Ego: The second aspect of human personality is ego. Corresponding to the
conscious mind, this part of personality conforms to the demands of social reality.
Further, it tries to have control over the wishes, id gives rise to, and makes us to
follow only the acceptable ways of living. By fulfilling our needs in a socially
acceptable way, it helps in forming a balance between our basic urges and reality.
This is defined as ego’s defense mechanisms.
Defense mechanisms are the strategies used by ego to release anxiety and distress
may be caused due to the unaccepted desires of id. This is done through projecting
one’s attribute to another person or nearby environment chiefly through symbols.
This projection is achieved without one’s conscious efforts. Transference,
projection, and screen memory are few examples of such strategies. In transference,
the patient directs his/her repressed emotions towards the psychoanalysts. For
instance, a patient’s enmity for his parents may be produced against the
psychoanalyst. Projection is a procedure when our negative aspects or stigmatized
longings or antagonism are disowned by us and are attributed to or are projected
through the means of others. Slip of tongue or pen is the example of screen
memory Freud proposed. According to him, our repressed matter, dominating
the unconscious mind, vents out either through slip of tongue or pen slip. 107
Psychological Approaches Superego: Superego contains our ideals and values. The values and beliefs that
our parents and society instill in us are the guiding force of superego, and it
strives to make us behave according to these morals.
Freud also explains infantile sexuality. He elaborates that sexuality does not start
at puberty with physical development. It starts in infancy itself when a child
develops a relationship with his parents. This leads to Oedipus and Electra
complexes in boys and girls respectively. This concept will be elucidated in the
upcoming discussion.
Freud’s model of child’s psychosexual development comprises five stages. The
stages are:
1. oral phase, from birth to one year;
2. anal phase, from one to three years;
3. phallic phase, 3-6 years
4. latency phase, 6 to puberty; and
5. genital phase, puberty to adulthood.
Working and interpretation of dreams are also dealt with by Freud. He contends
that our desires and wishes in the unconscious minds are transformed into dreams.
In a dream a person or event is displaced by another related or associated person
or event. On the other side, a group of people or events or meanings are
‘condensed’ and represented by a single image only. Here, Freud proposes that
dreams work and represent matter in a ‘literary’ way. Like literature, dreams do
not convey things explicitly but either indirectly or symbolically.

1.2 OEDIPUS COMPLEX AND TABOO

1.2.1 Totem and Taboo
In his influential book Totem and Taboo, Freud discusses development of the
human psyche His discussion is based on the assumption that the behavior of the
more civilized groups can be illustrated through the behavior of primitive people.
Concepts like unconsciousness, repression, sublimation etc. can be understood
through primitive groups. Freud examines totem and cultural taboo like incest it
symbolizes and then explains how it structures primitive societies. The totem
stands for a sacred animal elected by a certain tribe or clan. Members of that tribe
are not allowed to kill and eat it except during special rituals. They are also
prohibited to have sexual relations with one another, violation of which will be
held as incest and leads to either death or social exclusion. Freud’s psychoanalytic
study shows that such taboos repress incestuous sexual drives and result in neurotic
behavior in the individual of modern society.
In the essay, “Taboo and the Ambivalence of the Emotions,” Freud suggests that
taboos in primitive societies are ritualized and associated with certain concepts
of a demon or a deity. This ritualization is seen by Freud as an example of a
defense mechanism i.e., projection. Through this the feelings of the tribe or clan
are ascribed to external objects.
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1.2.2 Oedipus and Electra Complex Sigmund Freud

In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, Oedipus complex implies a child’s desire for

sexual relation with the parent of the opposite sex. With this the child also has a
sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. Freud elaborated this concept in
his book Interpretation of Dreams. He explains his theory through the Theban
Greek legendary hero Oedipus.

The story follows that Oedipus was destined to kill his father Laius. Therefore, at
his birth his father abandoned Oedipus to avoid his foretold death. Years later, on
not knowing who his parents are, Oedipus met his father on a bridge. Being
proud warriors, each one blocked the other’s path. In a consequent fight, and as
was destined, Oedipus killed his father. On reaching his father’s land, which he
did not know, he saved the kingdom from a monster called the Sphinx. In gratitude,
the people requested him to take charge of the kingdom by marrying their queen
who was now a widow. This is how he inadvertently married his mother. After
many years when the queen had borne him children, the truth was revealed. On
knowing the crime, he had committed, he blinded himself. Freud studied this
tale to suggest an unspoken need of the son to triumph over and eliminate the
father for maternal love.

On the other hand, the Electra complex is named after another Greek mythical
figure Electra, who helped her brother Orestes to slay her mother. It is about the
age three to five, according to Freud, that the child develops this feeling. Further,
this stage usually ends when the child identifies himself with the parent of the
same sex, which results in repression of his former sexual instincts. In this case,
if the child’s previous relationships with the parents are smooth and loving, the
stage is spent harmoniously. If, however, presence of traumatic events are found
in childhood it leads to an “infantile neurosis” which is observed during a child’s
adult life.

1.2.3 Interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Let us now understand this concept more clearly through an example which Freud
himself illustrated in Interpretation of Dreams. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet,
the father is murdered by his own brother, i.e., Hamlet’s uncle and then marries
Hamlet’s mother. Later on, father’s ghost appears to Hamlet and asks him to take
revenge by killing his uncle. Hamlet determines to avenge his father’s murder
but spends most of the time making excuses and speculating. Why is it so? Does
Hamlet lack the strength to kill a murderer?
Freud’s analysis suggests that it is not because Hamlet is squeamish as he kills
many others in the play. The answer lies in his psyche. Freud says that Hamlet
cannot avenge his father’s murder because he finds himself guilty of wanting to
commit the same crime. It means he has an Oedipus complex; repressed
unconscious sexual desire for his own mother, and he wishes to do away with his
father. Thus, his uncle only does what Hamlet himself secretly wishes to do.
Therefore, he faces difficulty in killing his uncle. His uncle is the one who makes
him realize his own repressed childhood desires. Hamlet doesn’t find himself
better than his uncle.
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Psychological Approaches
1.3 DORA: A CASE STUDY
Dora is a case Freud conducted during his career and also writes about. Dora, an
eighteen-year-old girl, whose actual name Freud does not reveal, suffers from
hysterical symptoms like dyspnea (difficulty breathing), aphonia (loss of voice),
nervous coughing and migraine headaches etc. Freud concludes that these
symptoms resulted either from psychological issues or problems in the patient’s
sexual life. During her treatment, Freud lets Dora speak about her past and family
situation. One significant event which Freud noted is Dora’s father’s illness, curing
which they moved to the town and became intimate friends with a couple Herr
and Frau K. Mr. K would often accompany Dora on walks. This friendship among
two families is strained when Dora alleges that Mr. K. proposed to her indecently.
Herr K. denied that such an event never happened, and Dora’s father agreed with
this, inferring that Dora only imagined all this. Dora, distressed by this, suspected
her father’s relationship with Frau K. and believed that she was being presented
to Herr K. in return. In this regard, Freud also interprets two dreams Dora recounted
to him. About one of the dreams she said:
A house was on fire. My father was standing beside my bed and woke me up.
I dressed quickly. Mother wanted to stop and save her jewel case, but father
said, ‘I refuse to let myself and my two children be burnt for the sake of your
jewel-case’. We hurried downstairs, and as soon as I was outside I woke up.
(qtd. in Beginning Theory)
What Freud derives from this dream is that the German word ‘jewel-case’ stands
for female genitals. Therefore, the dream implicitly suggests Dora’s repressed
wish to fulfill what Mr. K wants. The fire, Freud points out, represents her
repressed passions for the same. Most importantly, Mr. K is displaced in the
dream with that of her own father. This hints at her wish that her Oedipal love
i.e., her father will save her from yielding to the temptations of Mr. K. Freud
also observes that Dora finds Mrs. K. her rival in her Oedipal (Electra) love for
her father. Dora left the treatment before it could reach any conclusion, so Freud
named this case ‘Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria’.
It is not that Freud’s ideas and formulations were not contested. Freud’s views
that women’s sexuality is dominated by ‘narcissism’, ‘masochism’ and passivity
are strongly condemned by feminists. He was also criticized as sexist. In response
to his proposal that girls develop penis envy, Karen Horney, a German based
Neo-Freudian psychoanalyst, proposes that girls’ psychosexual development
consists of “power envy”. She further explained the concept of “womb and
vagina envy”, which the males experience during their psychosexual development.
They envy the female ability to procreate.
Besides Karen, orthodox Freudian psychoanalysis was majorly challenged in the
1920s by the scholars Otto Rank, Sandor Ferenczi, and Wilhelm Reich. In the
next decade, Erich Fromm and Harry Stack Sullivan led Freudian criticism. These
critics emphasized more on the working of ego and conscious mind, and pointed
out the significance of social motives more instead of sexual behaviors. They
also stressed on the fact that Freud’s theoretical models resulted from the analysis
of a homogeneous upper-class Austrian women. These women were living in a
110 sexually repressed society and Freud studied these women only to conclude his
theory. Despite these recurring contentions, Freud’s concepts are referred to now Sigmund Freud
and then by psychoanalysts.

1.4 A PSYCHOANALYTICAL STUDY OF GANDHI’S

TRUTH: ERIK H. ERIKSON
In the months of February and March in 1918, an unforgettable event occurred in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Mahatma Gandhi, instead of for a religious or personal
cause, fasted for the first time for a public cause. Gandhi intervened in the
Ahmedabad Textile labor dispute which proved to be an effective use of Satyagraha
in resolving industrial disputes.
German-born American psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson conducted an inquiry of
this event during the 1960s. Through his inquiry he attempted to understand
Gandhi’s concept of truth. Based on this event of non-violence Erickson produced
an enormous work Gandhi’s Truth – On the Origins of Militant Nonviolence.
Erik H. Erikson, a Freudian psychoanalyst coined the phrase “identity crisis” and
is known for his theory on psychological development of human beings. Now
the question arises how Erikson developed his psychoanalytic study of this event
to analyze Mahatma Gandhi’s psychological personality.
Erikson’s mentioned book is a psychoanalytical approach towards finding the
origins of “non-violence.” Gandhi finds ‘non-violence’ inalienable to “Truth”.
However, be it Gandhi’s biographies or his Autobiography, this first “fast” for
the public has been described as somewhat a mistake and a failure. Erikson tries
to locate the cause “… for how did Gandhi get into this situation in the first
place? And if, indeed, he failed, why did he, or why did he think so? …” Erikson
observed and answered this question saying, “Gandhi’s and Freud’s methods
converge more clearly…both encounters only the militant probing of a vital issue
by a nonviolent confrontation can bring to light what insight is ready on both
sides.” Psychoanalysis, this is what we learnt so far, offers us a way to create a
balance non-violently between our overbearing conscience and our raging affects,
thus forcing our “moral” and our “animal” natures to enter into respectful
reconciliation.
Erikson further admits that as Gandhi in his autobiography The Story of My
Experiments with Truth probed his motivations, so was done by Freud by dealing
with his own and his patients’ dreams “scientifically”. What he says about his
book is also noteworthy here:
When I began this book, I did not expect to rediscover psychoanalysis in
terms of truth, self-suffering, and nonviolence. But now that I have done so,
I see better what I hope the reader has come to see with me, namely, that I felt
attracted to the Ahmedabad Event not only because I had learned to know
the scene and not only because it was time for me to write about the
responsibilities of middle age, but also because I sensed an affinity between
Gandhi’s truth and the insights of modern psychology.
At another point to justify his attempts for studying the subject matter through
psychoanalysis Erikson wrote in “A Personal Word”, an imagined letter addressed
to Mahatma Gandhi:
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Psychological Approaches And this doctor (Freud) in his consultation room made a decision analogous
to the one you made in your South African proving ground, namely, that the
instrument of enlightenment to be forged by him would have to include self-
analysis, that is, the acceptance of himself as a person who shared his patients’
inner mechanisms: the truth could cure the patient only insofar as the doctor
had faced the corresponding truth in himself.

1.5 PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM AND INDIAN

LITERATURE
Indian writers have very subtly and extensively represented the psychology of
human beings in their works. Critics also have nicely identified psychological
issues in literary works. Let us examine two such Indian texts.

1.5.1 Girish Karnad’s Hayavadanaand Yayati

Hayavadana
The play Hayavadana by Girish Karnad centers on the love triangle among Kapila,
Devadatta and Padmini. Devadatta, a poet, lives life through the mind, while
Kapila with his attractive physique courts adventure. They are charming in their
unique ways, but one does not possess the features of the other. This is where
Padmini finds herself struggling. Even marrying Devadatta, her desire for Kapila
could not be obliterated and she is observed visiting Kapila. Seeing his married
life disintegrating and remembering his vow to offer his head to goddess Kali
head if he were to be allowed to marry Padmini, Devadatta cut off his head. In
the grief of losing his friend, Kapila beheads himself as well. On goddess Kali’s
suggestion Padmini joins the heads back to bodies to revive them. However, we
see Devadatta with Kapila’s head and Devadatta’s head on Kapila’s body. This
resulted in further confusion that who is the true husband.
Padmini chooses to live with Devadatta’s head and Kapila is left behind and
goes to live in the forest. This transposing of heads on wrong bodies depicts the
conflict between body and mind. Though initially it is the mind, personified by
Devadatta, which wins but the influence of the body, personified by Kapila, cannot
be neglected. It is due to Padmini’s desire for Kapila’s body only which leads to
the transposing of heads. Even after this, they are not able to reconcile, and the
two men kill each other and Padmini kills herself. Head or to say mind and body
represent two sides of human beings. Absence of agreement between the two
leads to tragedy. We can see mind and body as agents governing socially accepted
behavior and unaccepted desires respectively. Padmini and Devadatta’s families’
backgrounds agree with the socially accepted behavior of marriage, while
Padmini’s body did not let her forget Kapila to fulfill her desires. Thus, living
with Devadatta her unaccepted wishes always keep lurking in her married life.
In this regard, the dolls Devadatta buys for his and Padmini’s child are significant
to look at. The dolls become symbols of Padmini’s desires repressed to be observed
by anyone. They express her inner thoughts to the audience or readers. The dolls
explain how Devadatta’s hands are softening which in turn signals Padmini’s
dying desire for the ‘new version’ of Devadatta. Eventually, it is also through the
dolls that we realize Padmini’s dreams. They narrate her dreaming of a man with
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a “rough” face and a “nice body,” hinting at the conflict between her mind and Sigmund Freud
body as both the men return to their original states.
Interestingly, Karnad also uses masks to reveal the hidden desires of characters.
Whether it is Padmini or Kapila or Devadatta, they all are aware of their emotions,
which they try not to disclose to the others. Therefore, masks help them to keep
their psychological secrets hidden from other characters. However, readers are
introduced to their covert desires through masks only.
Yayati
Karnad’s another play Yayati narrates the story of a mythical character of Yayati.
Devayani, Yayati’s wife, learned that Yayati had secretly married Sarmishtha whom
she brought with herself as her maid. Also, Sarmistha had borne him two sons.
On knowing this, her father, the asura-priest, Shukra, cursed Yayati to become
‘old and impotent’. Later on, when he realized the harshness of the curse, Shukra
modified it. Now, if any of Yayati’s sons accept the curse Yayati would regain his
youth and potency. Puru, the youngest son, willingly agreed so that his father
could enjoy life. After indulging his senses Yayati realized the ephemeral nature
of material things and decided to grow old. Thus, Puru gained his youth back
again and earned the gratitude of his father.
Yayati’s wish to satiate his senses at the sake of his son clearly depicts the
dominance of id. One cannot admit socially to fulfill his/her sensual pleasures at
the cost of one’s own child. One is expected to keep such immoral desires away
from his consciousness. As Freud suggested, our superego does not let us speak
openly about unethical wishes. Here, we find Yayati’s id overpowering his
superego.
Also, as a child we find Puru harboring the feeling of excessive attachment to his
mother. And however, he agreed to lose his youth for his father Yayati, Puru
always resented and hated him. We observed him missing his mother whenever
he was away. He also admitted that her mother’s memories haunted him and he
always dreamt of her. Dreams, as we have learnt through the above discussion,
conveys our hidden longings subtly. He would also wish for the room where he
used to be with his mother and stated that “...my dear room! The room of a few
moments of joy in life”. Further, Puru’s dislike for Yayati is not a secret. For
Freud the father is always an obstacle between the son and his mother, thus,
Puru’s hatred for his father is not meaningless. Aware of this hostility Yayati too
confesses, “Whenever we talk to each other, there erupts a quarrel. Why is it so?
This I have not been able to know so far.”
Apparently, these are the hints of his attraction for his mother. Yayati, however,
never understands it. Thus, Puru lamented that his father never tried to know his
inner thoughts. Moreover, Puru is not hesitant to tell Yayati that he exists for him
only in terms of his love for his mother. In this regard, his decision to accept the
curse of getting old from his father appears to be a step towards satiating his
unconscious desires itself. Transference of his youth to his father is an attempt to
meet his unspoken wishes.

1.5.2 Vijay Tendulkar’s The Cyclist

The psychological phenomenon of Oedipus complex is intricately fabricated into
the texture of the play The Cyclist written by Vijay Tendulkar. The play describes 113
Psychological Approaches a young man named as Main Character who sets out on a journey on his bicycle.
As he progresses, the cyclist encounters natural and supernatural hazards and
humans as well.
Balwant Bhaneja points out that: “The Cyclist is not about one but three journeys:
Apart from being a journey in geographical terms, it is a psychological exploration
of the protagonist’s mind and offers insight into the historical significance of the
bicycle.” The main character recalls his attachment to his mother and his conflict
with the father in his childhood: “Pa, a real gent. Once in a while he would slap
me across the face. Just a habit. Amma totally safe. Never hit me. If I made a
mistake, she’d cry instead. Then I’d say, ‘Ma, I am sorry. I won’t do it again.’ She
was the one who taught me to say that.” Many critics suggest that the cyclist
begins his journey in the latency period. At this time there is an inner urge to
know the world around and also a belief in the people of same sex. On the very
onset of the play Main Character recounts his dream of watching “unexplored
places “ mountains, deserts, water”, of having “new experiences” and of making
“new friends”. Surprisingly, he expresses his unwillingness to have girlfriends.
He states “Have ‘girl’ friends! No, no girlfriends “ we don’t get along.”
Once during his journey, the cyclist is drenched by rain and puts his clothes on a
rope to let them dry. There he encounters a female voice, which later on appears
as Mermaid, calling him ‘Sindbaad’ and claims to like him. In order to prevent
him from running away from her she swallows his clothes. This can be studied as
his seduction by her. She says: “I will guard them for nine months in my
womb…your clothes. Then I’ll give birth to a lovely child… He will call you Pa,
Pa, Papa and me Ma, ma.” Being a beloved, she also appears as a mother figure
here. The Main Character, on her former comment, replies too: “Please go away!
What’s happening? Mother, lady, you swallowed my clothes… what did you
have to do?” Apparently, the Mermaid is symbolic of the cyclist’s mother. She
projects the oedipal desires which were latent in the psyche of the cyclist. Despite
his reluctance, the cyclist’s repressed oedipal desires are redirected through the
Mermaid. Balwant Bhaneja is correct when he admits that “Mermaid’s seduction
of the cyclist is that of Oedipus, a composite of mother, girlfriend and enchantress.”

1.6 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, we dealt with Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic concepts and the
consequent theories he evolved by conducting varieties of cases. Freud believes
that a child’s sexuality starts right from his birth and affects his future adulthood
depending on his former sexual experiences either in the family or outside. Dora’s
case is the result of one of such psychoanalytic studies. Freud’s interpretation of
Shakespeare’s title character of the play Hamlet elaborates the ideas minutely.
We also studied how Freudian scholars like Erik Erikson applied Freud’s views
to analyze Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of truth and non-violence. Lastly, analyzing
the two works of Indian playwrights, the presence of psychological aspects in
humanities has also been underlined.

1.7 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READINGS

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.
114 Manchester University Press, 1982.
Erikson, Erik H. Gandhi’s Truth: On the Origins of Militant Non-violence. W.W. Sigmund Freud
Norton and Company, 1970.
Tendulkar, Vijay. Collected Plays in Translation. Oxford University Press, 1992.
Karnad, Girish. Collected Plays. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Freud, Sigmund. A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. Boni and Liveright,
1920.

1.8 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1) How are the terms psychology, psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst and psyche
different and related to each other?
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2) Describe in your words the significant tenets of psychoanalysis propounded
by Sigmund Freud.
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3) Explain the concept of infantile sexuality.
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4) What do you mean by Oedipus complex? Elucidate the concept with the
help of a suitable example.
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5) Erik Erikson draws a parallel between Freud and Gandhi’s viewpoints
emphasizing on the term truth. Give a brief summary of Erikson’s study.
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6) Summarize your understanding of cultural taboo Freud mentioned in his work
Totem and Taboo.
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Psychological Approaches 7) With the help of examples elaborate the process of defense mechanism.
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8) Psychoanalytic study is equally helpful to study literary characters as a physical
human being. Justify your answer by giving sufficient examples.
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9) The unconscious mind influences human actions. Do you agree with this
statement? Defend your argument with a suitable example.
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10) Describe how our conscious, unconscious and subconscious mind works
with our psyche.
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