Freud Discussion Starter

In his formulation on two principles of mental functioning, Freud discusses the interaction of the pleasure principle and the reality principle. The pleasure principle “strives towards gaining pleasure; psychical activity draws back from any event which might arouse unpleasure” (p302). On the other hand, the reality principle said that “what was presented in the mind was no longer what was agreeable but what was real, even if it happened to be disagreeable” (p302). Generally the reality principle tries to suppress the pleasure principle but it is “not in fact accomplished all at once; nor does it take place simultaneously all along the line” (p303). Freud says that “just as the pleasure-ego can do nothing but wish, world for a yield of pleasure, and avoid unpleasure, so the reality-ego need do nothing but strive for what is useful and guard against damage” (p304). Freud continues to say that education is “an incitement to the conquest of the pleasure principle, and to its replacement by the reality principle.” To achieve this, educators offer love as a reward, and it only fails when a “spoilt” child thinks he already has love and doesn’t think he will lose it. I thought this was an interesting interpretation of education especially considering how other authors this year have emphasized the importance of education either as a way to achieve gender equality or as a way to achieve the highest good etc. Freud’s analysis that education is instating the reality principle is just another addition to that list of the benefits of education.

Freud’s opinion of artists however differed from Plato’s view of artists or poets. Freud says that art “brings about a reconciliation between the two principles” (p305). Freud compliments artists. While he says an artist is a man who originally cannot come to terms with reality, and lives a life of phantasy, he then says that artists find their way back to reality, “by making use of special gifts to mould his phantasies into truths of a new kind, which are valued by men as precious reflections of reality.” Freud says this makes artists hero’s, kings, creators, or “the favourite he desired to be” (p305). Freud does concede though that this is only possible because “other men feel the same dissatisfaction as he does with the renunciation demanded by reality, and because the dissatisfaction, which results from the replacement of the pleasure principle by the reality principle, it itself part of reality” (p305). This concession shows another way in which the two principles merge, exhibiting once again Freud’s idea that there are many processes that work together in the mind.

This idea of artists as valued for mixing reality and phantasy is a stark contrast from Plato who said that poets are imitators of the world, who are removed from the king and from the truth. Plato said that poets corrupt the youth and incite passions instead of faculties of reason. Additionally, he said that poetry, with its passions and appeal to emotions, could not be allowed in hypothetical, ideal society that he introduced in the Republic. I think it’s interesting to see the two different conclusions Freud and Plato come to regarding the mixing of reality and fantasy. I wonder how the different time periods they wrote in affected their point of views as well as their different interests (philosophy vs psychology) have an impact. Also how does Freud’s description of the purpose of education align with what other authors have said education is good for?