Perhaps one of Sigmund Freud's most influential theories was his discovery of the id, ego and superego, the three parts of the personality . Whether today's psychologists accept and put this theory into practice or not, the impact it has had on the field continues to be felt. The proposal that each person essentially has three different “voices” in their head that control them, consciously or unconsciously, allowed researchers to examine subjects in a new way. Now they could study the causes of psychological defects through a subject's personality and ask questions such as the following: Are these three psychological components functioning normally? Does one prevail over the others? Does this argument show evidence for Freud's theory? To formulate an understanding of these theories in a historical context, one particular case study, Victor of Aveyron, will be examined. His story is told in the 1970s film “L'Enfant Sauvage” or “The Wild Child” directed by François Truffaut. Although Freud had not yet become famous at the time of Victor's examination, his ideas can be applied to infer what he might have thought of this rare event. By studying Victor's behavior through his performance in “The Wild Child,” Freudian theory can be used to theorize the effects of a lack of human contact in the critical years of childhood development on personality, behavior, and the ability to learn. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Psychology professor Anne O'Dwyer compares the id's behavior to the refrain of a song by the rock band Queen, which says, "I want it all and I want it now!" Freud's personality structure suggests that the id is the first part to develop in humans. It emerges at birth and is entirely unconscious, says O'Dwyer. O'Dwyer also describes the id as "irrational," research of pleasure" and "aggressive". He does not understand social rules and simply pushes a person to get or do something immediately. The plot of the film has Victor living alone in a forest in France. One day he is discovered and promptly hunted down, captured and brought to Paris to be studied as a wild child. When the researchers find that their work is annoying and useless, Doctor Jean Marc Gaspard Itard takes him in and attempts to teach him how to be human. Victor certainly shows a strong Id when he first lives with Doctor Itard; his aggression, selfishness and irrationality can easily classify him as such. The aggression can be attributed to being raised in nature and his adaptation to the environment. Victor has a habit of biting and using his limbs to hurt and wrestle with almost anyone who comes near him, as demonstrated when he is chased around the city or when the doctor punishes him for completing tasks incorrectly. The same can also be said of his self-interest and lack of consideration for others, as it would have been necessary for him to act in this way to survive, for example by gathering food. But, if examined psychologically, Freud would have said that Victor's overbearing id was caused by a lack of psychological development. To understand the id of the entire personality, it is necessary to introduce the ego and superego. To balance the chaotic id the ego emerges, typically at the age of 2-6 months (O'Dwyer). The ego is described as “the id that faces reality” because it realizes that it needs to keep its impulses under control (O'Dwyer). Unlike the id, the ego is rational and its task is to develop "realistic ways to satisfy the id's demands, often compromising or postponing the.
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