Darwins influence on psychoanalysis free essay sample

Charles Darwin’s substantially influential writing examines a vast rang of topics that were brought to the attention of many leading scholars throughout history. Darwin preceded Sigmund Freud and the invention of psychoanalysis by approximately 50 years. Through the exploration of Darwinian theory and the later development of psychoanalysis, it is clear that Charles Darwin’s theories had a profound influence of the development of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. This becomes clear after analyzing such themes as sexual motivation through evolution, the Freudian ego, the connection between human and animal emotion, adaptive responses and the unconscious mind. Sexual Evolution and Motivation Darwin and Freud both evaluated the connection between biological traits and inheritance as expressed through social constructs, such as sexual impulses and desire. This theory manifests itself by examining human biology, neurology, evolution and applying it to expressed behavioural traits. A fundamental and intrinsic element of human behaviour stems from evolutionary adaptations in which basic desires are adapted through the recognition of success from earlier generations. We will write a custom essay sample on Darwins influence on psychoanalysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Through this evolution, both Darwin and Freud placed an enormous emphasis on an individual’s desire for survival, the ultimate goal being self-preservation. Darwin and Freud’s theories converge at the point of primal and instinctive behaviour. Darwin’s most relevant discovery was natural selection. He approached his work as purely biological by viewing humans as primates. He explains â€Å"their forms of behaviour and social organization as natural manifestations of their elementary biological dispositions for survival and reproduction†(Carroll, 52). This meant that the motivation for sexual reproduction was unconscious and biologically wired into human for their survival. The human with the most efficient and best adapted traits were more likely to survive. Choosing a mate is based upon the Darwinian psychological theory that â€Å"views attractiveness in terms of reproductive fitness†(Cartwright, 56). Humans choose mates that appear physically fit and fertile, resulting in a child Who is also physically fit. Freud’s theories parallel Darwin’s but were taken a step further. The primary sexual motivation through desiring survival traits and reproduction was the foundation for Freud’s belief in two basic impulses of man, pleasure and self- preservation. Psychoanalysis does not focus on the same behaviour over and over again, â€Å"but about the recognition of constantly changing and shifting individual†(Westerink, 87) where a psychoanalyst would examine repressed behaviour from â€Å"symptoms back to their origin†(Westerink, 88). Freud also placed an emphasis on viewing humans as having primal sexual urges similar to that of primates but incorporated humans as pleasure seekers. He endeavoured to understand how the combination of pleasure seeking, individual needs could coexist with reproduction in the name of evolution. The conclusion was that â€Å"evolution does not take place without periods of decline, reaction or restoration†(Westerink, 101), therein lies the need for evolution. But most notably, humans must rely on reality to reign in and control the need for pleasure and understand the true motivation of sexual desire, reproduction. To Freud, the desire for pleasure and immediate satisfaction factors into sexual motivation but also â€Å"the individual does carry on a two fold existence; one to serve his own purposes and the other as a link in the chain†(Sharpe Faulkner, 39), a chain to have enduring genetics. This Freudian theory coincides with Darwin’s belief in altruism. By recognizing the success of your species as individual success, the group will have a greater chance of survival and continue to reproduce. This begs the question if Darwin’s altruistic theories were truly unselfish but actually â€Å"particular people achieve their own pleasure and satisfaction†(Radcliffe, 175). Freud combined the influence of Darwin’s natural selection, with his own theory regarding the pleasure principle. Darwin’s evolutionary theories factored greatly into the development of sexual motivation from a biological standpoint allowing Freud creates a picture of sexual evolution from a more evolved psyche in the early 20th century. The Connection Between Human and Animal Emotion Freud and Darwin both assessed the human capacity for emotion, where this form of communication originated and the value of its expression. In doing so, they both equated the origin of emotional expression as being very similar to the primal need for communication through adaptive responses. In Darwin’s book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, he discusses the human mind and how it related to the animal mind through evolution. His writings again are biological in nature and deal with emotion as a tool for survival. In his writing, Darwin notes, emotion â€Å"is of importance to our welfare. They serve as the first means of communication between the mother and her infant†(Darwin, 364) Darwin’s writings reveal an in depth study of the expression of emotion ranging from the actual physiological acts involved in emotion to the special expression of man. His research confirms, â€Å"man is derived from some lower animal form†(Darwin, 365). The emotions studied are wide ranging such as suffering, fear, anxiety, love, guilt and anger. For example, Darwin observes the act of weeping as an infant. This leads him to believe that when an infant weeps, he or she is expecting a result, whether that be food, attention or the relief from a state of suffering. The infant will â€Å"cry out loudly, like the young of other animals, partly as a call to their parents for aid and partly from any great exertion†(Darwin, 174). Darwin’s observations of emotion, particularly that of a child resembles very closely to Freud’s id. The id represents the most basic inherited instincts that are most obvious during childhood and expressed through emotion. â€Å"The infant, possessing no ability to delay release, demands immediate gratification†(Cordon, 223). The newborn would then be â€Å"a creature entirely governed by the id†¦demanding food, drink, eliminating bodily waste and affection†(Cordon, 223). Once the child’s needs are met, they are content. This theory contributes to the desire for pleasure and the distaste for anything uncomfortable or as Freud described it, the pleasure principle. Darwin is related this behaviour and expression for emotion as a survival tactic in order to have the infants needs met through communication. Morality and the Ego Darwin and Freud’s theories both weighed heavily on the similarity between man and animal. There is a primal urge exhibited through emotion, sexual motivation and the search for pleasure as seen in Freud’s id and Darwin’s observations of adolescents. But what did these men say about censoring that primal behaviour to live in harmony with others? It appears that Darwin had an influence over Freud’s explanation of morality as well. There was a demand for balance during evolutionary stages in which â€Å"Darwin†¦[recognized] a fundamental fact of evolution, accept a basic moral intuition†(Zamulinski, 5). This morality is seen as an adaptation to provide group harmony and avoid isolation or seclusion and ultimately death. Darwin speaks at length regarding a biological kinship, which relates to the previously discussed notion of altruism. There is a community of organisms living together and working towards the goal of survival and preservation. For this to occur there must be harmony within the group. Darwin describes this harmony as having an individual sense of morality. Treating the members of your own group well is known as Group Selection and â€Å"group selection does provide a setting in which helping behaviour directed at members of one’s own group can evolve†(Zamulinski, 11). Freud adapted this sense of morality into something he referred to as the Ego. The Ego is what interacts with the conscious part of the mind and it works along side the id to delay the impulse for immediate gratification. The Freudian theory of the ego gives the mind the ability to interact consciously with the world and because of this it connects humans with reality. The primitive id â€Å"must conform to the limitations agreed on by the society in which the child is growing up†(Cordon, 225). This is the role of the Ego, acting as somewhat of a â€Å"referee or mediator constantly negotiating the conflicts that inevitably arise†(Cordon, 224) when the id and the ego interact with one another. The mind will then connect with what is socially acceptable and adheres to the moral guidelines of society. Both Freud and Darwin felt that in order to have individual evolutionary success, one must belong to a group and in order for this group to have evolutionary success there must be behavioural guidelines. Having boundaries for acceptable behaviour, moral obligations and censorship within the mind proved relevant to both Freud and Darwin regarding self-preservation. Adaptive Responses In order for survival of the fittest to occur, humans must be able to maintain mental stability. This stability is seen as emotional adaptive responses that appear in both Darwinian theories and psychoanalysis. According to â€Å"Darwinian psychology, mental health can be seen as the proper functioning of an adaptive emotional system†(Cartwright, 75). When human emotion adapts to the environment, there is a greater chance for survival and a heightened mental stability. In evolutionary terms for example â€Å"anxiety response and manifestations of over anxiousness can be seen in terms of an adaptive response to signals from the environment†(Cartwright, 94) or heightened sense of awareness. This sense of awareness can be used as a tool for defence and protection. Freud also concerned himself with the state of mental health and the minds ability to create defence mechanisms for the purpose of protection. For example, lets look at the earlier discussed ego in which it contains â€Å"a specialized set of tools intended to minimize the anxiety resulting from internal conflict†(Cordon, 227). These defence mechanisms occur automatically and unconsciously, very similarly to the instinctive nature of Darwin’s evolutionary theories where â€Å"emotions regulate our behaviour to ensure our genes survive†(Cartwright, 74). Freud believed that not dealing with inner conflict in is the cause of mental illness and maladjustment. Therefore the quality of life and possibly the quantity of life have a greater chance of decreasing over time. Defence mechanisms serve as a purpose to protect from inner conflict and mental instability. In order to achieve this mental harmony, Freud introduces the psychological theories of repression and sublimation. Repression is the process of banishing feelings of anxiety or trauma from the conscious mind. This particular defence relates closely to the theme of unconsciousness that Darwin discusses. Freud’s theory of sublimation also echoes Darwin. Sublimation is another one of the mind’s defence mechanisms to which applying this mechanisms means the â€Å"unacceptable impulse finds a useful, socially acceptable means of expression†(Cordon, 83). For Darwin this meant using anxiety and a heightened sense of emotional arousal for an advantage in the wilderness. From a more civilized perspective Freud explains this over emotional state of mind and applies it to an emotional outlet. For example, he gives the example of artistic expression. Both psychologists understand the need for adapting these emotions to the environment. Freud took Darwin’s defence mechanism theories regarding animalistic pack mentally and applied it to psychoanalysis by observing the behavioural traits of individuals in a group setting. He noticed â€Å"an individual can behave very differently as part of a group than one would normally expect†(Westerink, 176). The introduction of an individual to a group setting, as Freud observed, allows the unconscious mind to exist in a much more instinctive way. For Freud, the group will survive when there is a leader but he determined this as a psychological illusion. From a psychological standpoint, pack mentality develops from a group of individuals seeking guidance and protection as adaptive strategies. It does not necessarily mean there is a true leader with inherent abilities to achieve those results but instead a group wanting the same goal and that goal is survival. The unconscious Psychoanalysis stemmed from Freud’s â€Å"insights into the ways in which the meaning of individual’s words and actions exceeded their conscious self-perceptions (Sharpe Faulkner, 5). Freud believed heavily that the unconscious mind largely influenced behaviour. He primarily examined how humans could develop behavioural and personality traits that were outside of their conscious awareness. Through observations, which became known as psychoanalysis, Freud explained this unconscious behaviour originated from innate drives. These innate drives coincide with instinct. For Darwin this unconscious state of mind manifested itself in innate instincts. This behaviour trait overlapped between humans and animals. Darwin’s observations led him to believe that for the most part animals were unconscious of their actions and thrived primarily on basic necessities such as food and shelter. There is an obvious connection regarding the importance of the unconscious mind to both Darwinian theories and psychoanalysis. Ultimately Freud and Darwin share in the belief in primitive behaviour that is somewhat regulated by our social circles and societal values. Darwinian Theory Influenced Psychoanalysis Darwin’s writings are valuable for understanding his own concepts regarding evolution and its contribution to human behaviour but also for the development of new psychological avenues and areas for further research. Freud was able to advance and build upon Darwin’s discoveries due to social and scientific advancements of the 20th century. Therefore Darwin’s influence proves to be exceptionally relevant to Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis and ongoing within the modern psychological field.