From an early stage in the development of psychoanalysis, Freud and his co-workers took a deep interest in the psychoanalytic understanding of cultural phenomena, including myth. Freud considered incestuous phantasies and aggression towards the parents to pose the major hurdle in human psychological development, and he used it to understand individual psychic life (dreams and the symptoms of mental illness) and cultural productions (myth). He also found, in the re-telling of the ancient myth of Oedipus by the 5th century BC playwright, Sophocles, a source of psychoanalytic ideas as well as an object for psychoanalytic interpretation. This course will explore the psychoanalytic concepts of the unconscious, defence, repression, the pleasure and reality principles, dreaming; and will extend them to the Freud's and his co-workers' understanding of myth.
Aims:
To develop an understanding of key psychoanalytic concepts
To understand and evaluate the importance of unconscious forces operating non-clinical situations; in particular, to understand myth as a cultural expression in psychoanalytic terms
To develop an ability critically to analyze key psychoanalytic texts
To foster a critical approach to the theory of psychoanalysis and more particularly, to the nature and validity of evidence and interpretation
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, you should be able to:
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of, and an ability critically to examine, Freudian texts on myth, the Freudian theory of myth and the role of myth in developing psychoanalytic ideas
Demonstrate familiarity with relevant psychoanalytic concepts, bringing a questioning and critical dimension to your understanding through applying them to myth
Show an understanding of psychodynamic, principally unconscious, forces and assess their importance
Show a critical understanding of methodological issues in psychoanalysis: what is special about psychoanalytic methodology, what are its strengths and weaknesses; what are the limits of interpretation as a form of inquiry?
Aims:
To develop an understanding of key psychoanalytic concepts
To understand and evaluate the importance of unconscious forces operating non-clinical situations; in particular, to understand myth as a cultural expression in psychoanalytic terms
To develop an ability critically to analyze key psychoanalytic texts
To foster a critical approach to the theory of psychoanalysis and more particularly, to the nature and validity of evidence and interpretation
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, you should be able to:
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of, and an ability critically to examine, Freudian texts on myth, the Freudian theory of myth and the role of myth in developing psychoanalytic ideas
Demonstrate familiarity with relevant psychoanalytic concepts, bringing a questioning and critical dimension to your understanding through applying them to myth
Show an understanding of psychodynamic, principally unconscious, forces and assess their importance
Show a critical understanding of methodological issues in psychoanalysis: what is special about psychoanalytic methodology, what are its strengths and weaknesses; what are the limits of interpretation as a form of inquiry?
- Module Supervisor: Julie Walsh