Freud's+Foundations+by+Bhavya+Varma

=Freud's Foundations =



Freud’s Foundations refers to the irrational struggle faced by every human being in what is known as human psyche. Sigmund Freud made some of the most groundbreaking theories in philosophy; though many have been proven wrong, his new ideas shattered the prevailing beliefs of the time. One of Freud’s most important theories was pertaining to the three separate entities of the human mind: the “Id”, “ego”, and “superego.” We are all born with the Id, it is known a our “pleasure principle” meaning the Id cares about nothing but satisfying its needs. It takes care of our most basic needs and sexual drive, regardless of the feelings of others or situations of the time. As we grow older, we start to develop the ego, which is based on the reality principle. We start to understand the needs of other people and that our selfishness can hurt someone. It is the egos job to meet the needs of the Id while also taking into consideration the reality of the situation. Finally, by the age of five our superego develops. This is known as the moral part of us which is produced through society's ethical restraints. According to Freud, the healthiest person would have the most balance between the Id and superego. In my box, I am depicting this never ending internal struggle through the opposing symbols on the two separate sides. The right side consists of money, and a cheetah wristband. These objects collectively represent the Id. The wristband is unpredictable, it can suddenly roll up and you must straighten it to keep in order much like the Id. It also has the appearance of the cheetah, a wild animal which is unpredictable and ferocious much like the Id. The coins represent the Id’s selfish drive for getting what it desires. The id is absolutely insensitive to the feelings of others, new born babies cry when they are hungry, it doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night, they want what they want. Money has the same selfish pull on even adults, and if the Id overtakes the superego, a person is consumed by self-gratification. The left side consists of a heart shaped object, a ruler, and a hard drive. This as a whole represents the superego. The heart represents the morals of society, which keep us away from cruel behavior. The ruler represents society’s rules and regulations which the superego is desperate to follow. Finally the hard drive represents the organized and structured design of the superego; it maintains our sense of morality and shows us right from wrong. Much like computers themselves, the superego strives for perfection. Computers are machines which can eliminate human error; the super-ego contains the same characteristics. The person in the middle has the cord of the headphone attached to her with one earphone towards the id and the other towards the superego. This conveys the constantly varying battle between the two forces which is always taking place in our heads. This box shows the plight of the little boy from Cat in the Hat, as he chose between having fun with the mischievous cat (Id) and the following his mother's rules (superego). This common struggle is relatable with anybody on the planet because it is undeniably a concrete part of the human experience.