Thursday, May 5, 2016

Psyche and Health

The drives in Freud's Id are governed by a Vitalist principle--to eat, to drink, to reproduce, etc--of which 'Pleasure' is a superficial manifestation.  Accordingly, the governing principle of the Ego is Health, which seeks the optimum coordination and success of those drives, in which 'Reality' is a factor.  Now, in a Hobbesian scenario, the Superego is antagonistic to that Health, but in a well-ordered society, it is simply a dimension of it, i. e. the part of a healthy Ego that seeks integration into society, regardless of any conflicts.  So, it is unclear if Freud's concept of Psyche is of a healthy one, and, hence, if the use of it as a diagnostic tool is conducive to Health.

No comments:

Post a Comment