Freud Psycho-Analaysis

As I read an "Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis", I thought to myself that Sigmund Freud's findings were intruiging and controversial to say the least. Freud documents his findings as he studies the minds of patients and their relationships to doctors.  Based on what he says, I view Freud as a radical whose ideas are unorthadox. However I must say that for the most part I agree with Freud and his discoveries. In his book he goes over parapraxes, dreams, and neuroses. One underlying aspect that Freud tries to convey is that every psychological action has some deeper meaning or intention.

Freud describes dreams as a phenomenon in which knowledge displayed as a distorted image to the individual. He says that dreams are an expression of the dreamer's unconcsious desires. However, these desires are often so disturbing to the dreamer that the mind of the individual will censor or distort these unconcious desires into harmless symbols or images that cannot be as easily comprehended. This is why dreams are so unfamiliar to so many. Sometimes when the mind cannot properly censor these desires the individual will continue to view them as a nightmare. Dreams typically express ones wishes being fufilled and/or fears. Dreams, according to Freud, are completely sexual in nature. He states that any rod or stick like shape resembles a penis while a opening of some sort resembles a vagina. I agreee with Freuds views on dreams for the most part. I believe that dreams more often then not have some sort of deeper meaning to them and that they are an attempt to display to the dreamer what he fears and desires. However I am hesitant to say that all dreams are based from sexual impulses.

Freud was convinced that sexual desires are the major influence upon humans and their actions. He says sexual desires begins from childhood. Apparently the first sense of sexual pleasure that the child receives is when he is breast fed from his mother. The child then tries to replicate this sense of arousal by sucking his thumb. A major time in a child's sexual life is when he makes the transition from sucking to rubbing (masturbation). I believe that one begins to experience sexual impulses from puberty when his sexual organs are fully developed and capable of intercourse with another. I believe that the purpose of breast feeding is for the child's well being and health rather then the fufill sexual impulses.

I was very interested in what Freud describes as the Oedeipus Complex. the Oedipus Complex is based from the story of the Greek king Oedipus who killed his father in order to be with his mother. However when he came to a realization of what he did he went crazy and blinded himself. The complex refers to a childs desire to be with his mother and resentment towards the father because of his relationship towards his mother. I find it rather appalling that one would have a supposed natural tendency towards incest. However, it seems to great of a coincidience that there is Greek legend based on the very phenomenon.

Overall Freud's findings affected me the most because of the way I look at my dreams. Whenever I dream, I ask myself when I wake up if that dream represented something or if there was a sexual connection of some sort.