Finally we have come to a point where it is acceptable to at least broach having an I. The individual is no longer strictly taboo. Yet, when we look at this I, it is deconstructed into the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. Either that, or it is the “I” – completely questioning the individual. It seems ludicrous that when we are taught from a young age that we must be an individual and formulate our own persona, theory does not see it fit to allow this. The only I we are actually allowed is an unconscious one, more concerned with taking the place of our father than of anything else. Freud’s representation of the I is as far away from the concept of an individual as you can possibly reach.
The Id is merely your biological urges, leaving you absolutely no chance of becoming an individual. The closest thing to being an individual would be your Superego, which regulates your Id so that you don’t look like the ass that you are in front of other people. This balance between your pure “asshole” self and your conscience is what people actually see, your Ego.
It seems odd that when everything Freud posits relies on your urges and unconscious, he would not have a larger reliance on the individual persona. I feel like when I have certain dreams, they do represent things as Freud says. But other times, I just dream of things that are important in my life. Likewise, when I am awake, I certainly believe my persona is more than just a mere balance between biological needs and the Superego.
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I agree. There is more to a person than just the unconscious. For example, have you ever caught yourself in the act of a bad habit? If you go to bite your nails without paying attention (the nailbiting is unconscious), then suddenly "realize" what you're doing and pull your hand away, preventing yourself from completing the action, you are consciously stopping an unconscious act. And this ability (though it is certainly limited) to have consciousness comes from the capacity for complex language, which came about for practical reasons of survival and reproduction though many years of evolution.
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