Verified Document

Dreams In Sigmund Freud And Franz Kafka Term Paper

Dreams in Sigmund Freud and Franz Kafka Dreams, the Unconscious, and the Real Self in the Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud and the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

In 19th -20th century societies, the prevailing philosophical discipline and way of living among people is centering one's attention to the 'Self.' The concept of the Self is influenced by the individualist society prevalent in Western societies. Indeed, individualism through introspection is evident in the main themes discussed among discourses and literary works of this period.

Among these revolutionary thinkers that have helped develop and influence the 20th century philosophy and thought are Sigmund Freud and Franz Kafka, psychologist and literary writer, respectively. Both have been influential in introducing the theme of individualism through introspection, mainly through the method of psychoanalysis and subsistence to the philosophy of existentialism.

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian physician and founder of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a branch of psychology where unlearned biological instincts and experiences influence the way people think, feel, and behave. It emerged as one the new methods where analysis of psychological illnesses (mental and emotional) is diagnosed through a study and investigation of the patient's childhood. Primarily, Freud looks at the early relationship of the patient with his/her parents; this is because Freud believed that an individual's early environment shapes and influences the personality of the individual as s/he grows up. Hence, psychoanalysis is an approach where there is emphasis on the unconscious part of the mind, conflict between biological instincts and society's demands, early family experiences.

Franz Kafka, on the other hand,...

Also an Austrian in nationality, Kafka is known for his use of symbolism in his works to illustrate the theme of confronting the unconscious, or the discovery of the 'real Self.' Influenced by the great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky's works, Kafka created a literature that centers on individual existence, freedom, and choice, which are characteristic of the nature of individualism and introspection in 20th century.
Both Freud and Kafka's works reflect one common theme that is vital for understanding the human psyche -- that is, confronting the unconscious to discover an individual's real Self. This theme has been dominantly discussed in Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Both authors, in order to convey this theme in their works, had used dreams as an essential element for an individual to know the truth about their existence and their Self.

The concept of the Self as it relates to the two author's works is distinguished from the "impersonal one." Separating the "impersonal one" from the Self means that an individual has to let go of all his/her repressions in life, where s/he will know himself/herself not through the society, but by his/her own actions, behavior, and thinking. The Self and the "impersonal one" play an essential factor in understanding the themes discussed by both authors, especially when the issue of dreaming and dreams is taken into account.

Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams (1899) delves closely into the theme of the Self and the "impersonal one." According to his analysis of experience that he had diagnosing patients who have psychological problems, Freud posits that dreaming, or the 'dream-experience,' "appears as something alien interpolated between two divisions of out life which otherwise fit into each other perfectly and continuously" (12). This passage illustrates how dreams act as mirrors or reflections of the other part of the whole, or the individual. By speaking of "two divisions" within the human psyche, Freud believes that the individual is composed of two parts: the Self and the "impersonal one," also identified as unconsciousness and consciousness, respectively.

Furthermore, Freud goes beyond providing a historical account and analysis on the study of human consciousness. Apart from establishing the historicity of analyzing the 'dream experience,' Freud also theorized, through review of literature, that "in the dream-life only a fragment of our physical activity finds expression," which describes the existence of the other half of the Conscious Self, which is the Unconscious, or the 'real Self' (64).

Freud discusses how the individual is divided and in conflict with the Unconscious Self, as people tends to be more aware of their conscious selves. According to Freud, " The Unconscious must... be assumed to be the general basis of the life of the…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Freud, S. (1999). The Interpretation of Dreams. Translated by J. Crick. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Greenberg, M. (1965). Gregor Samsa and Modern Spirituality. In Franz Kafka: A Collection of Criticism. L. Hamalian (Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Kafka, F. (1972). Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories. N. Glatzer (Ed.). New York: Schocken Books.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Dream Act and Its Implications
Words: 954 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Clearly, the provisions of the DREAM Act would be of enormous benefit to the tens of thousand of undocumented Latino/Latina and Chicano students already living in the United States as well as the needs of the U.S. armed forces, but the act remains in legislative limbo at this time. Despite some initial hope following the election of President Barack Obama that the legislation would be fast-tracked for approval, particularly

Dream Act -- Immigration Controversy the "Dream
Words: 1156 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Dream Act -- Immigration Controversy The "Dream Act" is legislation that was originally introduced to the U.S. Congress in 2001 and in 2009 it was re-introduced after being co-authored by Republican U.S. Senator Orin Hatch of Utah and Democrat U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. The "Dream" Act in Dream Act is an acronym for "The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act." The Act is designed to allow young

Dream ACT's Newest Proposal -- May 2011,
Words: 2036 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Dream Act's Newest Proposal -- May 2011, Senate Bill 952 If Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun had somehow managed to make their way to the United States after World War II and had a child on American soil instead of killing themselves, the child of these hated foreigners would have automatically been an American citizen imbued with all of the rights and privileges afforded thereto. By very sharp contrast, children

Dream Act: The Development, Relief and Education
Words: 1031 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

DREAM Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act is a proposal for a bipartisan regulation that deals with the tragedy that young people brought up in America have experienced with regards to the current immigration laws. While initial attempts to introduce this legislation can be traced back to as early as 2001, recent attempts have been fueled by President Obama's announcement of certain directives. In June 2012,

Immigration Reform Dream Act
Words: 1686 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Immigration Reform and the Dream Act Regardless of one's individual political position, a study of immigration in modern America reveals that the current immigration system is not working. Preferential treatment of immigrants from some countries over immigrants from other countries and preferential treatment of high-wage immigrants combined with policies of active deportation reflect a reality that no longer exists in America. The reality is that there are huge numbers of undocumented

Dream When Dreams and the
Words: 1078 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

" (Flanagan: 38) Theorists, scientists and thinkers have come up with their own views on dreaming. Dreams are considered "warnings," "premonitions," "announcer of good" and "indicators of future" as well. Many feel that dreams come from a divine power that warns people about the consequences of their actions or tries to put them on a better path by sending messages in the form of dreams. Initially it was believed that

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now