12/22 Sigmund Freud

After watching the film and reading the two articles about Freud, explain why Freud still matters in today's society, over 70 years after his death. What did he get right about human nature, about what drives us and makes us the way we are? If he was still alive, what would he say about the world we live in today, in 2010? Make specific references to the articles and the film.

I think Sigmund Freud matters most today because he stepped outside of the norm. I don’t agree with the majority of his theories we have learned about so far, but he had enough courage to make those unordinary theories public. He is also of great importance today because he came up with several theories that today we see as so common that they couldn’t have ever been theories. “Talking treatment”, the idea that to cure a patient with some kind of psychological disorder one must talk to the person about his/her problems was first created by Freud. Before this doctors and psychologists used radical methods to try to cure people like spinning chairs, dousing in water, chaining, or using magnets as mentioned in the movie. He also came up with many very interesting ideas about the unconscious mind. The iceberg theory for instance speaks of the fact that everything that matters about a person lies below the surface. Overall I think he is an important figure because he provided and still provides information to ponder and in his crazy process he came up with useful ideas.
I think Freud was on target with all that he said about talking treatment and the iceberg theory. However, I do not agree with the majority of Freud's theories. I don't believe in the Oedipus complex at all. I think it is a completely bazaar concept that is just a far stretch from reality.
If he were alive now I think Freud would defend his points even more fervently. Today everything from movies to advertisements is driven by sex and I think he would take it as them just proving him right. While I do recognize that sex is a large part of society I think Freud took it too far with all of his ridiculous theories and ideas about things as far-fetched as romantic desires for one's parent, like both the movie and articles touch upon.

12/7: Guys vs. Girls

Upon reading the article about teenage boys and listening to what the guys had to say about their teenage girls article, both new and old ideas were brought to my attention. What I learned was really the psychological terms used to describe the stages, sufferings, and remedies adolescents go through such as the "Bermuda Triangle" and "action talk". Being in high school now none of these central ideas were new to me though. I think boys and girls both have it very difficult as they go through their teen years, but they have it hard in different ways. I know that as a girl we all strive to look just like the models and actresses we see in the media. Society makes us feel like we need to look and dress a certain way in order to gain acceptance. Boys also feel a constant pressure. I think guys feel like they need to mask their emotions just to fit in and appear tough. They have a certain image that they need to withhold whether it be regarding sports or school or girls. I would say though that overall guys have it just a little bit harder because they go through their days in fear of possibly physical repercussions for doing things such as releasing their emotions.