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Superego In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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In the world we live in today, individuals have a subconscious mind that guides them through every day activities. This idea of a person being controlled by their subconscious mind was derived from Sigmund Freud. Freud developed an ideology pertaining to the id, ego, and superego contained within an individual. As these three aspects of the mind collaborate, an individual’s decisions and mentality are guided. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, there are patients in a ward for the mentally ill. Different patients throughout the novel tend to represent different things. Some patients solely represent one aspect of the mind, either the id, ego, or superego. Also, in the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a …show more content…

In the essay, The Formation and Structure of the Human Psyche, by William Siegfried, the concept of the id, ego and superego prevails as a significant part of everyday life. Siegfried states, “The Id is the unorganized part of the psyche that contains a human’s instinctual drives. The Id is the only part of the psyche that is present at birth and it is the source of our bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses; particularly our sexual and aggressive drives” (1) Siegfried reiterates Freud’s ideology behind the theory as he elaborates on the presence of an id. The id is the childish aspect of everyone’s mind. It is the part of an individual’s brain that wants everything and has no restrain on letting out this feeling. Children often face this dilemma as the majority of their brain is consumed by the id. They often have sudden impulses to lunge for what they wish for. This urge is due to the id that controls their minds. They don’t have the other components of the mind yet, that would help them become a “normal” human being. The id alone cannot control an individual’s words or actions. Also, Siegfried elaborated on the second part of the mind that makes up an individual’s subconscious. The second part of the sub conscious is the superego. Siegfried

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By describing the patient, Kesey makes the reader create a picture of how tough and abusive the staff of the hospital

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Many of the men in the ward suffer from low self-esteem and self-respect. The orderlies constantly breakdown the patients and demote their individualty through many different ways. Nurse Ratched taking advantage of their vulnerability “‘you men in this hospital’ she would say like she was repeating it for the hundreth time, ‘because of your proven inability to adjust to society’”(Kesey 167) Nurse Ratched repeatedly destructs the patients on the ward and manipulates them to belive they are incapable of ever being able to function as a part of society. This displays the amount of control the orderlies have on the patients and the amount they take advantage of that, as well. This example ties into the self-doubt and uncertainty the men in the book have in

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In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey asserts the overarching importance of individuality through the use of a conflict between the patients and the nurse as a microcosm of society. In the novel, the delusions of the narrator

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“One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest”, written by Ken Kesey is set in a mental hospital in the 1960s. The antagonist, Nurse Ratched, takes the reins of the hospital and dictates everything that happens inside it. In Kesey’s novel, Nurse Ratched abuses her authoritative power and uses it to manipulate and restrain patients to maintain what she calls order in the hospital. Being overly protective is an understatement for her because she pays no regard to the patient's mental and physical health. She focuses on shaping how they act to meet her own standards.

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The concept that the id, ego, and superego control

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As a result of his increase in illness, he lives his days in the hospital by being nailed to the wall of the ward in the shape of an eerie crucifix. “He’s nailed against the wall in the same condition they lifted him off the table for the last time, in the same shape,arms out, palms cupped, with the same horror on his face… They pull the nails when it’s time to eat or time to drive him into bed when they want him to move so’s I can mop the puddle where he stands.” (Kesey, thirteen.) One character in the novel is known as the hospital's largest success story; Max Taber. Taber was known as the ward’s largest rebel before he too was forced to undergo electroshock therapy.

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Superego in Lord of the Flies Sigmund Freud, a very famous psychiatrist, created three different terms, id, ego and Super ego; super ego is the brain’s conscience. It also gives the brain the ability to do the right thing. Piggy, who is a character in Lord of the Flies constantly represents superego, always turning the other cheek and doing the right thing. Piggy is a perfect example of superego in Lord of the Flies written by William Golding. Superego is a part of the brain or conscience that recognizes inappropriate behavior and also wants you to choose right over wrong.

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After receiving a lobotomy, a man returns to a mental ward as his friends watch, refusing to believe that he is the same man. The procedure took his once loud and energetic personality, and completely ripped it out of him. Author Ken Kesey captures the harsh and controlled reality of life in a psych ward to inform readers of what goes on behind hospital walls. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey reveals parts of his LSD use and his belief in fighting against conformity through the mistreatment of the mentally ill in the 1960s. Knowing events in Kesey’s life leading up to the writing of Cuckoo’s Nest can help readers understand what influenced the writing of the novel.

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In the modern classic novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey uses symbolism effectively in order to shape and reinforce the theme of societies corruption of innocent minds throughout the novel. The mental ward combine effectively symbolizes the isolation of the mentally ill. Throughout Ken Kesey’s novel, the mental ward is secluded and acts as a barrier to prevent the mentally ill patients from being exposed the rest of society. As stated by Chief, “McMurphy doesn’t know it, but he’s onto what I realized a long time back, that it’s not just the Big Nurse by herself, but it’s the whole Combine, the nation-wide Combine that’s the really big force, and the nurse is just a high-ranking official for them”

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In the book “One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest” Ken Kesey shows that the “insanity” of the patients is really just normal insecurities and their label as insane by society is immoral. This appears in the book concerning Billy Bibbits problem with his mom, Harding's problems with his wife, and that the patients are in the ward

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Id, Ego, and Superego in L.O.F In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, he shows the different personalities humans have in there life. He shows the many ways people act while put under stressful and extreme circumstances. Another person who had beliefs on how people mind works was Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud believed the conscious was separated into the Id, ego, and superego.

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The goal of most mental hospitals is rehabilitation of the human psyche. To be cured of a mental disorder is nearly impossible, but the purpose of these hospitals is to attempt to suppress the id of a person’s subconscious. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey utilizes the psychoanalytic theory and his own life experiences to depict his dynamic character’s dreams, hidden subconscious thoughts, basic desire of their id, and reality of their ego. Kesey uses his character’s dreams to reveal their subconscious desires, express what they wish they could accomplish but are limited due to society’s rules, and showcase what they secretly desire when their subconscious goes unchecked during their sleep.

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Jack: ID ID is the unconscious mind which functions irrationally, and without regard to the emotions of others ("Structure of Mind: Freud's Id, Ego, &

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a movie focused on the aspects of mental institutions and what goes on there. The main character, Mac McMurphy, is a patient until they determine his sanity. Unfortunately, like in many other hospitals, this institution is corrupted in the way that persuades the patients that they are unable to function outside of the hospital. They are also told that any disruptive behavior represents illness, and those who are ill get treated with electroshock therapy. The patients are controlled by an underlying, unspoken fear to disobey, which is illustrated in many forms throughout the hospital.

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The Id, Ego and Superego make complete sense to any person who might be interests in learning about the Psyche. Freud’s use of the psychoanalytic theory is relevant when explaining my current behaviour in regards to my past experiences that have occurred throughout my lifetime. Freud’s theory does apply to my own life as he made his theory a way to help understand and focus on the behavioural problems of the human being, and to resolve them in a way that forces me to accept my own destructive

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