Psychoanalytic Theory focuses on the subconscious and underlying traits, and beliefs that have been ingrained in the brain from society or other and how it influences a text. The theory looks at underlying notions of the psyche and how those things are triggered subconsciously as well as consciously. 

QUESTIONS THAT THE THEORY ASKS:

• What does the unconscious mean?
• What is the author intending with their message?
• What do the motives of the main characters imply?
• What is the intention behind symbols, metaphors, and figurative or obscure language?  

-These questions are important because they help us as the readers interpret texts in a more in-depth way.  Through careful analysis readers are able  to understand the many ways in which a text can be read, and how can infer what the author both intended, and did not intend through specific lenses. The unconscious in a text might imply that the author is working out something deeply psychological through a character in a text, this could be both negative and positive. Freud’s focus on phallic symbols and oedipal complexes might have something to do with him, growing up male in society. The author of a text may be intending their work to be interpreted one way, but a reader could interpret it in many ways. This has deemed true through group work in our Critical Theory course in which other people have come up with different ways to view a specific work, broadening how the text is supposed to be viewed.  The motives of the characters depicts how the character is viewed, if they are bad or good, if they have done wrong or right. The intention behind symbols, metaphors and figurative language might convey the entirety of the story, these things might help push along the plot or unveil something important and meaningful in the plot.

Two Important Theorists of Psychoanalytic Theory:

1.) Jaques Lacan and how he interpreted language in text is important to the Psychoanalytic Theory. Lacan provided an in-depth look at how language is influenced in literature by deconstructing it and depicting how language and self are tied to one another.  Through this Lacan looks at the different stages in which one views themselves and how that might impact character development in text.

2.) Sigmund Freud and how he provided a model in which readers and scholars can refer to when dissecting a text and or characters, in terms of how the human psyche works. Within Freud’s works are a psychoanalytical review of his own work and how some of his beliefs are problematic.

The benefits of this theory would be to take a text, dissect it, and be able to have a conversation about it, thus helping scholars and students to gain knowledge on the subject/theory as well as helping them to identify the theory in other texts outside of class. This is not just limited to texts as it can be used for media as well.  Readers might be able to understand human behavior, and the functions of these behaviors to the plot of the text and how the progress or take away from the story.

Some of this can be problematic when you really get into how Freud views certain things, some of his beliefs stem further from what is implied in texts, and some of them are extreme. Lacan’s view of self can be problematic as well if a character has a distorted view of them self, a view that is entirely different from how the audience or readers are viewing them.