Lord of the Flies as a Psychological Allegory

1. Lord of the Flies as a Psychological Allegory

2. What is an allegory? • A story that serves as an extended metaphor or symbol for another story or concept. • LOTF is considered an allegory for many things, the main concepts being: • A general exploration of human nature and how it impacts society • World War II • Religion – the Bible • The psychology of the human personality – today, this is the one we will focus on.

3. Sigmund Freud

4. Sigmund Freud • Austrian neurologist • Best known for his theory of the unconscious mind & the practice of psychoanalysis • What concept from Antigone is he responsible for creating?

5. Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory of Personality • Personality is composed of three elements • ID • EGO • SUPEREGO • The three elements work together to create complex human behaviors

6. The ID • Present at birth • Entirely unconscious • Includes primitive and instinctive behavior

7. The ID • Driven by the pleasure principle • Strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs • If needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension • Example: baby who’s hungry cries because he is not fed • Important early in life because it ensures all an infant’s needs are met

8. The ID • Realistically, all your needs cannot be immediately satisfied • If people were ruled entirely by the ID (the pleasure principle), we would grab what we wanted in order to satisfy cravings • This behavior is disruptive and socially unacceptable

9. The EGO • Responsible for dealing with reality • Develops to ensure that the ID’s impulses can be expressed in an acceptable manner

10. The EGO • Operates based on the reality principle • Strives to satisfy the ID’s needs in realistic and socially appropriate ways • Weighs the costs and benefits of an action before acting on or abandoning impulses • EGO will allow the behavior but in an appropriate time and place

11. The SUPEREGO • Last component of the personality to develop • Aspect of the personality that holds all the moral standards and ideals that are acquired from society • Sense of right and wrong • Provides guidelines for making judgments • Begins to emerge around age 5

12. The SUPEREGO in two parts • The “Ideal” Ego • Includes the rules and standards for proper behavior • Obeying the rules leads to a feeling of pride, value, and accomplishment • The Conscience • Also includes information about what is viewed as improper behavior by parents or society • Improper behavior is often forbidden and leads to poor consequences, punishments, or feelings of guilt

13. The SUPEREGO • Operates according to the ideal/moral principle • Acts to perfect and civilize behavior • Works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the ID • Struggles to make the EGO act on idealistic standards rather than realistic ones

14. The Interaction • With such conflicting emotions, conflict arises among the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO • EGO is the strongest because of its ability to function despite these dueling forces • A person with ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, while those with too much or too little ego strength become too self-righteous or too disruptive ID EGO SUPEREGO

15. As an Allegory for LOTF…? • Which character does only what he wants and is therefore representative of the ID? • Which character tries to be realistic and is therefore representative of the EGO? • Which character is most idealistic and is therefore representative of the SUPEREGO? • What conflicts occur between the characters who represent the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO?