The Censor

I want to share some thoughts that go through my mind (you may find an explantion of where they originated from at the very bottom)


[picture]:
http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/images/freud1.jpg

I think many of you know Freud's early topographical model, where he focusses on the distinction of psychic functional locations (the conscious, unconscious and preconscious). The unconscious (with all the repressed content, but also filled with early nonverbal good experiences) and the conscious (everything we are aware of) are divided by a censor, which will be the focus of this written words later. If you want to include the structural model with all instances (Ego, Id and SuperEgo) here, you could say that the id is of course located in the unconscious part of our psyche, while the ego floats thro all of the before mentioned psychic locations.

Now, this censor is influenced by many factors (and i invite you to join in thinking with me). A censor which' duty is to block certain content to go from the unconscious to the conscious, vice versa. As unconscious is "not aware" per definitionem, the content that slips over to the conscious thro the censor will not be precise and organisable impressions. What comes to my mind as possible and normal "slipping content" is the transference. Unconscious early relation patterns are linked to our current relationships all the time. As a superficial, but comprehensive example: The young woman that feels attracted by the older man, may be in a transference of a young oedipal girl adoring her father. The transferences stay - most of the time - unconscious, but nevertheless they slip into the real acting of our conscious world.
I think that most of the time tho, teachers give maligne examples of what slips thro the censor; e.g.: horrible impressions that overflow our mind in psychotic-near states. besides that i do not really like these examples (as most of us cannot relate to psychotic-near states), i find it quiet illustrating because of another relation made here: The censor, who helps to surpress the horrible images, can be loosened by e.g.: drugs. The typical "horror trip", that overflows our consciousness with intrusive childish monster memories.

Now .. besides the "good funtion" of the censor to block "bad content" to overflow us, there's a second side of the coin. "Where id is, let ego be" is a guideline for successfull psychoanalysis, isnt it? Can't you equate the censor with defense mechanism as well? Something that helps the ego to stay the master of the house, but also hinders the person to live healthy? Yes i think so.

Leaving the fields of theoretical psychoanalysis ... heading towards society, I think that the concept of "Censorship" is a very ambivalent and complex traded one. Elias Canetti shows us both sides of a societywide censorship in "Their days are numbered" ("Die Befristeten", 1930). I invite you to go on associating with me ;)



By the way (that's what brought me to this issue today): What happened to Mr. Henry's thread entitled "Copyright protection is wrong ", that he posted here on December 29th? Was it moved, am I blind .. or was it taken away? ;)

have a nice day, animaque