Psychological Aspect of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," written by Robert Louis Stevenson, tells the fantastic story of a man, a follower of all social norms and laws, extremely nice and friendly, who being a scientist develops a formula with results that he could not imagine. Jekyll, a wealthy scientist, mixing elements with a powder bought from the pharmacist and as a result, his body changes radically, as well as the emotional state and personality. He turned grotesque, small and mean. He assumed the name of Hyde. Hyde's personality was completely opposite to that of Jekyll and author of the story suggests a kind of dialogue between both sides of the same person, showing how Jekyll, despite being a man "right" and that met all expectations of others , bore within it a dark streak that was suppressed for so many years that when released, it became uncontrollable. The duality of Human Nature is the main theme of the novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It centers upon a conception of humanity as dual in nature; the text not only posits the duality of human nature as its central theme but also forces us to ponder the properties of this duality.

Freud did not intend to create a complete psychological theory, but came to develop a system that explained the psychology of man as a whole. He began studying the mental disorder and then asked for their causes. He finished formulating a general theory of psychic dynamism, its evolution through different periods of development and the impact of society, culture and religion in personality and create a form of treatment of mental disorders (Swearingen, pp. 37). He managed to formulate a psychological theory covering normal and abnormal personality, and that impacted on all areas of knowledge: sociology, history, education, anthropology and the arts. Freud's primary concern within the field of the human psyche, was the study of hysteria, through which concluded that hysterical symptoms dependent repressed internal psychic conflicts and their treatment should focus on the patient reproduce the traumatic events that had caused such conflicts. The technique used in principle for this was the hypnosis. A basic concept in Freudian theory is the "pulse" or drive (Triebe, in German). It is the basic element of motivation. Initially distinguishes two types of impulses: impulses of self or self-preservation and sexual impulses. Later reformulated his theory of drives and impulses distinguish between life (Eros), which are included both of the above formulation, and impulses of death (Thanatos), defined as the tendency to complete reduction of tensions. Freud had a hedonistic conception of human behavior: he understood that the pleasure was given by the absence of tension and displeasure by the presence of the same. The agency initially is oriented towards pleasure (pleasure principle) and avoid tensions, unpleasure and anxiety.

Freud's formulation of psychic topography and includes in it three systems: a conscious, another preconscious, whose contents can move backwards, and the other ...