Effects on the Psyche Caused by the Civilization When one considers the term “civilization”, a term that usually does not come to mind is “psyche”. These two terms seem to have nothing in common with each other, however, that is only if you think about trying to find similarities in them. What one should do is consider how these two terms relate to each other. Many people do not realize that, every day, we are affected by civilization around us. The culture, the social norms, and the people within the culture have a constant effect on our development. A prominent example of this can be found in the psychical development of the black people in America when America was first being colonized. Throughout this paper, I will be showing how
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Fanon wrote more on this subject in regards to Creole. He quoted Michel Leiris, who said that Creole, which the illiterate spoke exclusively, would soon be a “relic of the past” as education became more accessible to the underprivileged sectors of the population (11). This could be related to the black slaves in America. They had a very distinctive way of speaking because of their lack of education. This led to an inferiority complex taking root within the slave, which led to him rejecting his blackness, his race, by attempting to adopt the language of the white man. This was all done in an endeavor to become more like his oppressors. Why did he do this? The slaves did this because language holds an extraordinary power. As Fanon wrote, “A man who possesses a language possesses as an indirect consequence the world expressed and implied by this language” (2). The man of color was trying to find a place in a civilization since he had no claim to a civilization. This was an attempt to be accepted by the people around him. The slave was determined to acquire “the part of being or having that constitutes an ego”, meaning that he wanted to be his own person (33). This reaction can be attributed to the identification phase. The black man desired to be what he feared and hated, the white man, just as a male child desired to be what he feared and hated, his own father. This occurred since identification is also counter-identification. This counter-identification led the black man to want to become the master-become
Fanon wrote more on this subject in regards to Creole. He quoted Michel Leiris, who said that Creole, which the illiterate spoke exclusively, would soon be a “relic of the past” as education became more accessible to the underprivileged sectors of the population (11). This could be related to the black slaves in America. They had a very distinctive way of speaking because of their lack of education. This led to an inferiority complex taking root within the slave, which led to him rejecting his blackness, his race, by attempting to adopt the language of the white man. This was all done in an endeavor to become more like his oppressors. Why did he do this? The slaves did this because language holds an extraordinary power. As Fanon wrote, “A man who possesses a language possesses as an indirect consequence the world expressed and implied by this language” (2). The man of color was trying to find a place in a civilization since he had no claim to a civilization. This was an attempt to be accepted by the people around him. The slave was determined to acquire “the part of being or having that constitutes an ego”, meaning that he wanted to be his own person (33). This reaction can be attributed to the identification phase. The black man desired to be what he feared and hated, the white man, just as a male child desired to be what he feared and hated, his own father. This occurred since identification is also counter-identification. This counter-identification led the black man to want to become the master-become