Subjecti Cation Foucault Summary

Introduction
1.1 Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, a historian of ideas, a social the- orist, philologist and a literary critic. His theories addressed the relationship between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social con- trol through societal institutions. Foucault is considered to be a postmodern or post-structuralist as his theories have been used for re-assessing modernity's most cherished principles.[4]
1.2 Foucault's ideas on Objectication Of Subject
Subject refers to the individual or a social group with consciousness where as an object is the entity on which the analysis is performed. Foucault described
3 methods by which a Subject was turned into an object. These methods are:-
1. Dividing …show more content…
Scientic Classication
3. Subjectication[3]
1.2.1 Concept of Dividing Practices
Dividing Practices involve dividing people into dierent groups socially and spatially depending on some scientic(or pseudo scientic) criterion. In Mad- ness and Civilization Foucault highlights how madmen were excluded due to the fact that their idleness posed a threat to bourgeois society where labor was of the most signicant value [5].
1.2.2 Concept of Scientic Classication
In this mode of Objectication of Subject, subjects are classied as objects on the basis of scientic basis such as life, labor or language. For example we can take laborers as subjects in the analysis of the Economy.
1.2.3 Concept of Subjectication
If a person turns himself into an object and performs studies on his own body, it is called subjectication.
2
1.3 Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud is considered the father of Psychoanalysis due to the fact that almost all the aspects of modern psychoanalysis can be traced back to Freud's original theories. He was a physiologist, medical doctor, psychologist, and …show more content…
The Ego can resolve this problem by pushing the impulse from the
Id to the unconscious. These impulses are not completely removed but exist intact in the unconscious mind where they exert an inuence on the conscious mind. Sometimes, this inuence manifests just as dreams or slip of tongue but other times it can lead to dysfunctional behavior characteristic of neurosis. This neurosis can manifest in forms of phobias, hysterical paralysis, paranoia, etc.
People suering from neurosis are classied as pathological and separated from the rest of the society. Therefore, we can see the usage of dividing practices for objectication of subject as the people labeled as pathological become the object of psychological studies.
2.2 Scientic Classication in Freud's Theory
As mentioned above, Freud classied the human mind into 3 parts - Id, Ego and Super-ego. These 3 parts were created on the basis of their functions. Id works on the basis of pleasure principles and looks to avoid any kind of pain and discomfort. Super-ego provides the morality and works against the Id to repress the instincts that are deemed socially unacceptable. Ego works as a mediator between the Id, Super-Ego and the external world and tries to