Many of us have made it a habit to filter our desires through society before expressing them or acting on them. This habit is often overlooked until, at some point, we succumb to the irresistibility of our desires.
This conflict emerges as a fundamental issue discussed in numerous psychoanalytic theory perspectives, explored in works of art, and permeating our daily lives. We will discuss this issue in light of Freudian theory, using examples from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Austen
She was born in 1775 in Hampshire, England. Thanks to her father, who was a clergyman, she had the opportunity to receive a good education. She died at a relatively young age due to illness. She never married for 41 years and lived with her family.
She became one of the most important writers in English literature, and her books continue to be popular today and are considered classics. Jane Austen is known for her novels, which explore the social conflicts of her time, particularly those focusing on women and society’s attitudes towards marriage. She held a feminist perspective that questioned these social norms.
The Regency period, during which she wrote, heavily influenced her work. This period, marked by pronounced class differences, was also a restrictive period for women. A woman’s position in society was determined solely by marriage.
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Our book follows the five daughters of the Bennet family. Despite being wealthy, Mr. Bennet, having no sons, is forced to leave his inheritance to distant relatives and has neglected to save enough money to leave to his daughters. Therefore, the family understands that the only way to secure their future is through suitable marriages.
The pressure and coercion exerted by Mrs. Bennet, in particular, is offset by Mr. Bennet’s gentleness. The eldest daughter, Jane, always manages to attract the attention of suitors with her beauty and gentle nature. The young and wealthy Mr. Bingley, the newest member of the town, is one of them. The class difference between them seems insurmountable to Mr. Bingley’s family and friends. This influence, coupled with the gentle natures of both parties, leads their relationship to drift apart.
The second-oldest daughter, Elizabeth (and our main character), contrasts with her sister with her sharp tongue and intelligence. Given the circumstances of the time, these were not desirable qualities in a woman. Mr. Bingley’s close friend, Mr. Darcy, enters the story with his arrogance and pride. We witness a similar conflict between Jane and Mr. Bingley in this couple, but their sharp personalities intensify this conflict even more.
What Conflict Is This?
In developing his theory of personality, Freud’s personality structure divides the psyche into three fundamental structural elements. According to Freud, human behavior arises from the interaction of these three structures. These interactions generally occur in the form of conflict. These structural elements are as follows:
Id: This is the unconscious and most primitive part, home to biological drives (hunger, sexuality, aggression, etc.). This part, governed by the pleasure principle, seeks immediate gratification. Conditions other than drives are disregarded, and laws or moral codes do not apply here.
Superego: This is the internalized version of moral values, social rules, and family discourses. It represents the conscience and symbolizes social ideals.
Ego: This mediates the conflict between the id and the superego. It attempts to satisfy the id’s drives in a way that the superego accepts. Behaviors aimed at satisfying socially accepted drives reinforce the personality’s functionality. It operates on the reality principle.
The Function of Personality Structure in Pride and Prejudice
We’ve previously mentioned that the biggest obstacle between the love of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is the difference between their classes.
As an extremely wealthy and upper-class individual, Mr. Darcy finds it unacceptable to harbor feelings for someone like Elizabeth Bennet, a woman of lower class and whose family he finds unacceptable. For a while, he uses his arrogance to suppress these impulses, attempting to distance himself from Elizabeth.
For Mr. Darcy, raised under the strict rules of the aristocratic class, submitting to the id is unacceptable; the pressure of the superego is very strong in this situation. As we see in the book, Mr. Darcy is the first to submit to the id and declare his love, but he expresses it from a place of arrogance and pride, as if trying to convey that what he’s doing is a sacrifice. This statement is a manifestation of the superego’s pressure on the id.
For Elizabeth, the id is in the same position as Mr. Darcy. His impulses express love to her. But Elizabeth is also aware of class distinctions, and the same rules apply to her, though not to Mr. Darcy. Furthermore, Mr. Darcy’s arrogant and distant attitude toward everyone else has led to him not being loved or appreciated in their community. The comments and class distinctions from those around him have created space for Elizabeth’s superego. Elizabeth, in turn, has developed prejudices about Mr. Darcy to suppress the id’s impulses.
The fact that the two experience the same conflicts doesn’t mean they don’t allow room for their subjectivity. The defense mechanisms they develop to cope with this conflict are shaped as reflections of their own personalities.
As we see in this example, everyone experiences conflicts between the id, ego, and superego. The conflict between our own desires and the expectations of those around us stems from these structures. In fact, these conflicts form the underlying meaning of our behavior.