Sigmund Freud and Halloween

"What are you going to be for Halloween?" is a common question that we hear in the month of October.  As the holiday of trick and treating passed by this week, I was reminded of the contents of this course - and specifically the ideas of Sigmund Freud.

Source: https://halloweenlove.com/images/posts/hhh_trick_r_treat.jpg

According to Appignanesi & Zarate's work, "Freud for Beginners," one of famous psychologist Sigmund Freud's revolutions was the discovery of the psychology of the unconscious.  In essence, all of our behaviors are motivated by ideas that we ultimately are not in control of.  Another important idea from Freud comes from his work in dream analysis, in which he says that the meaning of dreams is that the represent the fulfillment of wishes.  Now, you may be asking yourself, what does all of this have to do with Halloween?

One could argue that Halloween itself is a very dreamlike holiday.  People all around us are dressed in costumes that we would not normally see, whether as monsters, doctors, cooking utensils, or even as abstract ideas.  In my opinion, what we choose to dress up for during Halloween is a representation of our inner desires, as described by Freud in his section on dream analysis.  For example, let's say that someone decided to dress up as Captain America for Halloween.

Source: https://topsuperherocostumes.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/captain-america-halloween-costume.jpg

This decision to dress up as Captain America says a lot about the person.  They are likely a very kind-hearted person who wants to help the world in some way, and they may even dream of being a super hero themselves.  Ultimately, this all relates back to the theme of our course, "What is the self and what goes into its manufacture?"  Our desires located in our unconscious show up in many ways, including what we decide to dress up as for Halloween.

Source: pg. 129 of "Freud for Beginners"