A Comparative Study Of Self-conception In Psychanalysis And The Buddhism

Buddhism originated in ancient Indian society, and psychoanalysis derived from modern western world. There is a resemblance between the two lines, which is knowing yourself and putting this knowledge into practice. Because of the collapse of traditional values caused by Modernity, people constantly feel a certain loss, and a variety of mental problems have occurred in modern society. The forum in Mexico held in1957is a sign that the world of psychology has developed a great interest in Zen Buddhism. Karen Horney、Erich Fromm and other psychologists from Neopsychoanalytic Schools tried to find inspiring ideas and practices in Buddhism to solve the mental problems of people. And these two traditions finally came to an intersection. In this paper, we select three representative schools of Buddhism and three psychoanalytic schools which had deep insights in subconsciousness, and we will compare the theoretical frameworks and core views of self-conception in order to establish a preliminary comprehension and communication between Buddhism and Psychoanalysis.Classic psychoanalysis, represented by Freud, first states the concept of the subconscious. They think that the conscious part of human mind is incomplete. Freud’s self-conception can be depicted in his terrain structure of personality. Id requires satisfaction of the instinctive impulse, Superego represents moral imperative, while Ego makes great efforts to mediate. Subconscious contents inconsistent with social customs are often repressed. The goal of psychoanalysis is disinhibition and releasing the energy in subconsciousness. To Zen Buddhism, the true self is the noumen that is the source of all things, and spiritual practice aims at finding one’s true self. A sudden enlightenment and disinhibition are similar. Disnhibition releases the fixed energy in subconsciousness, making subconscious ideas clear to the mind, and a sudden enlightenment breaks the boundaries of the ego. They both gain insights into subconsciousness, but at different levels.Jung’s analytical psychology divides personality into three parts, consciousness, personal subconsciousness and collective subconsciousness. He brings up the concept of the collective subconsciousness, which is not composed of repressed and forgotten personal experience. It is based on inherited psychological contents beyond individual experience. The contents of collective subconsiousness are all kinds of prototypes corresponding to typical situations of life. The goal of analytical psychology is individualization, in the process of which, the personality re-establishes around a new center, Self. Vijbanavada considers that everything derives from the heart, whose transformation causes various kinds of psychological or physical phenomena. The concept of Alaya-vijnana and collective subconsciousness are very much alike. The seeds and prototypes indicate that a hereditary psychological basis exists in all human minds, which causes similar behaviors under specific situation.Poststructuralist psychoanalysis, represented by Lacan, proposes "mirror theory ". They consider that the self is built on a false basis of unity. Lacan uses three realms theory which includes the imaginary, the symbolic and the real to illustrate the structure of the Subject. The goal of Psychoanalysis is not only to eliminate the symptoms but also to discover and bear the truth of the Subject. Madhyamaka points out that anataman means a dialectical unity of the real self and the false self. According to the theory of dependent origination, there is no invariable self, and the phenomenal world exists only in Conventional Truth. The real self and the false self are only pseudonyms. Lacan’s mirror theory can be compared with the conception of false self. The false self consists of substance, feeling, thinking, intention and consciousness. It doesn’t have real noumenon. And in the mirror theory, the Subject tries to grab the broken, weak self, which identifies with the Father’s Law.At the same time, a diagonal has been drawn on the self forever. The self is constructed in Other’s desire and therefore is unreal.Through continuous learning and communication with each other, Psychoanalysis and Buddhism have developed a certain degree of complementation. Buddhism provides a deeper and wider insight into human mind and a set of values. The self busy consuming, possessing and expanding in modern society is empty and weak, only seeking the true self can bring us relief and freedom. Psychoanalysis supplies complement to Buddhism at the level of conventional reality. Before deep meditation, people need to deal with the psychological trauma formed in earlier stage of life and establish a reasonable way of life and a harmonious interpersonal relationship, otherwise meditation can be a new way of self-defensive. The scientific attitude and critical thinking in psychoanalysis also liberate the ancient Buddhism from power structure developed in Ancient Society, making it more understandable and useful to modern people.The self formed under the social context of modernism is always floating、 rootless、self-aggrandizing and weak. The typical symptoms include lacking of ethical and moral responsibilities, spiritual alienation and anxiety, etc. And the global consumer culture encourages this tendency. At the process of comparing, we see a possibility of re-rooting the tree of life. Seeking the true self instead of identifying to the false one under external symbols brings us deeper happiness and a real understanding of life.