The Consequences of Success

Sigmund Freud, a renowned name in the field of psychology, the father of psychoanalysis, once suggested that people often suffer breakdowns and tensions in their private life not after a failure but, paradoxically after a triumph. Well, there are some valid disparagements about Freud’s work but one can site abundant examples from the past of how men and women sabotaged their achievements and success in rather spectacular and self-destructive ways. Freud, who used to work psychoanalytically with neurotic patients was not staggered by this. In an essay “Some Character-Types Met with in Psycho-Analytic Work” published in 1916 by Freud, he talked about the thesis that people fall ill of neurosis as a result of frustration. In this scenario, what he meant was the frustration of the satisfaction of their libidinal wishes. For frustration and hence neurosis to be generated, there has to a conflict between a person’s libidinal wishes and a part of his personality which Freud called ‘ego’. Ego, here includes ideals of a person’s personality. To explain in simple words what Freud put forward in his twisted terminology, libido tries to follow aims and aspirations which ego has long since overcome, condemned and prohibited. Frustration therefore becomes the first reason of neurosis.

Freud also mentioned that people fall ill when a deep rooted and long admired wish comes true. Its almost like individuals can’t handle their happiness. This gives us a connection, although nothing quantifiable between a person’s triumph and their falling ill. All of this leads to one point- the illness trailed the fulfillment of a wish and put a termination to the joy of it.

Freud also had a very fascinating view on people’s success with respect to their parents. According to him, when we triumph over our parents or if we believe we are more efficacious, richer or even have better living standards, we experience a sense of guilt that we have hurt or shamed our parents. He took an example from his life stating that after his success, he felt that he had done something painful to his uneducated and penniless father, Jakob Freud, in spite of the fact that his father had died years ago.

By highlighting this dread of success, Freud has provided us with a very significant life lesson. When we do something arresting, we experience delight on a conscious level but we may be ‘at risk” at an unconscious level and hence should be watchful.