Iran Protest

Recent protests in Iran have been the subject of different discussions and analysis. As a media agency and corporation based in Tehran, Iran, we found it defenseless to sit aside with no certain and customized point of view. Although the mission of media entices us to be more sharp and sensitive about the things happening around us. This note aims to tackle the issue from a psychological perspective and shed more light on the hidden side of the story, exploiting proven facts, approaches, and science.

This post has been provided by Amir Mokhtari and is subject to copyright.

Society as an organic system

This approach tends to consider the whole society as a complete #organic_system that owns different organs, with different functions and structures. From this point of view, we take the ruling system, parliament, media, school, and other parts of society, as different organs with definite tasks. This metaphor of taking society as an organic system opens up a wide range of opportunities to apply different organic science, and knowledge, to society hoping to tackle the problem and learn more about the complicated sides of it.

Id, Ego, and Super-ego

The three concepts of #ego, #id, and #super_ego, have been defined by #sigmund_freud. Each concept stands for describing distinct and interacting agents of the human personality. ID is the set of uncoordinated instinctual desires, the super-ego takes the side of critical and moralizing elements, while the Ego is the realistic agent mediating and managing the relations of the Id and Super-ego. In another tone, Ego is an executive element seeking to fulfill the needs of the id based on the norms defined by the super-ego.

As described above, ID is known as the wishing element, Ego plays the practical and executive role, and the super-ego enjoys the strict position of ruling, dictating the norms, monitoring, and ensuring the execution of the whole process based on certain norms.

Civilization and its discontents

In the book #civilization_and_its_discontents, Sigmund Freud opens the discussion of #civilization and so the #culture, as the super-ego of the society that can dictate different norms and mandates to the ego and put pressure on it to ensure the execution of the norms. He also discussed that most of the time, the super-ego is blind and careless about the ruling statements and mandates. It does not consider (or can not consider) if the defined norm and task is possible and useful for the Ego or not. This is the condition that the ego finds itself in a conflict and battle between the wishing Id, and the ruling Super-ego. Id asks and calls for critical needs and wants, while the super-ego restricts the ego by harsh mandates and norms. The result is what Freud calls the emergence of #neurosis. Going with the problem, the person is called #neurotic suffering from a load of pressure from both id and super-ego.

Media and Culture as Super-ego of the Society

Aside from the organic definition of the id, ego, and super-ego, Freud defines the assumption of cultural and civil super-ego that does the same as the personal super-ego. The #cultural_super_ego sticks to its prohibitions, and harsh mandates, ignoring and neglecting the difficulties and the odyssey that the ego has to face, fulfilling the needs of the id based on the strict norms of the super-ego. The result is a conflict and battle between ego and super-ego in which the ego tries to decrease or loosen the harsh orders of the super-ego, easing the way for meeting the needs of the id.

It goes the same with the cultural super-ego. The cultural or civil super-ego is not realistic and does not care if the ego can wrestle with the defined orders or not. The super-ego also ignores the voice of the ego, warning about the lack of possibility of defined norms. The super-ego just seeks the execution of orders, based on definite norms. No matter how hard, no matter if possible or not, the super-ego finds the glory, in the right execution and absolute #obedience.

Conclusion: Neurotic Iran

Neurotic organ and person is the outcome of the ruling super-ego and frustrated ego. The illness is a solid indication of the conflict between the super-ego and executive ego. Following the mentioned Organic p.o.v and perceiving the society as an organic system, the recent protest of #iran can be considered as a solid indication of the battle between the “Ego” and “Super ego” of the society. The Ego seeks more free space from the increasing pressure put by strict rules (mandates) of the Super Ego and the super-ego seeks obedience and guarantee of following its mandates. At last, the protest is a definite symptom of the #neurotic_iran injured by #cultural_super_ego.

But the question is,

• What do we have to do to tackle the problem?
• How can we deal with the cultural and civil super-ego?
• Who and how should do this?

and a long list of other questions …