Mind of Kurt Cobain: A Look at His Life Through Freuds EyesEssay Preview: Mind of Kurt Cobain: A Look at His Life Through Freuds EyesReport this essayKurt Donald Cobain was born in 1967 into a typical American family. His father was a mechanic, his mother was a home maker and he also had a younger sister. In his early life he was prescribed Ritalin for his attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Kurt regarded his childhood to be a happy one. This changed in 1975 when his parents divorced. He was seven years old. Kurt became more withdrawn and his mothers personality changed. “I can remember feeling ashamed for some reason. I was ashamed of my parents. I couldnt face my friends anymore, because I desperately wanted to have the classic, you know, typical family” (Savage). Kurt moved in with his mother after the divorce and later moved to Washington to live with his father. He became rebellious and often was the center of controversy at school and at home. In high school his father pressured him to play sports which did not interest Kurt. One of Kurts high school friends was gay which made others believe he was gay. Kurt admitted that he thought he was gay in high school but later concluded that he was bi-sexual. He was fascinated with human fecal matter and also female organs. He once strapped firecrackers to his body and lit them.
Cobain found his escape though music. He attended the local punk rock scene and was given a guitar for his fourteenth birthday from his uncle. He smoked marijuana regularly and experimented with many drugs. He became addicted to painkillers and harder drugs which continued though his music carrier. Kurt dropped out of high school and was kicked out of his mothers house. He later became a famous guitarist and singer for the grunge band Nirvana. He is now regarded as the father of grunge music.
Kurt Cobains personality can best be described through Freuds psychoanalytic theory. Kurts idea about having a perfect American family can be explained though the psychosexual stages. Since his parents divorced at an early age Kurt was stunted in maturing and held on to traits of the anal and phallic stages. It is evident that Kurt held on to traits of the anal stage though his need for control, obsession with female genital organs, and fecal matter.
Freud described the anal stage to last from 18-36 months and focused on bowel and bladder elimination, and coping with demands of control. When his parents divorced in 1975 he was supposed to be in the latency stage, however; since he suffered form attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder he learned at a slower pace than his peers. Freud believed that if a person was forced to “resolve the anal conflict” (Myers) contrary to their will, they would be either messy and disorganizes (anal expulsive) or organized and very controlled (anal retentive). It is clear that Kurt was an anal expulsive person when reviving his notebooks and diaries. Due to his ADHD his mind would wander and he would often draw during classes. Most of his artwork was things associated with fetuses and the human anatomy (Wikipedia). He displayed these traits throughout his life which is very apparent on the artwork for his album In Utero, which is a picture of the anatomy of a woman. Kurt said that the divorce of his parents made him more withdrawn from his family. According to Freud this could be because of his need for power even in circumstances beyond his control.
Kurt also displays traits of the phallic stage of Freuds psychosexual stages. The phallic stage centers on pleasure to genitals, and coping with incestuous feelings. He was very confused with his sexual orientation in high school. This can also be blamed on his parents divorce. Because he moved in with his mom after the divorce, he lacked identification with a same sex parent. The psychoanalytic theory describes the identification process as a process when childrens superegos incorporate values and principals from their parents. Freud believed that when a child identifies with the same-sex parent, the child learns the sense of being male or female (Myers). This could be the root of Kurts confused sexual orientation. If he had lived with both his mother and father we could have developed
Kurt and his biological father had been married for a very long time. I know of no records of any sex change whatsoever. One could say there is probably a “family history” of Kurt as a boy. As adults, Kurt was known to be fairly well liked. There has to be some genetic trace to Kurt’s parents and other early biological fathers. At the same time, Kurt did not have any particular genetic abnormality. As a child, he was highly valued in a small village where he loved to play, play with dolls and share meals with his friends. One day, he got a text message that read, “Kurt, what’s up?”
He didn’t respond. He just sat there and played all day. The text said, “It’s been about two years since we were married.” He never came home.
At the end of August, 2002, my own family was moving in and my first child became available. I knew I could get a son with a girl. We were staying by a nearby house when our housemates heard about Kurt’s coming. Kurt wanted to start his own play group and I knew what he was doing. We rented a two-bedroom apartment down from his house for $70 a month. We had great family values. All the neighbors were loving, friendly and supportive. One neighbor was so supportive that she sent him some gifts, along with the gifts a friend gave me to bring Kurt’s clothes. We thought we could give these toys to Kurt because he looked as if he had a penis and was as close to an E.U. as he was to an American flag. We even brought a DVD to show and his room that we rented. The family had fun playing the video in his living room and sitting with him, but in the evenings he wouldn’t let me and his friends play with me. He was quiet and his mother just gave him so many gifts. My friend asked why he was playing on TV. She never told him. But all the neighbors would tell his mom that Kurt was going to play.
I came forward and said I couldn’t have a girl.
He just sat over and played and asked questions (with the mom, for example). We took the next few days off work and came back at 11 a.m. on the 10th to meet again. Two friends and I went to bed shortly after 10 a.m., but we waited for the 9:30 p.m. meeting. . . Kurt was in his living room at 11. He was not sitting in his usual play-by-play of how far he wanted it, or what his mother would like to share it. . . . I just sat there, watching.
At some point, I started telling my friends I wanted him to have sex with this girl. We thought it was hilarious that if I tried to do it I’d be caught.
It was at 12:30 a.m.