The critical reading theory I chose to study is the psychoanalytic theory. This theory, from what I know, focuses its studies on the human unconscious and how a person's irrational psyche plays a role in the person's acts and dream, but is unavailable to his or her consciousness. The theory studies human psychological functioning and behavior and interprets a character through his or her actions, words, and inner conflict. Much of this theory is partly due to the Austrian psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, who believed all humans possess an unconscious state that contains all their hidden desires and emotions. Freud also came up with the Oedipus Complex, which is often applied to many works of literature. The Oedipus Complex implies that children subconsciously have feelings of desire for the parent of the opposite sex, and compete with the same-sex parent for the attention of the other. This theory is an example of a person's unconscious state of mind, and his or her actions reveal that mindset.
The psychoanalytic theory can also apply to real-world subjects. For example, a person who has often been abused in a relationship may leave her abusive partner, but she keeps falling into an abusive relationship with other men, because this kind of interaction is all she's ever had. Therefore, she doesn't know this is happening, but she keeps letting it happen.
