John D. Rockefellar essays

John D. Rockefellar essays John D. Rockefeller is a prime example of what Freuds theory of the pleasure principle is all about. Freud refers to the pleasure principle as the id, which is located in the unconscious state of mind. The id is concerned only with what brings immediate personal satisfaction, regardless of any physical or social limitation(Burger, pg. 48). John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839 and lived until May 23, 1937. During this time frame he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States. Rockefeller grew up on a farm near Richfield, N.Y., before he moved to Cleveland Ohio in 1853. He attended Central High School from 1853-1855 and took some additional courses at a business college before he became assistant bookkeeper for commission merchants Henry B. Tuttle and Isaac L Hewitt in Sept. 1855. It wasnt until 1863, when Rockefeller had decided to enter the oil business, that he began to amass his fortune. He organized STANDARD OIL CO. (OHIO) as its largest stockholder in 1870, directing the company until he retired in 1896, but retaining the title of president until 1911 (Goulder, 1972). It is a fact that Rockefeller did not grow up in a wealthy household and it is also obvious that although his education was limited to only a few college courses, when John D. desired something bad enough, he just went out and found a way to get it. The fact that he continued to retain presidency of his company for 16 years after he was retired clearly shows that he had a need for power and desired to stay at the top of the power pyramid. This is a perfect example of the pleasure principle because the id is only concerned with what an individual wants. By 1880 John D. Rockefeller had become worth 18 million dollars. Money was his key to power and power was everything to Rockefeller. His personal life demonstrates that. He is described as The millionaire, who had lost all of his hair and whose wi...