The document discusses psychoanalytic theories of identity formation and the unconscious. It explains that according to Freud, identity is shaped by early childhood experiences, particularly the resolution of the Oedipus complex which differs for boys and girls. Freud argued that identities are formed both consciously and unconsciously through childhood experiences, repressing desires into the unconscious. Understanding identity requires exploring an individual's past and how their gender and sexuality developed. The document also notes criticisms of Freudian theory for not being scientific, being ahistorical, conservative, and patriarchal.