Sigmund Freud Civilization And Discontent

Kelsee Kessel Gen 410

Essay #2 Sigmund Freud has been credited by many for being one of the founding fathers of psychology. His work was so influential and groundbreaking for his time that it is still relevant today. In his iconic book “civilization and its discontents “he mentions his theory that civilization is human kind’s biggest cause of unhappiness and discontent. According to Freud, all humans have an “ID, ego, and super ego. “ This refers to several brain functions that work at the same time. The ID holds all

These separate worlds are often intertwined because we start to accept external morals and social constructs as our own since it is our nature as a child to try and model others in an attempt for survival and to find protection in a group or family. This process is essential to human civilization says Freud because without it we wouldn’t be able to function collectively as a society. We would all be selfish and ran by our instincts. Our instincts toward pleasure and aggression can never be removed, however it is society that teaches us that these impulses can be redirected or repressed. So in retrospect, it is society that protects us as an individual by controlling the actions of others and yet it is society who is controlling us as well. To Freud, there is no real “right” or “wrong “only what we perceive to be so. However, the belief that there is an actual moral code allows individuals and societies to regulate human aggression and sexuality by pushing the idea that an individual must regulate themselves in order to feel like a “ good “ person and be accepted by society. In theory , a person who feels their thoughts are unethical by society’s standards starts directing their particular instinct inward forcing the person

Civilized societies lay down structures that its people must follow or they become at risk of getting scolded. This includes going to school, getting a job, being in a monogamous relationship / marriage and so on. However, where the opposition of Freud lies is in the outliners, or those individuals who judge themselves solely by their own standards and yet still find their place in society. Michel de Montaigne, a philosopher from the French renaissance can be seen as one of these type of people. He agreed with Freud in the context that he knew how societal standards can hinder a person’s individually for they begin to think like others. Montaigne, unlike Freud however was not considered about other people’s freedom of thinking but rather his own. He often isolated himself from others in order to feel like he belonged to himself and not the world. However, he also believed that we as living things are all connected and isolation is natural. So in order to keep his self-identity and make solid friendships and connections he adopted the belief that one must learn about others only with the intent to learn about yourself. In conclusion, while Freud may have some supporting evidence in his theory that civilization leads to discontent, Montaigne suggests it may be a strong that sense of self that is needed to connect the barrier between self and