What Are Sigmund Freud's Contributions To Society

Sigmund Freud has made significant contributions to society. His ideals about how society both functions and interacts have shaped the world in implicit and explicit ways. His theories were passed on to his nephew, Bernie Bernays, which then made them a reality. His ideas also resonate with the observations of other theorists, such as Marcuse. The film “The Century of the Self” put the ways we are unwillingly controlled into perspective. Consumerism has masked itself in all aspects of our lives to manipulate the individual, control masses, and suppress individuality.
The ideals that shape the world today are largely based on the theory that individuals have dangerous repressed sexual desires. Along with that, the individual represses these emotions in order to function in society and fit in. Freud was one to distance

himself from the masses instead of joining them. He thought it was best to watch and observe, rather than to practice their ways. The film explained how Freud lived on his own for a long time while he wrote his theories. (The Century of the Self) Bernie Bernays, the founder of public relations, was Freud’s nephew. It was he who took advantage of Freud’s ideas and incorporated it into the world. He used the knowledge his uncle provided him to manipulate corporations to pick him to advertise their business. Bernays found ways to persuade consumers to buy products by playing into their repressed emotions. To the public, he was almost magical- his ways would drive consumers to buy products they otherwise would not. (The Century of the Self)
It is easier to think that we make our own decisions than to wonder why everything is so nicely set out for our liking.

Consumerism has grown quickly and effectively. It has become so integrated into our modern world that it is no longer singled out. Individuals revolve their life around material objects and repeatedly fall for commercials urging them to purchase unnecessary objects. This system was spearheaded by Bernays. All of our consumer needs are tailored to ensure they are overly fulfilled. A simple task such as going grocery shopping, has been micromanaged by companies; they can pay for product placement. Holiday shopping, sales, blowout events, etc. are all ways to trick the individual into the consumer spiral. Commercials and advertisements find ways to appeal to our so called repressions and bring out our craving to obtain that object. The film explained that most things are attributed to sexual desire, so an example is a perfume commercial with an oversexualized ideal of a woman or man. (The Century of the Self) The economy is only one of the ways we are limited. Freud’s ideas have worked both on an individual level and on a larger

scale.
As much as we hate to admit it, group behavior is powerful and dangerous. Despite individuals’ morals and values, groups can push people to do and say things they would never imagine or plan on their own. The power that a mob mentality yields is incomparable to that of one person. This theory was put to test by Bernays when he conducted a study that encouraged women to smoke in public. He used an organized rally as his platform and asked debutants to start smoking in public as a statement. Shortly after this exhibit, women started smoking in public to show a sign of power and sexual innuendos. This unconscious control of our minds is a dangerous aspect of society. Herbert Marcuse also made the observation about society’s power over the individual. In his writing, “One-dimensional Man,” he expressed his deep concern for the individual. He stated how much power society has now and due to our domination by it, we do not even realize it. It is this lack of awareness that has allowed individuals to be congregated into one mass and controlled as one.
Manipulation in today’s society has taken the worst form: subtle and integrated. The quest for “advancement” has led to the unfortunate result of one-dimensional individuals. Suppressing individuality has become an easy and normative task. As Marcuse mentioned, technology has made us even less of an individual. Most of our wonderful discoveries and additions to society, have taken away from the freedom to be individuals. We lack the creativity due to the advanced technology which we now rely on. It is an abomination to the people who believe society could be much different. Having hope in humanity is less feasible now that there is no room for real social change. Consumerism has taken over with no point of return. Marcuse and Freud both saw society for what it is really is. Its underlying desires and outlying motivations.
In conclusion, Freud could have been right about individuals being dangerous and in this case, the control by society could be beneficial. Marcuse’s one-dimensional man is a product of the unawareness of domination by advancements. Bernie Bernays was able to motivate masses by playing into their unconscious repressed sexual desires successfully indicating some of Freud’s theories are correct. The individual is no longer a creative thee-dimensional human with the ability to choose for him or herself.