Sigmund Freud's "Civilization and Its Discontents" delves into the inherent conflict between individual desires and societal demands. Freud explores the tension between the pleasure principle and the reality principle, arguing that civilization's restrictions on instinctual gratification lead to widespread unhappiness. He examines the role of aggression and the development of the superego in shaping human behavior. The book also touches upon the influence of religion and the search for meaning in human life. Ultimately, Freud suggests that a degree of discontent is inevitable in a civilized society.
In 'The Future of an Illusion,' Sigmund Freud investigates the origins and functions of religious belief from a psychoanalytic perspective. He argues that religion arises from fundamental psychological needs, such as the desire for security and the mitigation of existential anxieties. Freud posits that religious beliefs are illusions, fulfilling deep-seated human desires rather than being grounded in empirical reality. He suggests that these illusions serve to address human vulnerabilities but lack a foundation in rational truth. The book concludes with Freud advocating for a future where scientific education and rational thinking replace religious education to help individuals deal with their urges and sense of helplessness in a more rational and enlightened manner[2][4][5].
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Abby and Patrick sit down with religious studies scholar and Reformation historian Nathan Rein to discuss Freud’s “Obsessive Actions and Religious Practices” (1907). This is Freud’s first extended treatment of religion as such, with a particular emphasis on ritual, and, in classic Freudian style, sees him provocatively linking individual symptoms with broader cultural formations. But what does Freud mean by “religion” anyway, in relation to his Jewish heritage on the one hand and his overwhelmingly Catholic Austrian milieu on the other? What can looking at the nuances of Freud’s German reveal about his understanding of what we would today call obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)? What are we to make of his account of individual “obsessional neuroses” as a kind of “private suffering” versus the collective work done by shared public rituals, and how does that bear on Freud’s ideas about the origins of our beliefs and, per Freud, our “ignorance” about them? And what is the character of Freud’s feelings about religion – is his just a stance of disillusionment, or is it tinged by a more personal ambivalence, perhaps even one that’s particularly recognizable this holiday season? Plus: Martin Luther’s bowel troubles, the importance of respecting Melusine’s boundaries, and objections to Christmas standards at church dances from an unexpected source.
Texts discussed include:
Sigmund Freud, “Religious Actions and Obsessive Practices.”
Donald Capps, Freud and Freudians on Religion: A Reader. Yale University Press, 2001.
Christopher Alan Lewis and Kate M. Loewenthal, editors. “Religion and Obsessionality: Obsessive Actions and Religious Practices,” a special volume of Mental Health, Religion & Culture, February 2018, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13674676.2018.1481192.
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