Overview
Freud's "Civilization and its Discontents" examines the tension between individuals' instinctual drives and the restrictions imposed by civilization, focusing on the sources of human unhappiness, the development of guilt, and the social function of aggression.
The Oceanic Feeling and Origins of Religion
- Some people experience a feeling of limitlessness ("oceanic feeling") as the source of religious sentiment.
- Freud sees this oceanic feeling as a remnant of infantile ego, not the true origin of religion.
- True religious need is traced to infantile helplessness and longing for a protective father.
The Search for Happiness and the Role of Suffering
- Humans seek happiness by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.
- Suffering arises from the body, external world, and human relationships, with the last often causing the most distress.
- People use strategies like isolation, intoxication, sublimation (redirecting instincts), artistic satisfaction, and love to avoid suffering.
Civilization and Instinctual Renunciation
- Civilization consists of achievements and regulations that protect humans from nature and organize social relations.
- The progress of civilization requires individuals to renounce instinctual satisfactions, especially sexual and aggressive impulses.
- Cleanliness, order, and beauty are valued by civilization, but often stem from the sublimation of primal drives.
Aggression and the Death Instinct
- Freud introduces the concept of an innate destructive (death) instinct in addition to Eros (life instinct).
- Civilization aims to bind people together through love (Eros) but must curb their inherent aggressiveness.
- Aggressiveness is both externally directed (violence, hostility) and internally turned against oneself (guilt).
The Sense of Guilt and the Super-Ego
- Guilt originates from suppressing aggressive impulses due to fear of external authority, then later internalized as the super-ego.
- The super-ego (conscience) punishes the ego for forbidden wishes, leading to a persistent sense of guilt.
- This guilt is often unconscious and manifests as unease or malaise.
Civilization’s Discontents and Its Future
- Civilization increases collective guilt and unhappiness by demanding greater instinctual renunciations.
- The command to "love thy neighbour" is seen as unattainable and contrary to basic human nature.
- The inherent conflict between Eros (cohesion) and the death instinct (aggression) defines the trajectory and challenges of civilization.
- Freud questions whether civilization can manage human aggression and survive its own internal contradictions.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Oceanic Feeling — a sensation of boundlessness often cited as the source of religious sentiment.
- Pleasure Principle — the instinctual drive to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
- Reality Principle — the adjustment of pleasure-seeking in accordance with reality.
- Eros — the life instinct, driving individuals toward love, unity, and creativity.
- Death Instinct — an innate drive toward aggression, destruction, and self-destruction.
- Super-ego — the internalized authority (conscience) that judges and restricts desires.
- Sublimation — redirecting instinctual drives into socially acceptable activities.
- Sense of Guilt — anxiety resulting from conflict between instinctual desires and internalized moral standards.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Freud’s divisions of the psyche: id, ego, and super-ego.
- Summarize Freud's distinction between instincts (Eros vs. death) for class or exam.
- Reflect on examples of instinctual renunciation in contemporary society for discussion.