(ED)Analysis of “Civilization and its Discontents” by Sigmund Freud

From Sociological Theory 2019

Sigmund Freud begins by stating he believes aggression is a natural occurrence in humans and is the single largest obstacle civilization faces. Civilization is a very unique process that only people go through. Civilization is accomplished through the connection of two humans that form families, then races, peoples, nations, and finally humankind. Freud discusses Eros, the Greek god of love and his never-ending battle with “Death.” The evolution for civilization is humankind struggling for life.

For people to succeed in nonaggression, it must be introjected and internalized, otherwise, “directed towards his own ego” (Freud 397). The idea of conscience is created, which prevents someone from acting aggressively for fear of their conscience reflecting that aggressiveness and penetrating their thoughts. This is known as guilt, when actions have consequences on your moral conscience, and humans are punished for their wrongdoings. Civilization controls people’s desire to display aggression with their conscience, which disciplines their actions, almost like a built-in justice system. Even if one fails to enact their desires, just the intention of doing so could be enough to cause one to feel guilty.

Judgement is what one uses to decide what is considered good or bad which is an external influence by civilization. What prevents people from carrying out bad actions is the possibility of loss of love, which is a form of protection from various dangers. A bad conscience is a term that can be described by the fear of loss of love. Typically, danger is only felt if there is a chance an authority could find out about the bad deed. These are the two origins of a guilty sense: fear of an authority, and fear of the super-ego, or the conscience. The first is a rejection of natural desires, and the second is a way of punishment caused by the super-ego. One fighting their super-ego is the “external struggle between Eros and the instinct of destruction or death,” which arises once people begin to live together in communities (Freud 399). This conflict is known as the “Oedipus complex,” with the emergence as a conscience and guiltiness (Freud 399).

Freud proposes that as humans move higher up in civilization all the way to nations or humankind, then the sense of guilt grows, possibly even unbearable to certain individuals. Human civilization and developmental or education advances grow congruently. Development of a person stems from two urges: the urge for happiness or “egoistic,” and the urge of needing to belong and unite with a community or “altruistic” (Freud 399). For the civilization process the urge for the altruistic is considered to be far more important, as it improves a community. The two processes of individual and cultural development constantly oppose each other, similar to the battle of Eros and Death. However, an eventual arrangement or agreement between the two is formed. The community also develops a super-ego, where the influence of steers the direction of cultural development. The origins for a community’s super-ego is similar to that of an individual’s, which is what remains of great leaders’ personalities. These leaders were generally mocked and mistreated. Their greatness is never realized until they’ve past away from violence. These leaders relate to individual and cultural development by setting up rules and demands, and misbehavior which is corrected by a “fear of conscience” (Freud 401).

Humans have always viewed ethics as having the highest value. Ethics is looked at as a way to achieve the super-ego which has not been achieved culturally. As humans we have always searched for a way to eliminate aggressiveness toward each other. We are compelled to decline the super-ego and seek to lower it’s needs. It is often mistaken that a person’s ego is capable of anything. This is untrue because too much of a demand on one’s ego can lead to unhappiness, mental instability, or even rebellion. Freud proposes that the commandment that states to “love thy neighbor as thyself” is the best protection against aggression. Sadly, this idea is unachievable to make it come true. Freud argues the only thing ethics has to offer to humans is arrogance, as ethics are not rewarded on earth, only preached to benefit you in the afterlife in religious thought.

Freud concludes with the fact that his purpose for this theory is not to give his opinion on the value of human civilization. He believes civilization is the most cherished thing we as humans possess and will one day allow us to accomplish the unimaginable. Human judgement of value is pushed by their desires and wishes for happiness. Freud wonders how through time humans will handle this struggle between cultural development and the human nature of aggression. Humans have gained such a high level of power over the force of nature that if they were compelled to, they could completely wipe each other out which impacts their “current unrest, their unhappiness and their mood of anxiety” (Freud 403). Eros will do his best to promote love in this constant opposition.

Citations:

1. Freud, Sigmund. 1929. “Civilization and its Discontents.” Calhoun et. al. Classical Sociological Theory. Wiley-Blackwell.