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1-Page Summary of Civilization and Its Discontents
Overview
Sigmund Freud attempts to explain the spiritual phenomenon of a feeling that people have when they feel like they’re one with everything. He believes this is not caused by any religion, but instead is human nature. Churches and religious institutions are able to channel this sentiment into particular belief systems, but it’s not what causes it in the first place.
People’s egos usually perceive themselves as distinct from the outside world. This distinction between inside and outside is a crucial part of psychological development. The ego can recognize reality separate from itself, which allows people to develop psychologically. Freud disagrees with “oceanic” feelings being the cause of religious sentiment in human beings because it doesn’t explain why this feeling exists in adults who were never children. Instead, he believes that “oceanic” feelings are actually caused by childhood longing for paternal protection that continues into adult life as sustained fear of superior power over fate.
Freud states that the common man’s preoccupation with God is infantile and absurd. He claims that men exhibit three main coping mechanisms to deal with suffering in the world: 1) deflection of pain and disappointment (through planned distractions); 2) substitutive satisfactions (mainly through replacement of reality by art); 3) intoxicating substances. Freud concludes that religion cannot be clearly categorized within this schema.
What do people want in life? This is a question that has been asked for thousands of years. Many have tried to answer this question and it seems like the answers are different depending on who you ask. People tend to be happy, but they also experience unhappiness from many sources. They try to avoid unhappiness by isolating themselves or being part of something bigger than themselves (e.g., religion). Freud sees little benefit in religion, though he acknowledges its positive effects on society as a whole.
After looking at religion, Freud broadens his investigation into the relationship between civilization and misery. He claims that civilization is ultimately responsible for our misery: we organize ourselves into civilized society to escape suffering, only to inflict it back upon ourselves. His three main contentions are 1) Christianity’s victory over pagan religions (and its low value placed on earthly life); 2) primitive tribes discovered by Europeans who appeared happier living in a state of nature; 3) scientific identification of neuroses caused by modern society’s demands. The conclusion was that people would be happier if they withdrew from modern society.
Freud identified three stages of civilization. The first stage is character-formation, which occurs when the individual develops a sense of identity. In the second stage, sublimation, people channel their primal energy into other activities that are more socially acceptable and productive. Finally, in the third stage non-satisfaction/renunciation of instincts, individuals bury aggressive impulses through law and order.
Civilization is a great thing, but it can get in the way of love. Freud identifies several reasons for this later antagonism. For one, family units isolate themselves and prevent individuals from detaching and maturing on their own. Civilization also saps sexual energy by diverting it into cultural endeavors; laws and customs restrict choice as to whom we may love; taboos (namely, against incest) impose further restrictions. The conflict arises from civilization’s need for people to form communal bonds based on relations of friendship — if libidinal activity were allowed to run rampant, it would likely destroy the monogamous relationship that society has endorsed as the most stable form of loving relationships between two people.
