Freud’s Understanding of Religion
Freud’s understanding of religion
He believed that religion is an illusion, and this is based on wish fulfilment. In certain circumstances the human mind creates images and beliefs to satisfy their basic desires. Therefore Freud believes the human mind created religion, and so this is an illusion. Also, religion helps people overcome our inner psychological conflict (collective neurosis); conflicts between civilisation and helplessness and fear of natural forces.
Freud states that religion is a neurotic illness; a collective neurosis which means that affects everyone. It stems from the unconscious mind and this results from incompletely traumatic memories. The trauma is sexual in nature therefore making religion an illusion that comes from sexual difficulties.
He conducted a study on patients suffering from hysteria and this led him to find that the mind not only contains conscious areas, but also unconscious parts which we cannot normally access. Also, his work on hypnosis led Freud to realise the unconscious mind (which we cannot normally access) comprises memories about events which we thought long forgotten. His patients showed that unpleasant memories which are trapped in the unconscious mind can appear later in the form of a neurotic and hysterical behaviour often in the form of compulsive obsessive disorder. He also noticed a link between religion and neurosis.
Freud concluded from this that religion was a neurosis caused in this case by hysterias by traumas deep within the psyche. The trauma was sexual in nature, as he states “at the bottom of every case of hysteria there are one or more occurrences of premature sexual experience”.
Traumas are usually repressed. The child develops feelings of jealousy and hatred towards the alpha make (the father) and so this leads to the desire to kill the father. However there are also feelings of respect and fear that result in deep traumatic sense of guilt. The desire to posses the mother and the
He believed that religion is an illusion, and this is based on wish fulfilment. In certain circumstances the human mind creates images and beliefs to satisfy their basic desires. Therefore Freud believes the human mind created religion, and so this is an illusion. Also, religion helps people overcome our inner psychological conflict (collective neurosis); conflicts between civilisation and helplessness and fear of natural forces.
Freud states that religion is a neurotic illness; a collective neurosis which means that affects everyone. It stems from the unconscious mind and this results from incompletely traumatic memories. The trauma is sexual in nature therefore making religion an illusion that comes from sexual difficulties.
He conducted a study on patients suffering from hysteria and this led him to find that the mind not only contains conscious areas, but also unconscious parts which we cannot normally access. Also, his work on hypnosis led Freud to realise the unconscious mind (which we cannot normally access) comprises memories about events which we thought long forgotten. His patients showed that unpleasant memories which are trapped in the unconscious mind can appear later in the form of a neurotic and hysterical behaviour often in the form of compulsive obsessive disorder. He also noticed a link between religion and neurosis.
Freud concluded from this that religion was a neurosis caused in this case by hysterias by traumas deep within the psyche. The trauma was sexual in nature, as he states “at the bottom of every case of hysteria there are one or more occurrences of premature sexual experience”.
Traumas are usually repressed. The child develops feelings of jealousy and hatred towards the alpha make (the father) and so this leads to the desire to kill the father. However there are also feelings of respect and fear that result in deep traumatic sense of guilt. The desire to posses the mother and the