Civilization And Its Discontents Analysis

Since the earliest writings on political thought, political society’s effects on an individual 's life has been discussed. Political theorists differ in their ideas of individuals positions in society; theorist Hobbes believes that the rights of individuals are subservient to the rights of a monarch, as a opposed to the more democratic writings of Locke which focus on individual rights. Regardless, the idea of why societies have been formed has been discussed frequently. In later writings, a new trend is seen in that there is more of a focus on how the formation of society affects individual happiness or quality of life. Both Karl Marx (in “Estranged Labor”) and Sigmund Freud (in “Civilization and Its Discontents”) address the position of individual …show more content…
First, Freud believes that the ego distinguishes from the external and internal world and uses the external world as a place to understand suffering. In the mind, the ego is influenced by the external world (i.e. society) unlike the id, which is the true primal self. In addition, another element that plays a role in the function of the mind for Freud is the superego, which is the parental influences or the influences of society. He also addresses what he has heard termed the “oceanic feeling” of being a part of an institution as a longing for paternal protection. He argues that this along with the unhappiness caused by our bodily relations with other men and the external world is why we join institutions, such as political …show more content…
Freud argues that the conscious stems from the guilt that the superego imposes on the ego because of preconceived expectations and the redirection of guilt towards oneself. Therefore, in order to maintain a stable society, society has to enforce these senses of guilt and as time goes on, the conscious becomes more repressive and hard to tolerate. This culminates in the anxiety that the individual faces because of the toll society imposes on them. Freud argues that anxiety is behind every symptom and is the basis for nearly every ailment. He says that personal happiness is forgiven in exchange for unity and social cohesion. The cultural ego, or ethics, takes over and limits personal happiness by imposing strict regulation. In this way, man has exchanged the possibility of happiness for the security of a governmental