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The Psychological Approach to the Study of Religion

S. Freud . The Psychological Approach to the Study of Religion. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). ‘ The Future of an Illusion ’ ‘Totem and Taboo’. What is the Self?. What is Freud’s view of the Self? . Freud / The Self .

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The Psychological Approach to the Study of Religion

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  1. S. Freud The Psychological Approach to the Study of Religion

  2. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) ‘The Future of an Illusion’ ‘Totem and Taboo’

  3. What is the Self? What is Freud’s view of the Self?

  4. Freud / The Self The Id "is the dark, inaccessible part of our personality; what little we know of it we have learned from our study of Dreams and of the construction of neurotic symptoms, and most of that is of a negative character and can be described only as a contrast to the ego. We approach the id with analogies: we call it a chaos, a cauldron full of seething excitations.... It is filled with energy reaching it from the instincts, but it has no organization, produces no collective will, but only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure principle."

  5. Freud / The Self The egoseeks to please the id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bring grief. The reality principle that operates the ego is a regulating mechanism that enables the individual to delay gratifying immediate needs and function effectively in the real world. An example would be to resist the urge to grab other people's belongings and buy them instead.

  6. Freud / The Self The superegoreflects the internalization of cultural rules, mainly taught by parents applying their guidance and influence. It comprises that organized part of the personality structure, mainly but not entirely unconscious, that includes the individual‘s ego’s ideals, spiritual goals, and the psychic agency (commonly called "conscience") that criticizes and prohibits his or her drives, fantasies, feelings, and actions. "The Super-ego can be thought of as a type of conscience that punishes misbehavior with feelings of guilt. For example, for having extra-marital affairs." The super-ego works in contradiction to the id. The super-ego strives to act in a socially appropriate manner, whereas the id just wants instant self-gratification. The super-ego controls our sense of right and wrong and guilt. It helps us fit into society by getting us to act in socially acceptable ways.

  7. The origins of Religion Oedipus Complex Totemism

  8. God as a ‘father’ All powerful Exemplary Reduces anxiety and fear Protects

  9. Religion as a ‘neurosis’ Neurosis of a young boy analogous to neurosis of primitive society Freud sees an interrelationship between the development of the individual and social evolution

  10. Religion as ‘neurosis’ In biology, the foetus goes through the stages of development from fish to human being, and then from boy to adult Similarly, societies develop from ‘primitive’ to civilized The theory of Recapitulation

  11. Religion as positive Relief Shapes people’s positive behaviour Good results i.e. encourage moral behaviour Maturity means replacing religion with Science

  12. Freud Critique Cultural evolution & Recapitulation (ethnographically unsupported) Primal hordes have no evidential support The original event is magically transmitted in modern societies Analogy between individual and societal experiences assumed but not proven Oedipus complex narrowed to his data A theory of Judaism/Christianity

  13. William James (1842-1910) Religious object: ‘whatever they may consider divine’

  14. Have you ever had a religious experience? How did it feel? How long did it last? How will you describe it in a sentence?

  15. Stages of mystical experience 1.Ineffability: states of feeling difficult to convey 2. Noetic quality: States of knowledge, insight, awareness, revelation, and illumination. 3. Transiency: last a few seconds, some perhaps up to ten minutes. 4. Passivity: The individual feels swept up and held by a superior power.

  16. The religious experience derives from a psychological root, the subconscious. Union with the Self

  17. Religion is positive and functional because… • Face life and its problems • Accept suffering, do the needful

  18. Discussion Is religion a private, individual matter or is it understood and experienced better within societies?

  19. W. James / Critique No need for a supernatural other Inclusive to many experiences Does not take a serious consideration of religion as a social phenomenon. Religious experience shaped within societies Mystical union does not always take place

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