a2 religious ethics revision conscience 4. sigmund freud () ( 1856 - 1939 )

A2 Religious Ethics A2 Religious Ethics RevisionRevision

Conscience 4Conscience 4

Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud

((1856 - 1939))

best known for his best known for his analysis of the analysis of the

human psyche or human psyche or mindmind

He believed that He believed that the key to human the key to human behaviour was in behaviour was in people’s instincts people’s instincts

and desiresand desires

Behaving Behaving instinctively is instinctively is

often contrary to often contrary to the interests of the interests of the community.the community.

FreudFreudBecause of this, people Because of this, people

disapprove of certain disapprove of certain types of behaviourtypes of behaviour

FreudFreud Remember the Remember the

young child young child playing in the bath playing in the bath and his mother’s and his mother’s

disapproval?disapproval?

Consequently, Consequently, instinctive instinctive desires and desires and

behaviour are behaviour are suppressed from suppressed from

an early agean early age

and individuals and individuals develop an develop an EGOEGO with which to with which to interact with interact with

societysociety

At the same timeAt the same timesociety’s disapproval society’s disapproval

of ‘inappropriate’ of ‘inappropriate’ behaviour is behaviour is

internalised by the internalised by the

SUPER-EGOSUPER-EGO

Super-Ego?Super-Ego?

This internalisation This internalisation deals with the ego’s deals with the ego’s

suppressed suppressed angeranger and and bewildermentbewilderment at the at the

requirements of requirements of societysociety


This internal This internal suppression leads suppression leads

to the development to the development of aof a

guilty conscienceguilty conscience


Freud also Freud also suggested that a suggested that a child identifies child identifies closely with its closely with its

parentparent


The ‘super-ego’ The ‘super-ego’ becomes an becomes an

‘inner ‘inner parent’parent’


rewarding the rewarding the good behaviour good behaviour and punishing and punishing

the badthe bad


Remember Remember Hitchcock’s film, Hitchcock’s film,

‘‘PsychoPsycho’?’?


““Yes, mother. . .”Yes, mother. . .”((even though she was even though she was

no more than a no more than a mummified corpse!)mummified corpse!)

The Super-Ego The Super-Ego divides into the divides into the

Ego-IdealEgo-Ideal

and and

ConscienceConscience

Ego-IdealEgo-Idealrepresents the represents the

‘rewarding’ parent‘rewarding’ parent

leading to feelings of leading to feelings of pride and satisfactionpride and satisfaction

ConscienceConscience

represents the represents the ‘‘punishing’ parent’punishing’ parent’

causes feelings of causes feelings of guilt and discomfort guilt and discomfort

for immoral actsfor immoral acts

Freud’s analysis of Freud’s analysis of human behaviour is human behaviour is

often seen to be often seen to be discredited by his discredited by his

elaborate account of the elaborate account of the effects of sexuality on effects of sexuality on

the psychological the psychological development of human development of human

beingsbeings

However, However, others have others have developed developed

Freud’s ideasFreud’s ideas

They argue that They argue that conscience conscience

develops through develops through past experiences, past experiences, especially those especially those

of of childhoodchildhood

Children learn Children learn their behaviour their behaviour

from their from their parents, carers parents, carers and teachersand teachers

Parents Parents encourage encourage

good good behaviour and behaviour and

punish badpunish bad

The way they The way they do this affects do this affects

the moral the moral development development of the childof the child

The admonishments The admonishments can be displays of can be displays of

anger, anger, disappointment or disappointment or

even controlled even controlled violence violence

(i.e. a smack)(i.e. a smack)

The child The child becomes anxious becomes anxious

as it tries to as it tries to avoid the avoid the

displeasure of displeasure of the adultthe adult

Eventually this Eventually this anxiety is felt anxiety is felt when the child when the child

even even thinksthinks about an about an

immoral actimmoral act

This - for This - for Freudians and Freudians and some modern some modern

psychologists - psychologists -

is the is the conscienceconscience

a2 religious ethics revision conscience 4. sigmund freud () ( 1856 - 1939 )

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