Freud and Jung Flashcards
what is the tripartite mind?
Id
ego
superego
what is the Id?
the innate, natural unconsciousness with desires that are not always pleasant
what is the Ego?
our conscious mind- the decision making part of the mind which also seeks pleasure but uses logic. the part that we show to others
what is the superego?
unconscious controls which are leaned through society such as by parents, tries to persuade the id and ego to seek moral goals
what was Freuds theory on religion?
that religion was an illusion based on wish fulfilment and also believed it to be a mental illness. it was a childish delusion
what is a collective neurosis? freud
he suggested that unpleasant memories which are trapped in the unconscious can resurface in forms of neurotic behaviour.
Freud believed neurotics to perform ritual actions like obsessive hand washing
how does the collective neurosis link to religion? Freud
in the same way religious people perform rituals, if they are not performed they feel guilty. he described religion as a “universal obsessional neurosis”. religion is a form of neurosis caused by trauma deep within the mind often sexual in nature
people do not break the ritual out of guilt
what is the primal horde?
derived from Darwin, the alpha male(father) of the horde is killed by expelled males who both admired and feared the alpha. the males then felt guilty and replaced the alpha with a totem which they would pray to and offer things to. the totem grew more divine into a god.
how is the totem progressed into religion?
totems grew into religion as they became more divine.
eating and drinking were symbols of fellowship and freud claimed we all shared an inherited sense of guilt
how does the inherited sense of guilt explain religious practise?
the guilt transferred from thousands of years. explained ritual of communion with Christ replacing the father as religious devotion, the bread and wine being totemic meal.
what is the Oedipus complex?
oedipus unknowingly marries his mother and kills his father. freud believed that all young boys had a desire for their mother whilst resenting their father.
how does the Oedipus complex link to religion?
the superego represses sexual and other urges, causing conflict within the mind. if unresolved the conflict results in a neurosis, which is religion. freud said religion is an immature solution that humans will outgrow
what is religion as wish fulfilment?
the origin of region lies in our deepest desires and wishes e.g for justice and life after death are common in all cultures an is clear why an omnipotent being can grant that.
he also said that those who wrote doctrines did so out of wish fulfilment and those who follow them do it for that too
who influenced Freuds idea of wish fulfilment?
Feurbach who saw god as a ‘projection of the human mind’
what is religion as a reaction against helplessness?
we need a source of security and religion gives us that, we invent the forces of nature to be gods and means we no longer feel powerless.
religious teachings help us control our basic human desires.
those who are good are rewarded by god
what challenges are put against freud?
- lack of evidence for primal horde
- lack of evidence for oedipus complex
- evidence basis too narrow
what is the challenge of lack of evidence for primal horde?
the theory of the horde was speculation by Darwin, never proven. freud admitted the primal horde was never observed.
there is also no evidence that all societies had totem objects that were worshipped.
there is lack of evidence for guilt being transferred in the way freud suggested
what is the challenge of no evidence for oedipus complex?
a polish anthropologist found that a race with children were disciplined by paternal uncles and suggested sex had nothing to do with religion
in some cultures the mother is dominant and fathers role is very limited. in some cultures there is no male god figure or even a god figure, undermined Oedipus complex as universal
it is more likely that religion causes oedipus rather than the other way around
what is the challenge of the evidence basis being too narrow?
freud focused on christianity and judaism and failed to consider religions with female deities such as Egyptian isis cult or the buddhist religion without a god
Freuds theory was accused of avoiding empirical tests
freud also dismissed sexual abuse as some patients described being seduced in early childhood by male relatives, freud doubted this and replaced them with childhood fantasies
how did Jung see religion compared to freud?
Jung saw it as necessary for personal growth whilst freud saw it as a neurosis
how did Jung argue religion was necessary for personal growth?
Jung agreed with freud that the personal unconscious consisted of lost or repressed memories which take form of complexes. however Jung regarded repressed material as only one kind of unconscious content, but also in collective unconscious
what did the psyche consist of for Jung?
ego, personal unconscious and collective unconscious
what is the personal unconscious?
memories that have been forgotten or repressed
what is the collective unconscious?
elements of unconscious that are shared with other people
what does the collective unconscious consist of?
consists of primordial images which stem from ancestral past
what are archetypes?
they function to organise how we experience things, often evoking deep emotion, but are not directly accessible by conscious thought and cannot be known directly
what are the 4 key archetypes?
the persona
the shadow
the anima and animus
the self
what is the persona?
the mask we wear to make a particular impression and may conceal our true nature. it is not a true representation of our personal consciousness and can lead to conflict and repression of individuality
what is the shadow?
the suppressed, unconscious portion of the personality, the person we prefer not to reveal. often symbolised as original sin. to can be source of shame and anxiety
what is the anima and animus?
the are the inner attitudes that take on characteristics of the opposite sex. e.g male may repress empathy as its considered feminine
anima: image of woman present in men, responsible for moods, image of mother in characters such as eve in judaism
animus: womans image of a man, responsible for unreasoned opinion, image of eagle or bull
both need to be in balance
what is the self?
the mid point of the personality, represents harmony and balance between opposing qualities. provides sense of unity. Jung considered the aim of every individual to reach ‘self hood’
figures who express the self are christ and the buddha
what is individuation? what is an example?
the process of attaining wholeness and balance, e.g the need to unite good and evil so we are capable of both, the lotus symbol in asian religions represents uniting opposites
how are archetypes brought into consciousness?
thorough collective unconscious by symbols which form religious traditions e.g christ seen as perfect but lacks shadow and separation of christ from god is like human from parents
the eucharist symbolises those who sacrifice selfish part of ego
what is the god within?
jung considers god a deeper inner reality than external object or person, and expression of collective unconscious. an experience of god is really one with the self. it was impossible to distinguish between symbol of self and a god image
how to Freuds and Jung disagree on religion?
Jung sees it as being helpful to balance mental health and key to process of integration, whereas freud sees it as creation of individual mind and a mental illness
how did Jung see religion as source of comfort?
jung viewed religion as positive factor although positive error of humans, views the idea of god and religious phenomena as symbols that draw humans towards wholeness
how did Jung see religion as promotion of personal and social mindset?
in buddhist mediation, the removal of ignorance is vital and removal of self desires and the buddhist virtues should be cultivated such as loving kindness, compassion, joy and composure. This is similar to god archetype with development of wholesome image.
the self archetype organising and harmonising is similar to meditation and enlightenment
why did Jung conclude that organised religion was a failure?
many symbols in organised religion had just become objects and lost meaning and their power to actualise god archetype
what is the challenge of lacking evidence for Jung’s concepts?
jungs claims of archetypes cannot be demonstrated by empirical evidence or collective unconscious. The psychologist Allport suggested that images are a result of conformity to culture
Jung does not provide any criteria to distinguish one archetypal image from another
what is the challenge of reductionist views? (jung)
many would argue that experience stemming from the mind is in no way external to the subject. christ is more than just a symbol for something else, but possibly a historical person who many regard as the son of god
the term religion becomes broad that it can be applicable term to use for any system of ideas, making no-one a none believer and seems to ignore atheists and non-theistic faiths such as Theravada buddhists
