Non Religious Ideas - Freud

Question 1

Freud

Answer 1

Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis
Mind can get ill and or develop neurosis - symptoms, severe forms of ‘norm’ emotional expos e.g. depression, anxiety or panic - mental disorders

Question 2

Consciousness

Answer 2

Consciousness : everything we are aware of
Pre-con: ordinary memory, not actively conscious of, can retrieve when needed
Unconscious: reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges and memories - unaware and origins of our drives, things we dont want to remember e.g. trauma

Freudian slip - misstatements believed to reveal underlying, unconscious thoughts and feelings whilst unconscious is mostly inaccessible, contents can appear unexpectedly e.g. dreams and slips of tongue

Accessing uncon thoughts - thoughts and emotions outside our awareness, exert an influence on our Beth’s. Even though we are unaware of underlying influences
Uncon inc. repressed feelings, hidden memes etc etc.

‘Conscience is the internal perception of the rejection of a particular wish operating with us’- desires sometimes contradict superego

Conscience comes form unconscious mind

Question 3

Tripartite system

Answer 3

Id - uncon and instinctive part of personality, selfish ad basic physical and emotional needs, pleasure principle needs instant gratification to selfish needs
Ego - rational self, process desires of id - balances id and superego, reality principle
Superego - controlling, restraining self - controls Eros and acts as inner parent and gives moral commands and punishes with guilt- controls impulses which could damage Soc e.g. rapist

Conscience = superego

Question 4

Super ego

Answer 4

Important to dev persons morality
Acts as inner parent - place where parents moral commands delivered from infancy are stored and commands of other auth. Figures

Conscience = judging function of superego
Conscious: aware of conscience when weigh actions in light of articulated belief
Precon / uncon lvl - bothers us when our beh/potential beh is at odds with content of the superego and we feel anxiety fear or dread e.g. strictly religious raised, and homosexuality

Douglas C Langston: Freud = superego = internalisation of parental auth, conscience is functional part of superego as observes ego and gives it orders, judges and threatens it with punishments exactly like parents

Con not voice of god but feelings of guilt and shame caused by religious laws

Question 5

Strengths

Answer 5

Exp. How diff consciences dep on upbringing and auth figures
Guilt help learn from mistakes
Every adult had an upbringing - evident that conscience comes from somewhere

Question 6

Weaknesses

Answer 6

If correct then con is unreliable guide to ethical decision making - derives from upbringing
Very negative view - equating it with guilt
Can’t explain ppl who go against parents and society influences
Can’t explain difference bet 2 siblings who had same upbringing but decision making is diff
Become ‘robots’ dont acc have own views only follow
Leads to us progressive society
Guilt for stuff thats not wrong