Question 1 Flashcards
Discuss the influence of Darwin’s work on Freud. Be sure to include the issues of mechanism and determinism in your answer.
Darwin’s evolutionary mechanisms and biological determinism in particular had an influence of Freud. Freud’s emphasis on unconscious drives in psychoanalysis, for example, came from Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Darwin’s ideas underscored that human mental processes and behavior are rooted in reproductive and survival instincts. This focus on biological mechanisms aligns closely with Freud’s psychodynamic theory. The problem with mechanism comes from how its defined. The idea is that how people act and think works like a machine. It suggests that thoughts and feelings can be broken down into simple processes like brain activity. This is an issue as it is oversimplified and overlooks the complexities of the mind like emotions and creativity. Freud also adopted determinism and proposed that human behavior is driven by innate, unconscious forces, relating to Darwin’s focus on biological mechanisms shaping behavior over time. This alignment helped Freud ideas within a broader evolutionary and deterministic context. The problem with determinism comes from its definition as an idea that everything happens for a reason and your choices and actions are shaped by your past experiences, biology, or environment. The issue is that if everything is already determined, do people really have free will or control over anything they do.
What is the influence of Darwin’s work on Freud?
Darwin’s evolutionary mechanisms and biological determinism in particular had an influence of Freud. Freud’s emphasis on unconscious drives in psychoanalysis, for example, came from Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Darwin’s ideas underscored that human mental processes and behavior are rooted in reproductive and survival instincts. This focus on biological mechanisms aligns closely with Freud’s psychodynamic theory.
what is the issue of the mechanisms?
The problem with mechanism comes from how its defined. The idea is that how people act and think works like a machine. It suggests that thoughts and feelings can be broken down into simple processes like brain activity. This is an issue as it is oversimplified and overlooks the complexities of the mind like emotions and creativity.
what was the issue of determinism
Freud also adopted determinism and proposed that human behavior is driven by innate, unconscious forces, relating to Darwin’s focus on biological mechanisms shaping behavior over time. This alignment helped Freud ideas within a broader evolutionary and deterministic context. The problem with determinism comes from its definition as an idea that everything happens for a reason and your choices and actions are shaped by your past experiences, biology, or environment. The issue is that if everything is already determined, do people really have free will or control over anything they do.