Freud is pessimistic that any of these can deliver the happiness that is sought.Ĭhapter III Summary Freud begins to explore ways in which civilization imposes frustrations on instinctual life

In their pursuit of happiness, individuals pursue means to overcome these obstacles by various means, including: intoxication, practices to deaden the instincts, sublimation, illusions and art, delusions, love, and beauty.

These are the suffering that we face in our bodies (such as illness), the suffering brought about by the “external world” (such harsh natural conditions), and the suffering that can be experienced in social relations.

The trouble, Freud points out, is that there are three conditions which make it difficult to attain the happiness that is sought.

Freud equates the type of “happiness” people seek with experiences of “pleasure.”

With this focus, Freud is confident in claiming that people believe on the whole that happiness is the purpose of life.

Rather, the best way to address it is to focus on what people’s behavior indicates that they believe the purpose of life to be. Freud suggests that it is not fruitful to address this question in the abstract.This chapter explores a number of considerations related to the idea of the “purpose of human life.”.In this respect, Freud claims, the oceanic feeling is not unlike the powerful feeling that can arise when one falls in love.Ĭhapter II Summary Freud argues that happiness is the purpose of human life, but that there are profound obstacles to achieving this Specifically, it is a feeling that harkens back to the experience of the infant, before clear boundaries are established between the self and the other.

And, moreover, that the oceanic feeling admits of a “psychoanalytic” explanation.

Freud responds that he himself is aware of no such feeling.

Rolland argues that there is an “oceanic feeling” which people can have which speaks in favor of believing religious claims.

The chapter gives the impression of being tangential to much of the argument in the remainder of Civilization.

Civilization and Its Discontents begins with a chapter devoted to an objection that Romain Rolland raised against Freud’s discussion of religion in Future of an Illusion.

Chapter I Summary Freud offers a psychoanalytic explanation of the “oceanic feeling” View Civilization and Its Discontents (pdf) here. Below you will find a chapter-by-chapter summary providing an overview of some of the key themes of relevance to Freudian thought and psychoanalysis, more generally. This Civilization and Its Discontents summary is intended for students, researchers, and general readers with an interest in Freud.

Freud civilisation and its discontents