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For what three reasons is religion created by the mind?
1) Overcome inner psychological conflict
2) Cope with stress created by society
3) Overcome fear of natural world and the unknown
What is a collective neurosis?
A neurotic illness that afflicts all people
What is an obsessional neurosis?
An obsessive-compulsive disorder in which obsessive thinking predominates with little need to perform compulsive acts
What is Freud's link between religious people and those suffering from an obsessional neurosis?
- Religious people exhibited similar patterns to those suffering from an obsessional neurosis, as religious people feel uneasy if they neglect repeated actions, e.g. prayer
- Religion is an obsessional displacement from doing something God disapproves of, on to religious ritual
- Religious practices gradually become essential
- Neurotic compulsions/religious rituals are found universally ∴ religion = a collective neurosis
How does Freud explain repeated actions?
They are an unconscious protective measure against temptation to give into impulses
What was Darwin's primal horde theory and how did Freud expand upon it?
- Humans originally lived in small hordes
- Freud speculated that, over time, the horde had been controlled by a single, dominant male who killed/expelled all the rivals, including sons
- A group of expelled males returned to kill the dominant father
- Young males felt guilty as they had killed their father
- Brothers formed a tribe and a totem took the place of the father
- Over time, reputation of father grew to divine status; totem = worshipped
- Commemoration by eating of totem animal
How does the primal horde theory link to religion?
• The result of years of the primal horde as moulded our subconscious and caused a need for a similar style of worship, e.g. Christianity
- The dominant male = God/Jesus
- The expelled males = Jewish leaders
- Killing of the father = Jesus' death
- Tribe = religion
- Commemorative meal = Holy Communion
- Guilt = Offering atonement
Where does Freud's evidence for the primal horde theory/totemism come from?
- Primal horde: Darwin; Silverback gorillas (of which humans share 98% of our DNA with)
- Totemism: Australian aborigines
How does Freud expand the primal horde theory to link the Oedipus complex to religion?
- Popularity of Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' throughout the ages derives from an underlying Oedipus complex
- Primal horde - bitterness towards father = due to prevention of sexual desires being fulfilled (as they were expelled)
- If the Oedipus complex goes unresolved, neurotic behaviour will result
- Beliefs + practices of religion = expressions of neurotic behaviour.
Explain religion as an illusion: wish fulfilment.
- "Religion is a mere illusion derived from human wishes."
- Each attribute of God can be interpreted to be an expression of an aspect of the hope we have to be free from limitations (e.g. God's holiness = desire to be free from sin)
- Individuals who invented religious doctrines did so as the doctrines fulfilled their wishes
Who influenced Freud's idea of wish fulfilment?
Ludwig Feuerbach: saw God as a 'projection' of the human mind based upon longings and desires
Explain religion as an illusion: reaction against helplessness.
- R. ideas = connected to obvious helplessness in face of forces of nature
- R. creates security; forces of nature turned into Gods/Goddesses
How does religion repress the instincts of aggression and sex?
- Aggression: most religions teach to limit war/violence, protect weak, love enemies
- Sex: strict celibacy laws
- Obeying these = reward from a father-figure
Explain Freud's supporting evidence: Daniel Schreber.
- Suffered from a religious neurosis: God penetrated his body and turned him into a woman; Freud interpreted this as r. having roots in the Oedipus complex
- His libido = directed towards father rather than mother; homosexual desires re-emerged as religious neurosis
Explain Freud's supporting evidence: Little Hans.
- Phobia of being bitten by horses interpreted as fear of castration
- Unconscious reminder of death wish against father.
Explain Freud's supporting evidence: Sergei Pankejeff
- Dream of being eaten alive by 6/7 white wolves interpreted as repressed trauma from seeing his parents have sex.
- Research in America studying brain activity suggests that unconscious conflicts cause anxiety symptoms.
What is the challenge to Freud relating to the lack of anthropological evidence for primal horde?
Darwin's theories were speculations; Freud speculates upon the speculation.
Modern research indicates that there was a much greater variety in the way people were grouped
No evidence that all societies had totem objects
No evidence of inheritance of guilt as a mental trait
What is the challenge to Freud regarding the Oedipus complex?
No firm psychological evidence
* Malinowski studied the Trobriand race and found no evidence of complex even though they had a religion
What is the challenge to Freud regarding his evidence basis?
Only had 5 main case studies, then generalised and assumed continuity.
Never met some patients, i.e. Daniel Schreber
Failed to consider r. with female deities/no deities
Not scientific, cannot be falsified
Morphed testimony to support his claims: rejected testimony saying older,male relatives had seduced them - replaced this with descriptions of child fantasies
No evidence for the theory of primal horde
Freud's explanations are not a challenge since religion in the 21st century is thriving.
•Other explanations are far more successful in challenging religion than those of Freud.
• Freud's explanations do not account for Buddhism and belief in Nirvana.
