sigmund freud

neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis

known for the theories of the:

• Ego Layer: The conscious mind where people are aware of their decisions.

• Id: Represents the unconscious self, housing memories, repressed emotions, and desires that one might not want to admit.

• Super-ego: The inner moral voice enabling people to distinguish right from wrong.

• Feuerbach's Influence: Freud's model heavily influenced by Feuerbach.

• Critique of Believers: Freud contended that those who believe themselves to be in the presence of God are deluding themselves.

• Freud argued that some people, unable to cope with adult life, invent an imaginary parent figure for support.

• They mistakenly attribute personal encounters to this imaginary parent figure.

• They also confuse the moral commands of their super-ego with the voice of God.

• Freud termed this psychological phenomenon 'infantile neurosis.'

• He suggested that individuals need to outgrow this state for improved mental health.

response to the Freud:

• most research performed on psychiatric hospital residents ∴ not conclusive enough to be used for everyone

• knowledge on psyche structure remains limited, can’t be used conclusively to discredit religious experiences