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A-Z of Thought: Freud
Bonnie Zahn
Sigmund Freud has been credited as the father of psychology and one of the most influential scientists ever. One major contribution to psychology is his theory of the unconscious. Freud believed that conscious awareness was only the tip of the iceberg of a person’s mind; the thoughts and feelings with the greatest influence over one’s life reside in the unconscious. Freud said that people minimize painful memories and experiences by repressing them deep into their unconscious; they become distorted and intrude into one’s conscious awareness, leading to psychopathology and psychological suffering. Psychoanalysis brings to consciousness these painful memories, through talking about whatever comes to the mind and exploring the patient’s dreams, so that they can be resolved.
Freud proposed that the mind is comprised of three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the child-like, hedonistic part of the psyche, seeking pleasure, regardless of consequences. In contrast, the superego is only concerned with what is morally correct — even if inappropriate for the situation. Caught between is the ego, who deals with reality while balancing the demands of the id and the super-ego. Stress and trauma can cause the ego to retreat, leaving the mind to the devices of the id and the superego. An overly dominant id may lead to problems like sexual addiction, aggression, and narcissism, whereas an overly dominant superego may cause anxiety and debilitating guilt and shame.
Freud saw religion as a ‘universal obsessional neurosis’. God was a figure conjured up by people who, faced with the pressures of life, needed a powerful protective figure to relieve the sense of helplessness. He also believed that religion’s focus on morality resulted from an overdeveloped, socially-accepted superego, and that religious behaviour was a neurotic attempt to alleviate feelings of guilt and shame.
Despite his fierce atheism, Freud’s view of religion as an over-dominant superego cautions Christians against simplistic or legalistic approaches to faith. The tug-of-war between the id and the superego is not dissimilar to the tension between the sinful self and the spiritual self, as described by St. Paul. Although psychologists and therapists today generally reject Freud’s theories, many still follow his approach to therapy: sympathetic and active listening on the part of the therapist, providing a safe, non-judgmental place for the patient to engage with problems. His views of the depth of the unconscious and its impact on the individual are a reminder of human complexity. His stress on relating external behaviourto internal state echoes Jesus’s stress on the heart above deeds.
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