Views on Freud: Civilization and its Discontents Chapter 1 part 6

Freud  - “This differentiation (between what is internal and belongs to the ego and what is external and belongs to the outside world explained in my last post), of course, serves  the practical purpose of enabling  one to defend oneself against sensations of unpleasure  which one actually feels or with which one is threatened.”

Ok, but why would it matter? Why would one care if one is experiencing unpleasure? or better yet how do we know what unpleasure is?

I believe the answer, which Freud does not provide, lies in our need to exist. Our sensations and experiences fall into three categories – the good, the bad and the indifferent (or the ugly which ever works for you). These three depend on our previous experiences which than reference to their appropriate category which depend on how they affect our existence. That is the reason we try to avoid certain experiences because those have pointed towards an inclination to a better or lesser existence.

“In order to fend off certain unpleasurable excitations arising from within, the ego can use no other methods than those which it uses against unpleasure coming from without, and this is the starting point of important pathological disturbances.”

How would one be aware that such disturbances are coming from within?

“In this way, than, the ego detaches itself from the external world. Or, to put it more correctly, originally the ego includes everything, later it separates off an external world from itself.”

Why? It has nothing to do with internal disturbances but rather external situations which cause internal instability.

What is this everything that the ego includes? The development of the self is simultaneous with the realization of the external world, and the constant feedback system the mind provides shapes us with regard to the world around, the context in which we develop ourselves.

Freud goes on to explain that the ‘oceanic’ feeling is a result of a greater attachment of the external world to the ego after the original separation.

Views on Freud: Civilization and its Discontents Chapter 1 Part 5

Freud – “A further incentive to a disengagement of the ego from the general mass of sensation – that is, to the recognition of an ‘outside’, an external world – is provided by the frequent, manifold and unavoidable sensations of pain and pleasure principle, in the exercise of its unrestrictive domination.”

Freud does not explain why we separate our ego from the external world.

That is because in our subconscious we are aware of the meaning of pain. Pain itself is a good thing, without it our body would disintegrate without our knowing why. Pain is a feedback system which alerts us of harmful occurrences in our body’s, and since these occurrences happen at the same time as the sensations of pain we associate the pain with something harmful.

 “A tendency arises to separate from the ego everything that can become a source of such unpleasure, to throw it outside and to create a pure pleasure-ego…”

Again, pain is the representative of a situation which hurts our existence, our ability to be, and since our objective is to sustain the status quo of our existence we must rid of such experiences.

“The boundaries of this primitive pleasure-ego cannot escape rectification through experience.”

Based on what can he prove his claims? What about masochists? There association to pain through experience is different and therefore there pain-ego relationship is different.

“Some of the things that one is unwilling to give up, because they give pleasure are nevertheless not ego but object; and some sufferings that one seeks to expel turn out to be inseparable from the ego in virtue of their internal origin.”

The first part can be explained as all experiences; we cling to that we are aware that provides a better existence, the second part is a bit more complex yet beautiful in structure; during our experiences we might learn of a situation which will cause us pain yet on a different level will cause us pleasure. This internal paradox is the source of the ego’s pain.

“One comes to learn a procedure by which, through a deliberate direction of one’s sensory activities and through suitable muscular action, one can differentiate between what is internal- what belongs to the ego – and what is external – what emanates from the outer world.”

There doesn’t have to be necessarily a body to part of the ego, the ego rather compromises of all objects and ideas controlled by the ego. So essentially, the movement of the muscles or ability to sense is a proof or rather a reflection of the ego’s control.

“In this way one makes the first step towards the introduction of the reality principle which is to dominate future development” – Or simply the egos awareness of its scope of power.

Views on Freud: Civilization and Its Discontents Chapter 1 Part 4

Freud – “Further reflection tells us that the adult’s ego-feeling cannot have been the same from the beginning. It must have gone through a process of development, which cannot, of course, be demonstrated but which admits of being constructed with a fair degree of probability. An infant at the breast does not as yet distinguish his ego from the external world as the source of sensation flowing in upon him.”

What? How is he supposed to distinguish anything at all?

In order to distinguish anything from anything there first needs to be experience so how could he be able to distinguish?
“He gradually learns to do so, in response to various promptings.”

Oh, ohhhh so he can distinguish. Wait, when? Oh, when he has something to distinguish with and from, huh, how odd, because if that is the case, why assume he can distinguish without these “various promptings” in the first place?

“He must feel strongly impressed by the fact that some sources of excitation, which he will later recognize as his own bodily organs, can provide him with sensations at any moment, whereas other sources evade him from time to time – among them what he desires most of all, his mother’s breast – and only reappear as a result of his screaming for help.”

An infant who lacks all experience will be surprised by all sensations and stimulations since they are all foreign to him. “Impressed” is the wrong word since it requires the experience of comparisons of certain constants across many different experiences, the underestimation of a certain experience which is based on the same type of experiences, and the polarization of that instant.

And why does he desire his mother’s breast? Why does he care? His internal, yet undefined, need yearns in order for the baby to continue its existence.

“In this way there is for the first time set over against the ego an ‘object’, in the form of something which exists ‘outside’ and which is only forced to appear by special action.”

The ego has hardly been established, there is no acknowledgement of anything at all, because, again, in order for there to be awareness there needs to be a certain amount of experience something to “ignite” the already known facts.

The whole “outside” VS “inside” thing is irrelevant. The only thing relevant is our need to survive, and the most efficient way of doing so, which always boils down to control. Control over our body over objects over ideas. All those which we learn during infancy from our environment that seem to us that they enable control, we will follow as adults who need to survive on their own. If 300 years ago it was physical strength in order to work the fields, today it is mental strength in order to find lucrative jobs which inexplicitly seem to make us think will cause us happiness.

Views on Freud: Civilization and its Discontents Chapter 1 part 3

Ok, I took a break now I am back on track.
In My last post, I discussed Freud’s opinions on the ‘oceanic’ feeling that causes people to believe in god, and my opinions on the subject.
Freud writes “I have nothing to suggest which could have a decisive influence on the solution of this problem.”
“this Idea of men’s receiving an intimation of their connection with the world around them through an immediate feeling which is from the outset directed to that purpose sounds so strange and fits in so badly with the fabric of our psychology that one is justified in attempting to discover a psycho-analytic, that is, a genetic explanation of such a feeling.”
With those few lines Freud refutes any idea of such a feeling as part of the human experience. Basically what he is saying is that a blind person would be able to say the same thing regarding our ability to see. Our experiences cannot be measured or proven. Our only ability to know that they exist is by – experience.

The first question that comes to mind is ‘why’.
Why does it sound so strange?
Why does it fit so badly with the fabric of our psychology?
He goes on “Normally, there is nothing of which we are more certain than the feeling of our self, of our own ego.”
Normally? NORMALLY???? How can normality take any part in this idea at all?
In order for us to try to comprehend the human experience we cannot view it in the eyes of the common man!
In order to create a framework, there must be consistency amongst all ideas of thought, not only those which suite our idea and argument!
He goes on to explain that the ego is not a single entity but there is something behind it the ‘id’, though externally it seems that this ego decouples itself from other entities. Except for one situation – “Against all his senses, a man who is in love declares that ‘I’ and ‘you’ are one, and is prepared to behave as if it were a fact.”
In this case I must agree to a certain degree, though I wouldn’t look at it as a problem but rather a superior state of mind; a moment where thought replaces the human and physical notions of our physical needs and essentially – when we are talking about the love of a man and a woman (or what ever to sexes you feel like filling in) – the human experience not only becomes one but replaces each other creating an entity which is similar to a double helix.

Views on Freud: Civilization and its Discontents Chapter 1 part 2

Last post I started writing about Freud’s opinions regarding what should be of true value to people; those whose achievements are completely foreign to those of the multitude.  One of those exceptional few is Freud’s friend, whom Freud sends a book to explaining that Religion is an illusion how and why he thinks that way Freud does not elaborate. Upon that fact his friend replies that he agrees with Freud’s judgment upon religion, but that the friend is sorry Freud had not properly appreciate the true source of religious sentiments. This, The Friend says, is a feeling he would like to call a sensation of ‘eternity’, which he goes on saying that this feeling is the source off of which all Churches and Religious systems direct their sources from and which they exhaust. Freud than says that his friends thoughts caused him no small difficulty which he than says that he himself never has felt such feelings and try’s to elaborate on the origin of this feeling and if this feeling is the “fons et origo” (source and origin) of religion.

I personally have never felt such feelings of an eternal entity though I truly believe there is a god or some sort of eternal power which began it all. Though the origin for religion has nothing to do with god. Religion stems for the need of society for order; A system of rules which people govern in order to enable peace and order in an otherwise chaotic society. In order to prove this we need to look through the Jewish tradition’s laws, where the problems and issues are all social related, it again can be viewed that during the holiest of days, Yom Kippur, when we ask for forgiveness from god we are told we cannot make amends for the sins we made towards man but only by asking for forgiveness from the person we actually hurt. Than why have god? And sins? And heaven and hell?

Well, god does and cannot or doesn’t have to since we don’t have free will in the first place (I will elaborate on that another time). But in order for us not to commit any crime there needs to be a constant watching eye over our actions. We must envision some sort of “Big Brother” to make sure we do the correct thing, so religion created this idea and all the things that stem from it; Heaven, Hell and so on.

Views on Freud: Civilizations and its Discontents Chapter 1 part 1

Freud starts out describing his feelings about humanity; “…that people commonly use false standards of measurements – that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.”   Freud stops here regarding the subject of the values of man, so these questions come to mind: What are the true measurements? Who are we to judge other peoples decisions on what is valuable to them in life?

Maybe what really should be asked is ‘Why’. What is the reason for this behavior, the need to acquire these loose and relative terms- wealth, power and success?  Well to answer that we should start from the beginning and the actual reason for us to do anything at all.   The answer is that everything we do is for our existence, clear and simple. Everything from the moment we wake up in the moment until we fall asleep is purely for the reason of existing or so we assume. During our course of life we observe others at their success and their assumed happiness, simply deducing that those attributes that we lack, those that are related to control, those are the ones to aspire to in order to achieve true happiness.

Freud goes on, “There are a few men from whom their contemporaries do not withhold admiration, although their greatness rests on attributes and achievements which are completely foreign to the aims and ideals of the multitude.”     Based on what are these considered achievements at all?  Again there is the problem of experience and how we deduce the value of objects, situations and the like.

Ok that was hardly the first page I dot want to continue because for the next discussed subject I will have to go into allot and I want these to be concise and informative regarding my thoughts as much as possible. I am planning on doing this every day so if this interests you, stay tuned.

Introduction to Opinions on Freud

I was very pleased to have recently come across one of Freud’s works Civilization and Its Discontents,   since I was eager to read his ground breaking opinions  which brought us psychoanalysis and a better understanding of the mind.  His work is important to me personally and to the reason for creating this blog because it enabled us to analyze our minds more precisely causing us to understand intelligence and trying to recreate it.

Though during my reading I found that I disagreed with many of his points of views and opinions, and since I believe this is an appropriate place to discus them, I will present here Freud’s thoughts and my opinions on the matter.