Sigmund Freud

The Psychological Origins of Religion


It should first be noted that in order to understand the readings from Freud, a basic foundation of his principles should be available.


First, Freudian psychology focuses a great deal on the relationships of individuals between themselves and their mothers, fathers, siblings etc. From these relationships, Freud created what he called the basic foundations of the human person, what eventually became to be known as: id, ego, and superego.


Id: undifferentiated, unsocialized core of personality that contains the basic psychic energy and motivations
Ego: personality aspect that develops to deal with the real world. 
Superego: personality structure that develops to internalize societal rules and goal-seeking behavior toward socially acceptable pursuits.


With his theory Freudian psychoanalytical theory then developed into psychosexual development within five stages. 1) oral stage, 2) anal stage, 3) phallic stage, 4) latency period, and 5) genital stage. Each of these stages, if properly navigated according to Freud lead to appropriate development and conduct of an individual; if not, they would find themselves stuck and have manifestations of the stages present in daily life (i.e. chewing pins, gum, anal retentive attitudes)


As it relates to the reading, Freud refers to the laws of the totem and how they pertain to the rules against killing, eating, etc., and then attempts to connect it to the father and what he deemed as the Oedipus complex. Apart of the phallic stage, the Oedipus complex refers to the rivalries young boys have with their fathers for the love and attention of their mothers (established in the oral stage). So how does this apply to religion, faith, God, and everything else we've covered thus far? Though I cannot entirely understand Freud's writings, to me he is trying to establish that religion and more so a relationship with God is an establishment of guilt from feelings against earthly fathers and a representation of trying to balance that guilt with awe and respect. He seems to suggest that we are jealous of our fathers, and even more so jealous of the fatherly God we cannot explain.


The readings go on to further touch upon the stages of development as the correspond to turning away from religion, and the establishment of the ego as it pertains to religion. In terms of the stages of development, it is during the phallic stage that attitudes and motives of jealousy are the most evident; once passed, an individual becomes more attuned with his or her ego which allows them to move past their jealously of fathers and male figures in general. In the case of the readings, the point at which the Oedipus complex ends and the gradual turning from religion occurs is Freud's "neurosis of humanity." The final points of  Freud's readings are surrounded by where and when the sense of the ego originates. Freud argues that an individuals sense of ego does not initially come from an external world,  that we learn to associate the ego with the outside world. He also comments that the ego-feeling is oceanic and it is comparable to a limitlessness and a bond with the universe. He finalizes his argument that religion is simply a return to infantile helplessness; that we cannot understand and that leaves us looking for the relationship and bond of awe or respect for a caregiver or God; the defense the ego uses as protection from an external threat.