FREUD, RELIGION, AND SURVIVAL OF LIVE
I really appreciate to Freud thought about genealogical human beings on psychological term. He find that human is ambivalent, both he have feeling love and aggression, conscious and unconscious, who directed to some object.
The existential human is not a finish process, no one better all time. There is three aspect of human being which always in conflict, that is id, ego, and super ego. Id is very bases of human that is wishes to eat, to kill, and to engage the sex. Superego is social construction, cultural, above of personal man. Ego is mid position between id and superego; it can be influenced by the id or superego. Actually the id impulse is very strong, but human pusses it down because it associated with bad impulse. Therefore, human become painful people, because he pressed by superego to be normal people, whereas he want to follow the id impulse, like for sexuality.
Freud develops many theory of religion, such as Oedipus complex, totem and taboo, illusion-delusion, and Moses and monotheism. Generally, as atheist, he says that no reason to believe in God, and therefore no value or purpose on the ritual and religious life. Religion is obsessional neurotics. In the Oedipus complex Freud theorized that the emergence of religion is from Oedipus myth. That is the concept of the sacred, totem and taboo arise as a result of father’s murder, because the desire of child to married with his mother.
In seven theories book, Daniel L. Pass, remarks that there are many appreciates to Freud theories, but, also there are many critics give to his theories. For instance, many people argues that Freud theories is inhuman, unsupported by data, amoral, and destructive. Now, I really want to give feed back to Freud thought, but I don’t have strong argumentation to dispute him. I just have a little note in Pak Mark classes, and I think is in some aspect is different from Freud.
I think everybody, primarily, wishes to be admitted by other people. It corresponds with psychological process and fantasy. Feeling to be appreciated and being part of the society will give him secure feeling. Thus, almost all human activity directing to get the security from what they do and they have. If all human can keep their secure feeling, they will not need other person. Thus, social relationship never exists.
The feeling of secure is, actually to survive in the world and keep their desire. Therefore, human make some strategy to protect his desire. That is by defensive strategy, associative strategy, and offensive strategy.
Associative strategy can be described as obedient behavior, tend to receive regulation, but actually may be he is not truly accepts it. However his motivation is to gain and accomplish his desire.
Then, offensive strategy uses if his people have an authority to compel his desire to another peoples or if he has not other alternative strategy to survive beside attack other people.
I think there is three basic of human necessities, that is; Need to eat, Need to power, and Need of sexuality. I see, need to eat is very personal. Feeling of hungry, psychologically, is based on morality and another destructive feeling. This necessity is very fundamental, because we just can survive only we have sufficient food. Human will have different manner according to this factor. One people is possible become bad guy, and the other hand become good guy. The bad guy may become thief, because he needs money to ensure that he can eat and continue his life. The good guy may become philanthropist, because he has sufficient food to give other. The motive may religious or just to secure his property and get feeling of securebecause he has done kindness to other.
Second is power, I reflect that power, psychologically, is very important. The internal conflict in human beings, as Freud illustrates in id, ego, superego concept, is take control each other is based on power theory. That one of them tries to dominate and to express the inner one. In wider concept it can be to other humans or groups, where somebody will feel more secure if he can conquer his enemy. Other example is in marriage, I see, in one view that can be conquering material to confine his spouse to give his secure feeling. The feeling can be secure, because socially he is called gentlemen or because he feels that he will have descent to continue his family.
Third sexuality, I think sex is very important, but I doubt if all human activities is to gain sexual satisfaction. The growth of sexual feeling, roughly, feels in mature age. I difficult to understand if infant or little child has sexual desire, even making love with his mother. Crying and sucking infant for his mother breast is to seek eat, to ensure him got food or milk to continue his live, not for sexual need.
In this view I see religion can be product of anxious. Today, I always find that religion as something which has existed in society as cultural construction. Thus, religion is cultural system. The emergences of religions are not personal achievements without social and cultural factors. But religion always have a prominent leaders, they can be prophet or human superior. Therefore, the emergence of religion is to answer the human anxieties. Religion used by good, or by human superior to give an assurance in other to human can be regulate and can not destroy to another as aftermath from his anxiety.[]
