Sigmund Freud's Journey To Happiness

1891 Words8 Pages

For most people, finding meaning in life and obtaining happiness are both important relative goal. Does happiness and meaning go together? What obstacles await us in our journey to happiness; our self, family, society, religion? A great man, whom devoted his life to research on the real understanding on life it-self and looking for the truth in humans, by the name of Sigmund Freud, takes us on a voyage of wisdom. Sigmund Freud, born in May 6, 1856, also known, as the father to psychoanalysis was one of the greatest minds to every live. Freud’s work is still to this day every influential in psychology. In this paper the primary of consciousness and the function of culture in managing the sources of discontent, as well as our efforts in obtaining …show more content…

Freud mentions that civilization is described as “the whole sum of achievements, and the regulations which distinguish our lives from those of our animal ancestors and which serve two purposes-namely to protect men against nature and to adjust their mutual relationship” (pg.36). The protecting of men against nature can be referred back to the superior power and the feebleness of our own bodies as sources of suffering. The acknowledgement of adjusting the mutual relationship is referred to the inadequacy of regulating the adjustment to our families and society. The acts that we have imposed to nature, have not increased the pleasurable satisfaction which humanity expected from life. Freud goes to say, “we ought not to infer from it that technical progress is without value for the economics of our happiness”(pg.35). Due to the technological advances, our civilizations economic stand creates harsh conditions for families to reproduce once again interfering with nature and natural selection. All our social advances have followed the “cheap enjoyment” model, the major cause of anxiety and neuroses. Comical in the sense that behaviorism related to specific stimuli to obtain a regulated response. The power society has acquired, implements limitation in fulfilling our natural human desires, to the point were following social order gives us pleasure. To Freud, it was important that manipulatory …show more content…

Responsibility in creating meaning makes life difficult. The use of false standards of measurement has lead to a misconception of struggle and unhappiness, where the struggle serves the purpose of knowledge. Suffering is part of happiness and although suffering can’t be escaped, controlling our desire can minimize suffering. Reality is that the human race has become dehumanized. Thanks to science, we are able to live a longer, more difficult and misery filled life, the only thing to look forward to is death because life has become nothing but an