Are you looking for psychology essay writing help? Prolificresearchpaperwriters.com has qualified writers who have been assisting scholars to work on their psychology assignments for a number of years. Hence, our psychology assignment help service is founded on an in-depth understanding of the concepts and theories in this field. Below is a sample psychology essay from one of our writers. You can have your custom psychology research paper written by ordering our services.
Introduction
The theory of unconscious was formulated by Sigmund Freud, a physician who believed in unconscious impulses as the driving force for most of the people’s actions. Majority of the people assume their thought and feelings are determined by one’s own free will while Freud’s believed there must be other forces that influence people’s feelings and thoughts. Freud believed the irrational forces are dangerous and a high need to control them more so in the era of civilization. Freud believed that human behavior is influenced by inner forces and one cannot give valid reasons for some of the actions that human beings carry out. Freud focused on the both inside and outside forces that he presumed influenced the human behavior. Freud was involved with patients with nervous disorders where he found out that one’s childhood experiences which may be sexual in nature influence one’s nervous disorders. These nervous disorders may include depression, anxiety, obsession and hysteria[1]
Kant on the other hand developed the theory of Enlightenment which talks of the emergence of man from an immaturity which Kant believes is self imposed.[2] Kant describes immaturity as a person’s failure to employ their own understanding and always seek the assistance from another person. These individuals do not have the courage to rely on their understanding and most cases are lazy and cowardly. Kant says most people are very lazy and keep depending on other people such as the physician to direct their diet, the pastor to direct their conscience. Kant believes one has the freedom to reason and ones thought and ideas are free. With regards to Freud’s theory, some of the human actions are conducted unconsciously. Unconsciousness hinders the power of reason through Kant’s enlightenment theory. 2
Civilization and Religious Beliefs
Freud believes that civilization poses great pain on human beings. Freud sees human beings as people who are selfish and only interested in satisfying their own needs. Freud explains that an individual is only interested on exploiting his fellow human being either through work without pay, sexual molestation, humiliation and even causing one another pain and even death.1
Freud believes civilization requires utmost effort to counteract man’s aggressiveness. Civilization tries to set limits on human beings but Freud assumes this human urge for aggression is irrational in man and one does not have the ability to regulate it. Civilization aims at bringing people from different races and nations into one unity. However, Freud assumes natural aggressiveness will continue to oppose civilization. Freud describes aggression as a human nature and inner force which is the greatest impediment to civilization.[3] Freud is aware of the irrational behavior in man that hinders civilization and he is not pleased with man’s lack of ability to control this behavior. Freud is thus not against the theory of enlightenment and is concerned about the destructive nature of these irrational impulses. From his scientific analysis of the nature of man, Freud believes reasoning is the best way for social improvement to overcome the barriers to civilization. Freud also argues on religious issues where he believes religion as a major hindrance to reason. He argues one should break from these religious beliefs to achieve civilization. On the contrary, Kant believes one has free will to regulate their thoughts and actions through enlightenment. Kant describes enlightenment as a transition from an immaturity that he presumes to be self-imposed. Most people are lazy and cowards which makes them to be immature and depend on other people’s understanding. Though it is difficult, it is possible for a man to transition from the state of immaturity, which is his nature, to a state of enlightenment. This can be achieved by changing their minds to attain freedom which ultimately leads to enlightenment. These people will be able to reason out by themselves and achieve a rational mind to help pursue their personal goals. [4]
Enlightenment can be attained through the freedom to think reasonably in public matters. For instance, one officer may argue you do not do this while the taxman may order you pay this, the pastor may also ask you believe this or that. These examples show cases of restrictions on one’s freedom which may support or hinder enlightenment. Kant believes using personal reason in public is free and can help human beings achieve enlightenment. Kant assumes use of reason in private ways is limited but does not hinder the power to reason. [5]
Kant offers an example of an officer working in a civic office and receives orders from the superior. In this case, the officer uses the power to reason and obeys the order though he is free to make his own judgment on the appropriateness of the order. Another example is the individuals paying their taxes but still have the freedom to express their thoughts and opinions on the imposed taxes. Thus, from Kant theory of enlightenment, it is possible for community members to live in harmony and achieve a state of civilization. Kant also brings in the religion issue where he provides an example of a pastor who gives instructions and doctrines according to church requirements. This pastor is limited to the beliefs of the church and in this context uses his power of reason to follow the church doctrines. However, in the context of a clerical writing on religious doctrines, one is free to express his or her opinion on the religious matters. Thus, Kant views the power of reason as a way of enlightening the people which in turn promotes civilization.
Human Narcissism
Freud describes libido as sexual desire which is a strong sexual instinct in human mind which can be compared to the hunger. Freud expounds on neurotic disorders to be associated with sexual instincts. He believes that neurosis develops depending on one’s libido and the ability to get satisfied. The disease forms due to an individual’s sexual development. Freud believes that, sexual development depends on ego instincts which are believed to affect personal self esteem and self preservation. The ego plays defense and a person fails to attain their sexual desires which may force them to look for a sexual substitute to achieve their sexual satisfaction. As such Freud assumes that this substitutive satisfaction leads to neurosis disorders. [6]
During treatment of neurosis, the distribution of libido in the patient is often considered. The physicians look for the object that the libido is bound to and place it at the ego instincts. Narcissism is a condition where ego is attached to libido. The Sigmund Freud Theory states that narcissism proceeds to object- love though not a certain quantity of the libido remains in the ego. This assumptions helps expound on the theory of libido which explains the omnipotence of man’s thoughts and how narcissism behaviors of human beings influence external world.[7] With such external relations, Freud believes that man is supreme with his thoughts and has core place in his ego where he keeps track of his actions and observations. Freud believes a man’s inner perceptions and his consciousness control the ego core influencing his important occurrences in the mind. Impulses that work independent of each other while corresponding to other instincts lead to individual actions. Freud considers that certain thoughts arise involuntary and one cannot control them. Freud explains that these emergent thoughts are at times more powerful that those arising from ego instincts. [8]Kant on the other hand, believes an individual has the power of reason to discern what actions to take. One’s thoughts and feelings can be regulated through the power of reason. An individual who is enlightened has the capacity to control their libido and thus achieve sexual satisfaction. Kant argues that a person can reason out based on their understanding without relying on other people such as the pastor’s or the physician’s advice. Individuals are free if they would only stop being lazy and take courage in their thoughts and ideas. Based on the enlightenment theory, one has the ability to control their ego instincts and influence their sexual behaviors. The theory states that a person has the freedom to reason independently without seeking the opinion of the church, clergy or schools.
Conclusion
The Sigmund Freud theory highlights human thoughts based on unconsciousness. Freud assumes that irrational forces guide individual thoughts and behaviors. His philosophical commitments depend on the philosophy of science of mind and human emotions. Freud provides his awareness on irrational thoughts on civilization and religious beliefs though he assumes that reason enhances social improvement. He is trying to relieve human misery by making people understand their nature. Freud believes that individuals have strong inner feelings that influence the actions they carry out. The human mind is full of aggression where each individual thinks about their own needs before those of others. Thus, he believes civilization imposes sexual desires and aggressiveness to human beings. He assumes that people’s inclination is not to love each other, rather to satisfy their aggressive behaviors. He also believes that the core of human nature is in opposition to civilized life. Conversely, Kant believes that enlightenment improves a person’s immaturity. He assumes that a person must not depend on other people’s thoughts, and those relying on other people are lazy and coward. Kant explains that it is possible to live in harmony as community if every person would exercise the power of reason. This enlightenment enables one to carry out their duties in the designated office while respecting the existing law as well expressing their personal thoughts and opinions. Freud on the other hand expounds on the theory of libido and how certain impulse that cannot be controlled influence a person’s sexual behavior. Freud elaborates on the issue of libido and ego instincts and the association between the two. He maintains the involuntary forces are at times stronger than the ego forces. However, Kant holds that one has ability to control their sexual behaviors by discerning their thoughts and using the power of reason.
If you have liked the way in which the sample has been written, you can order your own paper by contacting our customer support or placing your order on our website. We also offer capstone writing help to psychology students. Scholars in this field can also access case study writing help from our experienced and professional psychology writers.
Bibliography
[1] Perry, Marvin. Western civilization: Ideas, politics & society. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992), 690-692
[2] Kant, Emanuel. What is Enlightenment? 1784. 1-3. http://www.allmendeberlin.de/What-is-Enlightenment.pdf
[3] Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and its discontents. (New York: W.W. Norton, 1972), 23-25
[4] Kant, Emanuel. 1784. What is Enlightenment? 1-3. http://www.allmendeberlin.de/What-is-Enlightenment.pdf
[5] Kant, Emanuel, Ibid, 3
[6] Freud, Sigmund. 1917. A difficulty in the path of psychoanalysis. 137-139. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/341987/a-difficulty-in-the-path-of-psycho-analysis
[7] Freud, Sigmund. Ibid, 1-3
[8] Freud, Sigmund. 1917. A difficulty in the path of psychoanalysis. 137-139. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/341987/a-difficulty-in-the-path-of-psycho-analysis