discuss: historical/cultural context of freud's theories of behavior*

Various historical and cultural influences during Sigmund Freud’s lifetime have significantly shaped up his theories of human behavior, whether negative or positive. His psychodynamic theories described the conscious and unconscious, intrapsychic and interpersonal conflicts, inner drives, impulsiveness and self-control, and others. Freud’s childhood experiences and influences from people surrounding him greatly impacted his theories. Also, scientific developments during his time were thriving and contributed to his ideas, as well as the disturbing events of the early 20^th century, which accounted for his pessimistic views on human instinct.

Sigmund Freud has developed numerous theories regarding the psychodynamic perspective that have formed the basic ideas for psychological studies nowadays. Firstly, Freud proposed that awareness includes two contrasting levels of consciousness: the conscious, which contains thoughts and emotions that one could instantly be aware of at any particular time, and the subconscious, which contains real memories and motivations that are not usually accessible except through Freudian slips or dreams. Secondly, Freud introduced the intrapsychic and interpersonal conflicts—that we are in conflict both within ourselves and with others, which leads to anxiety that everyone experiences during a lifetime. Thirdly, he stated that humans are driven by pleasure and aggression and seek to gratify those desires involving maximum pleasure and violence. Freud also thought about the effects on behavior that impulsiveness, the tendency to act without thinking the consequences through, and self-control, the ability to restrain oneself from this and mind the surroundings, could have. Additionally, he said that childhood experiences play a determining role in shaping up the adult we become—regardless of whether the memories are traumatic or delightful.

During Sigmund Freud’s childhood, experiences including meeting influential people and putting up with traumatic, emotional tension involving his family background have also affected his psychodynamic theories. As a child, Sigmund Freud showed an unusually high intelligence, and was a favorite child. Despite being loved tremendously by his mother, his father treated him with disapproval—however, as he passed away, unexplainable guilt and sorrow struck Freud, and he wondered why. Later, he developed the theory of psychosexual stages and the death wish children feel toward their fathers, as well as the sexual desire for their mothers—from this, he stated that childhood experiences have direct effects on future relationships and personality. He grew up studying medicine and law, defined as a ‘Jewish major’, and met various influential people, including Jean-Martin Charcot, Brücke, and Breuer. Charcot and Breuer prompted his interest in hysteria, and Freud came up with the idea of catharsis (in which recalling events releases emotional tension and relieves patients). It is significant how Freud’s surroundings and others’ ideas during the time could have impacted Freud’s theories.

Scientific theories of Freud’s time played a vital role in explaining human behavior for him. For example, Helmholtz’s theory of the conservation of energy, which states that energy could neither be created nor destroyed, gave rise to Freud’s theory that humans are driven by a ‘psychic energy’, because we are all part of nature. Additionally, after influence from Charles Darwin, Freud related evolution to psychology. Adaptation could be linked to the ego compromising with the id, superego, and external environment, to survive in the society. The id (baby-like self that seeks immediate gratification) could be compared to the instincts of apes—which are the animals we have possibly evolved from. This explains why, in the early part of human development, babies seek to gratify their need and desires instantly. Also, animals’ and humans’ survival instincts are like the real motivations and drives within ourselves.

It is possible to see how the early part of the twentieth century, which was very much disturbing and chaotic, could have affected Freud’s theories. Despite the fact that people were optimistic and inspired by various new advances in science and technology, troubling, depressing events shook the peace of Europe. When WWI struck, science was used, shockingly for many, to destroy cities and part families, resulting in devastating effects. Although Sigmund Freud did not take part in fighting, he observed returning soldiers suffering from trauma and pain, and this altered his views on the basic human instinct: that humans are basically evil by nature and that the self-destructive aggressive drive was just as important as the sexual. He came up with the ‘death wish’—the wish to eliminate and kill rivals. After WWI came the rise of Hitler’s Nazism, during which Freud’s family was captured, his books censored, and his ideas criticized—partly because he was Jewish. Because of this, he proposed that violent behavior and wars were the causes of psychological problems. Overall, these historical aspects directly influenced Freud’s pessimistic views on behavior.

To understand Freud’s theories regarding human behavior, the historical and cultural context of Freud’s experiences and surroundings must be considered. It has led him to develop thoughtful, positive and negative ideas about human instinct and the conflicts of the mind, and the basic psychodynamic ideas that modern psychologists nowadays in the twenty-first century still research on. Although he has shocked the Victorian society and brought taboo ideas into a repressed culture, Sigmund Freud is remembered by his introspective theories and will be for many years to come.

-- yuki