Freud's interest in Greek mythology and religion greatly influenced his psychological theories. According to Freud, there is an unconscious desire for one's mother to be a virgin and for one's father to be an all-powerful, almighty figure.
In Freud's psychosexual stages, he mentioned the Oedipus complex and the Electra complex and how they affect children and their relationships with their same-sex parental figure. This relates to the idea of religion because Freud believed that people created religion in order to create these group ties that they unconsciously seek for.Īccording to Freud's many theories of religion, the Oedipus complex is utilized in the understanding and mastery of religious beliefs. The commonness among different people with different egos allows people to identify with one another. Groups are necessary, according to Freud in order to decrease the narcissism in all people, by creating libidinal ties with others by placing everyone at an equal level. In this type of group, everything is dependent on that external force and without it, the group would no longer exist.
In his book Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Freud argued that the church and organized religion form an "artificial group" which requires an external force to keep it together. He believed that people act in different ways according to the demands and constraints of the group as a whole. Unconscious desires motivate people to act accordingly.įreud did a significant amount of research studying how people act and interact in a group setting. The idea that religion causes people to behave in a moral way is incorrect according to Freud because he believed that no other force has the power to control the ways in which people act. The role of the mind is something that Freud repeatedly talked about because he believed that the mind is responsible for both conscious and unconscious decisions based on drives and forces. This reverses the idea of any type of religion because he believed that it is constructed by the mind. Freud argued that humanity created God in their image.
"Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires." Freud believed that people rely on religion to give explanations for anxieties and tension they do not want to consciously believe in.
His idea of the id explains why people act out in certain ways when it is not in line with the ego or superego. Further information: Sigmund Freud's views on religionįreud did not believe in the existence of a supernatural force that has pre-programmed us to behave in a certain way.
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