Chapter 2    Freud: Psychoanalysis67
fei75766_ch02_019-071.indd 67  02/19/20 08:59 AMSixth, psychoanalysis isnotasimple orparsimonious theory, butconsidering 
itscomprehensiveness andthecomplexity ofhuman personality, itisnotneedlessly 
cumbersome.
 Concept of Humanity
In Chapter 1, we outlined several dimensions for a concept of humanity. 
Where does Freud’s theory fall on these various dimensions?
The first of these is determinism versus free choice.  On this dimen -
sion Freud’s views on the views on human nature would easily fall toward 
determinism. Freud believed that most of our behavior is determined by past 
events rather than molded by present goals. Humans have little control over 
their present actions because many of their behaviors are rooted in uncon -
scious strivings that lie beyond present awareness. Although people usually 
believe that they are in control of their own lives, Freud insisted that such 
beliefs are illusions.
Adult personality is largely determined by childhood experiences—  
especially the Oedipus complex—that have left their residue in the unconscious 
mind. Freud (1917/1955a) held that humanity in its history has suffered three 
great blows to its narcissistic ego. The first was the rediscovery by Copernicus 
that the Earth is not the center of the universe; the second was Darwin’s discov -
ery that humans are quite similar to other animals; the third, and most damaging 
blow of all, was Freud’s own discovery that we are not in control of our own 
actions or, as he stated it, “the ego is not master in its own house” (p. 143).
The second and related issue is pessimism versus optimism.  Accord -
ing to Freud, we come into the world in a basic state of conflict, with life and 
death forces operating on us from opposing sides. The innate death wish 
drives us incessantly toward self-destruction or aggression, while the sexual 
drive causes us to seek blindly after pleasure. The ego experiences a more 
or less permanent state of conflict, attempting to balance the contradictory 
demands of the id and superego while at the same time making concessions 
to the external world. Underneath a thin veneer of civilization, we are savage 
beasts with a natural tendency to exploit others for sexual and destructive 
satisfaction. Antisocial behavior lies just underneath the surface of even the 
most peaceful person, Freud believed. Worse yet, we are not ordinarily aware 
of the reasons for our behavior nor are we conscious of the hatred we feel 
for our friends, family, and lovers. For these reasons, psychoanalytic theory is 
essentially pessimistic.
The third approach for viewing humanity is the dimension of causal -
ity versus teleology.  Freud believed that present behavior is mostly shaped 
by past causes rather than by people’s goals for the future. People do not 
move toward a self-determined goal; instead, they are helplessly caught in 
the struggle between Eros and Thanatos. These two powerful drives force 
people to compulsively repeat primitive patterns of behavior. As adults, their Final PDF to printer