O Mal-estar na Civilização

De Sigmund Freud

Segundo Sigmund Freud, a cultura ( civilização) produz um mal-estar nos seres humanos ao tolher os seus instintos. Assim, para o bem da sociedade o indivíduo é sacrificado, ou seja: para que a sociedade possa evoluir o homem tem que pagar o preço da renúncia da satisfação pulsional e a sua vida sexual e agressividade são prejudicadas. Freud é um forte influenciador da Psicologia contemporânea e a obra "O mal-estar na civilização" é mais uma janela de conhecimento aberta pelo Pai da Psicanálise.

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: Lebooks Editora
• Data de lançamento: 17 de jan. de 2019
• ISBN: 9788583862758

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Sigmund Freud

O MAL-ESTAR NA CIVILIZAÇÃO

Do original alemão:

DAS UNBEHAGEN IN DER KULTUR

1a Edição

ISBN 9788583862758

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São Paulo

LeBooks.com.br

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Em O mal-estar na civilização, Freud expôs os conflitos inerentes ao esforço do homem para se tornar civilizado. Para Freud, o homem não é naturalmente gentil, mas destrutivo e antissocial; seu instinto é de agressividade. O mal-estar deriva da necessidade de conter seus impulsos (a grande conquista cultural),  e da renúncia à satisfação plena para poder viver em sociedade.

Na visão de Freud, todo indivíduo é inimigo da civilização, já que em todos os homens existem tendências destrutivas, anti-sociais e anti-culturais. A civilização, portanto, trava uma luta constante contra o homem isolado e sua liberdade, restringindo o poder pleno do indivíduo em favor da comunidade.

Ler Freud é, como sempre acontece, uma viagem de descoberta neste infindável oceano chamado ser humano e O mal-estar na civilização além de ser um de seus principais textos, é uma janela de luz aberta pelo Pai da Psicanálise.

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S. Freud

Sumário

APRESENTAÇÃO

Sobre o autor:

Formação

Complexo de Édipo

Pai da Psicanálise

Final de vida

Principais obras)

O MAL-ESTAR NA CIVILIZAÇÃO

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

Conheça outros títulos da Coleção Freud Essencial f

APRESENTAÇÃO

Sobre o autor:

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Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) foi um médico neurologista e importante psicólogo austríaco. Foi considerado o pai da psicanálise, que influiu consideravelmente sobre a Psicologia Social contemporânea.

Sigismund Schlomo Freud nasceu em Freiberg, na Morávia, então pertencente ao Império Austríaco, no dia 6 de maio de 1856. Filho de Jacob Freud, pequeno comerciante e de Amalie Nathanson, de origem judaica, foi o primogênito de sete irmãos. Aos quatro anos de idade, sua família muda-se para Viena, onde os judeus tinham melhor aceitação social e melhores perspectivas econômicas.

Formação

Desde pequeno mostrou-se brilhante aluno. Aos 17 anos, ingressou na Universidade de Viena, no curso de Medicina. Durante os anos de faculdade, deixou-se fascinar pelas pesquisas realizadas no laboratório fisiológico dirigido pelo Dr. E. W. von Brucke. De 1876 a 1882, trabalhou com esse especialista e depois no Instituto de Anatomia sob a orientação de H. Maynert. Concluiu o curso em 1881 e resolveu tornar-se um clínico especializado em neurologia.

Durante alguns anos, Freud trabalhou em uma clínica neurológica para crianças, onde se destacou por ter descoberto um tipo de paralisia cerebral que mais tarde passou a ser conhecida pelo seu nome. Em 1884 entrou em contato com o médico Josef Breuer que havia curado sintomas graves de histeria através do sono hipnótico, onde o paciente conseguia se recordar das circunstâncias que deram origem à sua moléstia. Chamado de método catártico constituiu o ponto de partida da psicanálise.

Em 1885, Freud obteve o mestrado em neuropatologia. Nesse mesmo ano ganhou uma bolsa para um período de especialização em Paris, com o neurologista francês J. M. Charcot. De volta a Viena, continuou suas experiências com Breuer. Publicou, junto com Breuer, Estudos sobre a Histeria (1895), que marcou o início de suas investigações psicanalíticas.

Complexo de Édipo

Em 1897, Freud passou a estudar a natureza sexual dos traumas infantis causadores das neuroses e começou a delinear a teoria do Complexo de Édipo, segundo o qual seria parte da estrutura mental dos homens o amor físico pela mãe. Nesse mesmo ano, já observava a importância dos sonhos na psicanálise. Em 1900 publica A Interpretação dos Sonhos, a primeira obra psicanalítica propriamente dita.

Pai da Psicanálise

Em pouco tempo, Freud conseguiu dar um passo decisivo e original que abriu perspectivas para o desenvolvimento da psicanálise ao abandonar a hipnose, substituindo-a pelo método das livres associações, passando então a penetrar nas regiões mais obscuras do inconsciente, sendo o primeiro a descobrir o instrumento capaz de atingi-lo e explorá-lo em sua essência.

Durante dez anos, Freud trabalhou sozinho no desenvolvimento da psicanálise. Em 1906, a ele juntou-se Adler, Jung, Jones e Stekel, que em 1908 se reuniram no primeiro Congresso Internacional de Psicanálise, em Salzburg. O primeiro sinal de aceitação da Psicanálise no meio acadêmico surgiu em 1909, quando foi convidado a dar conferências nos EUA, na Clark University, em Worcester.

Em 1910, por ocasião do segundo congresso internacional de psicanálise, realizado em Nuremberg, o grupo fundou a Associação Psicanalítica Internacional, que consagrou os psicanalistas em vários países. Entre 1911 e 1913, Freud foi vítima de hostilidades, principalmente dos próprios cientistas, que, indignados com as novas ideias, tudo fizeram para desmoralizá-lo. Adler, Jung e toda a chamada escola de Zurique separaram-se de Freud.

Final de vida

Em 1923, já doente, Freud passou pela primeira cirurgia para retirar um tumor no palato. Passou a ter dificuldades para falar, sentia dores e desconforto. Seus últimos anos de vida coincidiram com a expansão do nazismo na Europa. Em 1938, quando os nazistas tomaram Viena, Freud, de origem judia, teve seus bens confiscados e sua biblioteca queimada. Foi obrigado a se refugiar em Londres, após um pagamento de resgate, onde passou os últimos dias de sua vida.

Sigmund Freud morreu em Londres, Inglaterra, no dia 23 de setembro de 1939.

Alguns conceitos desenvolvidos por Freud: inconsciente, conflito psíquico, recalque, complexo de Édipo, sexualidade infantil e pulsão de morte.

Principais obras)

Freud escreveu muitos textos importantes, entre eles: A Psicopatologia da Vida Cotidiana (1901), O mal-estar na civilização (1929), Totem e Tabu (1913), A interpretação dos sonhos (1899), O Ego e o Id (1923), Civilização e seus descontentes (1930), entre outros.

Neles, o Pai da Psicanálise (assim conhecido por ter inventado o termo psicanálise para seu método de tratar as doenças mentais) responsabilizava a repressão da sociedade daquela época, que não permitia a vivência de alguns sentimentos, considerando-os errados do ponto de vista social, moral e religioso.

Em suas obras, Freud defende que a sexualidade é um dos sentimentos sociais reprimidos mais importantes. Naquela época essa afirmação gerou um grande escândalo na sociedade, entretanto, não demorou muito para que outros psicólogos aderissem à ideia de Freud. Alguns deles foram: Carl Jung, Reich, Rank entre outros.

O MAL-ESTAR NA CIVILIZAÇÃO

Capítulo I

É impossível fugir à impressão de que as pessoas comumente empregam falsos padrões de avaliação - isto é, de que buscam poder, sucesso e riqueza para elas mesmas e os admiram nos outros, subestimando tudo aquilo que verdadeiramente tem valor na vida. No entanto, ao formular qualquer juízo geral desse tipo, corremos o risco de esquecer quão variados são o mundo humano e sua vida mental. Existem certos homens que não contam com a admiração de seus contemporâneos, embora a grandeza deles repouse em atributos e realizações completamente estranhos aos objetivos e aos ideais da multidão. Facilmente, poder-se-ia ficar inclinado a supor que, no final das contas, apenas uma minoria aprecia esses grandes homens, ao passo que a maioria pouco se importa com eles. Contudo, devido não só às discrepâncias existentes entre os pensamentos das pessoas e as suas ações, como também à diversidade de seus impulsos plenos de desejo, as coisas provavelmente não são tão simples assim.

Um desses seres excepcionais refere-se a si mesmo como meu amigo nas cartas que me remete. Enviei-lhe o meu pequeno livro que trata a religião como sendo uma ilusão, e ele me respondeu que concordava inteiramente com esse meu juízo, lamentando, porém, que eu não tivesse apreciado corretamente a verdadeira fonte da religiosidade. Esta, diz ele, consiste num sentimento peculiar, que ele mesmo jamais deixou de ter presente em si, que encontra confirmado por muitos outros e que pode imaginar atuante em milhões de pessoas. Trata-se de um sentimento que ele gostaria de designar como uma sensação de ‘eternidade’, um sentimento de algo ilimitado, sem fronteiras - ‘oceânico’, por assim dizer. Esse sentimento, acrescenta, configura um fato puramente subjetivo, e não um artigo de fé; não traz consigo qualquer garantia de imortalidade pessoal, mas constitui a fonte da energia religiosa de que se apoderam as diversas Igrejas e sistemas religiosos, é por eles veiculado para canais específicos e, indubitavelmente, também por eles exaurido. Acredita ele que uma pessoa, embora rejeite toda crença e toda ilusão, pode corretamente chamar-se a si mesma de religiosa com fundamento apenas nesse sentimento oceânico. As opiniões expressas por esse amigo que tanto respeito, e que outrora já louvara a magia da ilusão num poema, causaram-me não pequena dificuldade. Não consigo descobrir em mim esse sentimento ‘oceânico’. Não é fácil lidar

Avaliações de O Mal-estar na Civilização

[eromsted_1 · Nota: 1 de 5 estrelas]

Utter nonsense.The basic intellectual procedure seems to be thus:Take commonplace and stereotyped social observations and jam them into dubious theoretical constructs. Then build these constructs into an edifice that purports to explain all of human behavior. Never look back for alternate explanations, or even to see if the resulting theory stands up to reality.Furthermore, Freud's main argument sells humanity extremely short. He seems to believe that human behavior can be explained as the attempt to seek pleasure in the fulfillment of instinctual drives like sex and aggression, or as the "sublimation" (whatever that means) of these drives into other activities. What a dim and constricted worldview.I have a difficult time understanding how Freud could ever have been taken so seriously.

[sgarnell_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Even though not every theory of Freud can be easily understood or even accepted, he has a lot to say about civilization. What I found quite striking was his detailed analysis of freedom, and the tradeoffs we make of it in order to be part of our chosen society. I for one feel there is much to learn here, and recommend this book to all those who wish to pursue the question of who we are, and what we can become as a species.

[torikton · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The single most important book I've ever read.

[garywolf_1 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

The impact of Sigmund Freud on contemporary Western thought can hardly be underestimated. Many of the key "psychological" terms we employ can be traced back to his writing. Although fascinating and often insightful, much of his influence has been destructive, providing comfort and a scientific imprimatur for a large portion of the anti-Western diatribes of the last generation.Let us first dispose of several misconceptions that have clouded the popular image of this brilliant thinker. To begin with, Freud is no touchy-feely, tree-hugging, crystal-gazing therapist from Vermont. He is a hardened observer of human nature, quite Hobbesian, convinced that aggression and unbounded self-interest are primary factors in the motivation of human behavior. He mocks those who preach unlimited love, as well as those who would coddle criminals. His views on women would shock many an unsuspecting feminist.Likewise, Freud is clear in his opposition to utopian political schemes, such as communism. He writes that the Marxist view of private property is based on a fallacy:"The psychological premises on which the [communist] system is based are an untenable illusion. In abolishing private property we deprive the human love of aggression of one of its instruments, certainly a strong one, though certainly not the strongest; but we have in no way altered the differences in power and influence which are misused by aggressiveness, nor have we altered anything in its nature. Aggressiveness was not created by property."It is quite possible that Freud's psychoanalytic treatment of mentally ill individuals, or even of merely miserable ones, has proven to be highly effective. This is arguable, but it belongs to another discussion. Let us give him the benefit of the doubt, and say that his contribution in this field was worthy of his reputation.The problem begins where psychoanalysis ends and the development of a comprehensive theory of human society begins. Percolating throughout his writing is a misapplication of concepts from the psychology of the individual to the level of civilization--which, incidentally, is one of Freud's favorite words. For example, take the notion of guilt, which he claims is the "most important problem in the development of civilization." Guilt certainly has a role to play in our lives, and the shedding of unnecessary guilt goes a long way to ameliorating one's peace of mind, but the most important problem?Freud's highly influential work, "Civilization and Its Discontents," abounds with such sweeping, grandiose statements, the applicability of which seldom extends further than the Viennese café in which he was seated when the epiphany struck him. Here's another one:"Civilization is a process in the service of Eros, whose purpose is to combine single human individuals, and after that families, then races, peoples and nations, into one great unity, the unity of mankind. Why this has to happen, we do not know; the work of Eros is precisely this. These collections of men are to be libidinally bound to one another."One might think that the study of aesthetics could somehow rise above the fray of the battling instinct gods, but this also is traced back to the shadowy domain of individual impulses:"All that seems certain is [beauty's] derivation from the field of sexual feeling. The love of beauty seems a perfect example of an impulse inhibited in its aim. `Beauty' and `attraction' are originally attributes of the sexual object. It is worth remarking that the genitals themselves, the sight of which is always exciting, are nevertheless hardly ever judged to be beautiful..."One could easily imagine this being said by a character in a film by Fellini, in a scene satirizing the mumbo-jumbo of ivory tower academics.Freud's remarks on religion, which he holds in the highest contempt, are indicative of an abysmal ignorance. He claims that religion derives from the "infant's helplessness and the longing for the father aroused by it." Other factors are later admitted, but (as in the case of aesthetics) everything is traced back to the individual and his instincts. There is no consideration of the actual content of religion, its insight and its wisdom. Even Nietzsche, certainly no friend of Judeo-Christian teachings, once remarked that the Old Testament was the greatest work of literature ever produced by man.Freud's macro-level analysis fails because he has seized upon a certain realm, individual psychology, and inflated it to supernatural dimensions. Certainly, it has an impact, but it is only one slice of the societal pie, or more accurately, one ingredient therein. It can never explain all of human existence. Human society is a complex organism, with multiple and criss-crossing influences.Freud's error is only too typical of the modern mind, estranged as it is from the profound ocean of history. What escapes Freud completely is the fact that culture has an existence that is independent of any given individual or group of individuals. Culture is produced layer upon layer. It is much greater than the sum of its human parts, and does not result from the intent or design of any single person, group, or generation.Thus an analysis (were it possible) that could aggregate the thoughts and impulses of every human mind that has ever existed would still be insufficient for understanding the essence of culture.In Freud's world view, man is wrested from his culture; he is fragmented, alienated, and made a slave of his animal self. Freud inherited and expanded the legacy of Darwin, who attempted to prove that man is nothing more than an animal. Freud went one step further, in attempting to demonstrate that all of man's creations--so utterly at variance with the animal world--can nevertheless be traced back to instincts and bodily functions that we have in common with apes and aardvarks. To say that this has provided fuel for deconstructionists of every variety would be to state the obvious.Freud's most impressive feat may have been to complete the work of Hegel and Darwin in constructing the new secular religion for Western man. Hegel, through his "world-historical spirit" and immutable "laws" of society's development, strips man of his free will, and paves the way for the unbounded totalitarianism that has so marked modern society. Darwin teaches that man is an animal, a shock treatment that has led people to despair of the perennial search for a higher nature--a quest that had run like a thread through the annals of Western civilization. Freud adds the third idol of the trinity, that of the instincts, particularly the sexual.Put the three together, and there is nothing left of God, reason, art, the intellect, purpose, wisdom, or contemplation.

[gbill_7 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I’m not an expert in psychology or a believer in many of Freud’s theories, but I found “Civilization and its Discontents” to be an interesting read for its ideas on history and culture.At the outset of the book, Freud states that religion is infantile, that there is no inherent meaning to life, and that what drives us is the fulfillment of the pleasure principle. Pretty strong stuff for 1930. Our pleasure is threatened by our own mortality and the breakdown of our body as we age, but more importantly it is threatened by civilization, which naturally must erect laws to prevent individuals from wreaking havoc by following their baser instincts of pleasure, e.g. violence and sex. This societal force also applies to man’s more noble instinct to love, which it restricts by creating various laws and taboos.This rub between the individual and society is the basis for the book; Freud essentially says that the civilization we built to protect us and to preserve our happiness from what would otherwise be a wilderness turns out to be the prime source of our misery. I don’t believe all of what follows, e.g. the ego-instinct of thatanos and that type of thing, but found a good portion of it to be thought provoking. It also brought a smile to read his descriptions of the ways in which unhappiness can be avoided in chapter two. I would briefly summarize these as isolation from people, intoxication, mastering or controlling one’s instincts, seeking pleasure internally, utilizing imagination, looking for all one’s satisfaction in love, and looking for happiness in the enjoyment of beauty.As an aside, where does translator James Strachey get off being listed as the author of this book? This is like seeing “War and Peace” listed as written by Constance Garnett because she wrote the introduction and translated it. Sheesh. I manually changed it to Freud.Quotes:On God:“…by his science and technology, man has brought about on this earth, on which he first appeared as a feeble animal organism and on which each individual of his species must once more make its entry (‘oh inch of nature!) as a helpless suckling – these things do not only sound like a fairy tale, they are an actual fulfillment of every – or of almost every – fairy-tale wish. … Long ago he formed an ideal conception of omnipotence and omniscience which he embodies in his gods. To these gods he attributed everything that seemed unattainable to his wishes, or that was forbidden to him. One may say, therefore, that these gods were cultural ideals. To-day he has come very close to the attainment of this ideal, he has almost become a god himself.”On meaninglessness:“The question of the purpose of human life has been raised countless times; it has never yet received a satisfactory answer and perhaps does not admit of one. Some of those who have asked it have added that if it should turn out that life has no purpose, it would lose all value for them. But this threat alters nothing. … Nobody talks about the purpose of the life of animals, unless, perhaps, it may be supposed to lie in being of service to man.”On religion:“The common man cannot imagine this Providence otherwise than in the figure of an enormously exalted father. Only such a being can understand the needs of the children of men and be softened by their prayers and placated by the signs of their remorse. The whole thing is so patently infantile, so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life.”

[madepercy-1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

It is quite clear that Freud was so far ahead of his time that some of his theories may still prove to be correct, in spite of what "modern" evidence suggests. Freud resonates with so many unspoken thoughts it would seem that psychoanalysis provided his laboratory of the unspoken, enabling him to grasp what others had or could not. Given the context of the times, Freud appears to me to have seen through the veneer of the Victorian era, and even grasped the problems of the present era. It is more than obvious he was well-read in art and literature and rightly deserves the title of "genius". I went to Freud after reading Andy Warhol (despite the seemingly disparate connection it made sense to me) and now I am compelled to explore Voltaire and Kant. Voltaire to comprehend the context of the sublime and Kant to try to discover how one could articulate so much from so little observation.

[serinachaoalonzo · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

It's very clear the Freud was way ahead of his time. That is what I love about his books personally. With this one, however... I usually don't stop and go back to read the chapter until I got its meaning.. But this time I did. Freud made me realize how society is now. A huge example is religion. Which is mentioned in the book. It made me realize that it is just something that was brought on to us. It's not a 'real' thing. It's an ideal thing that has been embedded into our own minds to make it seem real. This is such a great read, and such an eye opener on society.

[rampaginglibrarian · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

We used this book for my history of film class which gives you a really interesting perspective on Freud--a rather different one than a got from my psychology classes anyway. Anyway this is a seminal text that i think every person who considers himself well-read should read.

[justine_3 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Classic Freud where he extends his psychological theory from the individual's development toward a universal theory of cultural development.

[Matheus Santiago · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Um livro indispensável para o conhecimento humano! Conhecer Freud é essencial!