Reprint of the 1930 American edition. In this seminal book, Sigmund Freud enumerates the fundamental tensions between civilization and the individual. The primary friction stems from the individual's quest for instinctual freedom and civilization's contrary demand for conformity and instinctual repression. Many of humankind's primitive instincts (for example, the desire to kill and the insatiable craving for sexual gratification) are clearly harmful to the well-being of a human community. As a result, civilization creates laws that prohibit killing, rape, and adultery, and it implements severe punishments if such commandments are broken. This process, argues Freud, is an inherent quality of civilization that instills perpetual feelings of discontent in its citizens.

Item Information Item Information

Format: TradePaperback
Author: Freud, Sigmund
ISBN: 9781891396625
Condition: Used
Dimensions: 8.80 x 0.60
Number Of Pages: 146
Publication Year: 2011

Civilization and Its Discontents

Available Offers

Overview

Customer Reviews