Psychoanalysis & Religion: Freud, Jung, Kristeva

Freud is famous for portraying religion as a collective neurosis of mankind. He argued that religious beliefs give expression to wish-fulfilling illusions, serving the immature emotional needs of the child living on within the adult. Such illusions – he sternly maintained – should be cast aside and replaced by ideas corresponding to reality – namely, the materialistic world view that emerges gradually but inescapably from the cumulative process of scientific observation. This is one side of Freud – expressing his self-image as an ‘Enlightenment philosophe’ (in Peter Gay’s accurate phrase). But there is another side to Freud – unfortunately less widely known – for in the later works he develops a subtle and complex theory of society, in which religion plays a much more positive – even vital – role. Seen from this perspective, religion may be regarded as necessary for our psychological well-being – even for the survival of human kind. We will explore a range of psychoanalytic interpretations of religion, examining different views of its function and significance in the lives of human beings.

Suitable for
18+

Admission
Full price £70 Friend of the Museum £65 Student £60 Student Friend of the Museum £50 (Memberships and valid student IDs must be shown on the door)

Website
https://www.freud.org.uk/event/psychoanalysis-and-religion/#

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/se000274?id=EVENT586739