EL MALESTAR EN LA CULTURA: Freud

Por Sigmund Freud

Según Sigmund Freud, la cultura (civilización) produce un malestar en el ser humano al entorpecer sus instintos. Así, por el bien de la sociedad, se sacrifica al individuo, es decir: para que la sociedad evolucione, el hombre tiene que pagar el precio de renunciar a la satisfacción pulsional y se perjudica su vida sexual y su agresividad. Freud es un fuerte influenciador de la Psicología contemporánea y la obra "El Malestar en la Cultura" es una ventana más al conocimiento abierta por el Padre del Psicoanálisis y hace parte de la colección Freud Esencial.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Lebooks Editora
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 24 oct 2022
• ISBN: 9786558941965

Vista previa del libro

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Sigmund Freud

EL MALESTAR EN LA CULTURA

Título original:

DAS UNBEHAGEN IN DER KULTUR

1a edición

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Isbn: 9786558941965

Prefacio

Amigo Lector

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) fue un médico austriaco considerado el creador del psicoanálisis. Este método causó gran revuelo en su momento y se basa en intentar explicar el comportamiento humano para dar solución a los problemas mentales. Su objetivo es trabajar con el inconsciente para hacer conscientes problemas y traumas que existen y empezar a cambiarlos para ayudar al paciente.

El malestar en la cultura es un ensayo de Freud publicado en 1930. Este trabajo, en conjunto con Psicología de las Masas y Análisis del Yo que había escrito en 1921, se reconoce entre las obras más relevantes de Freud en el área de la psicología social y se considera uno de los textos críticos más influyentes del siglo XX en ciencias sociales. El tema principal de la obra es el irremediable antagonismo existente entre las exigencias pulsionales y las restricciones impuestas por la cultura.

El malestar en la cultura hizo explícita su concepción del mundo, subrayando el sometimiento de la civilización a las necesidades económicas, que imponen un pesado tributo tanto a la sexualidad como a la agresividad, a cambio de un poco de seguridad.

En definitiva, se trata de una obra que aborda temas de suma actualidad.

Una excelente lectura

LeBooks Editora

Presentación

Sobre el autor y su obra

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Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) fue un médico austriaco considerado el creador del psicoanálisis. Este método causó gran revuelo en su momento y se basa en intentar explicar el comportamiento humano para dar solución a los problemas mentales. Su objetivo es trabajar con el inconsciente para hacer conscientes problemas y traumas que existen y empezar a cambiarlos para ayudar al paciente. Sigmund Freud es uno de los hombres más influyentes relacionados con el ámbito de la psicología.

Freud nació en 1856 en Austria. Posteriormente, se graduó en medicina y se especializó en el sistema nervioso de los peces trabajando como investigador. Más tarde, comenzó a trabajar en el Hospital General de Viena y empezó a desarrollar la teoría del psicoanálisis.

Viajó a París gracias a una beca y su trabajo con el neurólogo Jean-Martin Charcot fue una auténtica revelación para él. Empezó a conocer la hipnosis y se interesó por la sugestión.

Tras regresar a Viena, compartió sus teorías con sus colegas, pero fue rechazado por todos, a excepción de Josef Breuer que le apoyó económicamente para abrir su propia consulta. Ambos incluso llegaron a trabajar juntos, pero sus diferencias en el campo científico y la puesta en práctica de diversas técnicas acabaron separándolos.

En los albores del siglo XX, el neurólogo austriaco Sigmund Freud empezó a sentar las bases del psicoanálisis, un novedoso enfoque sobre la psique humana que es tanto una teoría de la personalidad como un método de tratamiento para pacientes con trastornos. La principal contribución de Freud a la psicología sería su concepto de inconsciente. Freud sostenía que el comportamiento de una persona está profundamente determinado por pensamientos, deseos y recuerdos reprimidos; según su teoría, las experiencias dolorosas de la infancia son desalojadas de la conciencia y pasan a formar parte del inconsciente, desde donde pueden influir poderosamente en la conducta. Como método de tratamiento, el psicoanálisis procura llevar estos recuerdos a la conciencia para así liberar al sujeto de su influencia negativa.

El Malestar en la Cultura

El malestar en la cultura (en alemán Das Unbehagen in der Kultur) es un ensayo de Sigmund Freud publicado en 1930. Este trabajo, en conjunto con Psicología de las Masas y Análisis del Yo que había escrito en 1921, se reconoce entre las obras más relevantes de Freud en el área de la psicología social y se considera uno de los textos críticos más influyentes del siglo XX en ciencias sociales.

El tema principal de la obra es el irremediable antagonismo existente entre las exigencias pulsionales y las restricciones impuestas por la cultura. Es decir, una contradicción entre la cultura y las pulsiones donde rige lo siguiente: mientras la cultura intenta instaurar unidades sociales cada vez mayores, restringe para ello el despliegue y la satisfacción de las pulsiones sexuales y agresivas, transformando una parte de la pulsión agresiva en sentimiento de culpa. Por eso, la cultura genera insatisfacción y sufrimiento. Cuanto más se desarrolla la cultura, más crece el malestar.

Por eso, también se puede afirmar que el tema central del Malestar en la cultura es la culpa.

Este planteamiento no resulta novedoso en Freud, habida cuenta de su enfoque en sus primeros escritos psicológicos. En esta obra, sin embargo, Freud evalúa más claramente el papel cumplido en estas restricciones por las influencias interiores y exteriores, sus efectos recíprocos, la hipótesis del superyó, y la indagación y elucidación de la naturaleza del sentimiento de culpa.

En la segunda parte una de las principales cuestiones tratadas va a ser la de la pulsión de destrucción, que se explaya en su sexto capítulo, en el que Freud desarrolla con mayor amplitud su concepto de libido, argumentando que debe separarse en dos instintos distintos: el instinto-objeto del eros y el instinto-ego del thanatos (muerte en griego). Este concepto nuevo se refiere, en efecto, a la ya citada pulsión de muerte o destrucción en el ser humano, o tendencia innata al regreso a lo inorgánico, y su desarrollo tiene en realidad una larga historia en los escritos de Freud, incluyendo sus investigaciones sobre el narcisismo y el sadomasoquismo. Freud admite que puede ser difícil aceptar su visión de la naturaleza humana como predispuesta a la muerte y la destrucción, pero razona que la supresión de este instinto es la verdadera causa de la necesidad de restricciones de la civilización. La vida y la civilización, entonces, nacen y se desarrollan a partir de una eterna lucha entre estas dos fuerzas interpersonales de amor y odio.

El malestar en la cultura hizo explícita su concepción del mundo, subrayando el sometimiento de la civilización a las necesidades económicas, que imponen un pesado tributo tanto a la sexualidad como a la agresividad, a cambio de un poco de seguridad.

EL MALESTAR EN LA CULTURA

Capítulo I

No podemos eludir la impresión de que el hombre suele aplicar cánones falsos en sus apreciaciones, pues mientras anhela para si y admira en los demás el poderío, el éxito y la riqueza menosprecia, en cambio, los valores genuinos que la vida le ofrece. No obstante, al formular un juicio general de esta especie, siempre se corre peligro de olvidar la abigarrada variedad del mundo humano y de su vida anímica, ya que existen, en efecto, algunos seres a quienes no se les niega la veneración de sus coetáneos, pese a que su grandeza reposa en cualidades y obras muy ajenas a los objetivos y los ideales de las masas. Se pretenderá aducir que sólo es una minoría selecta la que reconoce en su justo valor a estos grandes hombres, mientras que la gran mayoría nada quiere saber de ellos; pero las discrepancias entre las ideas y las acciones de los hombres son tan amplias y sus deseos tan dispares que dichas reacciones seguramente no son tan simples.

Uno de estos hombres excepcionales se declara en sus cartas amigo mío. Habiéndole enviado yo mi pequeño trabajo que trata de la religión como una ilusión, me respondió que compartía sin reserva mi juicio sobre la religión, pero lamentaba que yo no hubiera concedido su justo valor a la fuente última de la religiosidad. Esta residiría, según su criterio, en un sentimiento particular que jamás habría dejado de percibir, que muchas personas le habrían confirmado y cuya existencia podría suponer en millones de seres humanos; un sentimiento que le agradaría designar «sensación de eternidad»; un sentimiento como de algo sin límites ni barreras, en cierto modo «oceánico». Se trataría de una experiencia esencialmente subjetiva, no de un artículo del credo; tampoco implicaría seguridad alguna de inmortalidad personal; pero, no obstante, ésta sería la fuente de la energía religiosa, que, captada por las diversas Iglesias y sistemas religiosos, es encauzada hacia determinados canales y seguramente también consumida en ellos. Sólo gracias a este sentimiento oceánico podría uno considerarse religioso, aunque se rechazara toda fe y toda ilusión.

Esta declaración de un amigo que venero -quien, por otra parte, también prestó cierta vez expresión poética al

Comentarios para EL MALESTAR EN LA CULTURA

[macleod73-292574 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Freud's a divisive author, no doubt about it. So often he'll create a reaction in people (particularly men) when they learn that he posits that all men want to sleep with their mothers. As wild and possibly misplaced as his fixation on the Oedipus Complex is, Freud tends to gesture successfully at truths in the human condition. He won't lead us to concrete proof, but neither does he claim to. "There is something going on here" he'll say in wonderfully worded prose. His ideas on the dual nature of humanity being tied between Eros and Thanatos may not be dead-on but he gives us the material through which to investigate drives of pleasure and aggression more fully. As a foundational work in today's modern thinking and, with Russia's current aggression in the world, I've got to give this one a 5/5.

[tnilsson_24 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

Utter, made-up, nonsense. Read Frederick Crews' book, Freud: The Making of an Illusion, for a (very long) description of what a pseudo-scientist Freud was and how his writings, including this one, are based on nothing but his personal delusions and ambitions. If I could give this 0 stars, I would.

[serinachaoalonzo · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

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.

[madepercy-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

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.

[sgarnell_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

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.

[gbill_7 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

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.”

[torikton · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The single most important book I've ever read.

[garywolf_1 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

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.

[eromsted_1 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

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.

[justine_3 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

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

[rampaginglibrarian · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

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.