Sigmund Freud was an Austrian psychiatrist/psychologist, neurologist and philosopher, known for his psychoanalytic methods for the clinical treatment of people with mental disorders. In this essay I will explain Freud's theories and ideologies on society, culture and religion. Specifically, its psychological structure. Because I think it offers such interesting and important insights that can help us understand how our brains interpret these concepts and why. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In chapter 2 of the book The Future of Illusion, published in 1927, Freud explains how cultures and social groups are structured. He argues that a culture's early achievements are symbolized in ideals, and then these ideals or judgments define its achievements. He also believes that the sense of achievement that these cultural ideals give its members is therefore “narcissistic in nature” as it is based on honor and pride in what has already been successfully achieved. To me, this makes perfect sense, an example of this is the use of the surname to represent pride in some societies, where an individual uses the achievements of his grandparents or someone older to honor himself, mentioning how hard they have worked for this family and how they managed to feel better and feed his ego. That “narcissistic satisfaction,” as Freud calls it, can also create an unpleasant outcome, as it separates different groups within the same culture and creates arguments and conflicts, something akin to ethnocentrism, which can ultimately lead to problems and threats bigger. Freud begins chapter 3 by talking about what life would be like without the prohibitions of religion, one could do whatever one wanted, but the excitement of doing so would not last long due to the consequences that would follow, which may include serious conflicts or even death. So these bans could be good, as they prevent people from committing crimes and damaging the property of others. This is where religion comes into play in terms of creating social security and protection, as it teaches people about morality and how to distinguish between right and wrong. If some prohibitions are not enforced by the follower of that group or religion, that individual runs the risk of facing the painful consequences, whatever they may be. Freud also argues about religion in a psychoanalytic way, as he considers it a “false belief system” due to its limited explanations. And from what the title shows, he believes that in the future, scientific explanations will be provided that will go beyond the limits of religion. He tries to explain religion using psychoanalysis, stating that religion is nothing more than an illusion, a mere imagination. But just because it's an illusion doesn't mean it should be abandoned. Or as he says: “An illusion is not the same as an error, in fact it is not necessarily an error” because as human beings we need to feel a certain sense of unity, we need a reason for living and a guide to help us through it. Some people believe for the sake of keeping tradition alive, or because that's what their parents and grandparents did, so it must continue through the generations. Another reason is because some people don't want to bother looking for meaning in life. , or question what is around them, then the simplest way is to believe and save yourself from all the searching because some religions forbid asking questions, they claim that it weakens one's faith and creates doubts and uncertainty. That's when religion is applied in the.