FREUD: Thoughts for the Times on War and Death

The Disillusionment of the War -

Reading Freuds Thoughts gives the impression that World War I may have been
more devastating, psychologically, than any previous wars in history. Why? Why
was it any worse than other barbaric wars we read about? Freud gives a couple of
good reasons. He says that there were twopotent factors in the mental distress
felt by the noncombatants - (1) disillusionmentand (2) the altered attitude
toward death. In this essay Ill deal with the first topic: disillusionment.

The 19th century was a period of monumental progress in many areas, notably
science and technology. Many people truly believed that humanity had turned a
corner in its evolutionary development. Indeed, the theory of evolution sprouted
in the 19th century and many thought we were finally on the path to progress.
The early 20th century shattered those illusions. Freud says we had expected to
succeed in discovering another way of settling misunderstandings and conflicts of
interest. Unfortunately human psychology and international ethics failed to keep
pace with developments in other areas. Scientific and technological advances
merely provided more firepower to vanquish enemies. After a period of relative
peace in Europe many people believed that a progressive international conscience
would prevent future all-out wars. This was the illusion. The reality was a war the
likes of which we had never seen before.

Freud believes the First World War may have been self-inflicted. By ignoring real
human motivations we merely let loose primitive gratifications that had been
bottled up by outwardly civilized behavior. Unpleasant truths about human
nature were ignored or glossed over at our own peril. Instead, people indulged in
illusions about the progress of man. The real world can be dangerous but Freud
feels that we welcome illusions because they spare us emotional distress and
enable us instead to indulge in gratification. However, We must not then
complain if now and again they come into conflict with some portion of reality
and are shattered against it. This shattering of illusions at the start of the 20th
century resulted from the reality of brutal trench warfare.

The most civilized portion of mankind (Europe) reverted to its most primitive
desires to kill one another rather than using diplomacy to negotiate conflicts. The
unpleasant truth is that we all have a deep human instinct to kill. Living in society
requires us to control these primitive instincts. Freud believes that Civilization is
the fruit of renunciation of instinctual satisfaction. Once we let go of civilized
behavior our true selves emerge. Even though were not aware of it, the desire to
kill still resides deep within us. In other words, civilization is only a thin veneer of
proper behavior and there are very many more hypocrites than truly civilized
persons living amongst us.

When we really feel threatened with injury or death we tend to forget civilized
behavior and resort to more primitive modes. Nations do the same thing. Their
passions sometimes collectively run away with them. War may not be in their
best interests but nations still obey their immediate passions far more readily
than their interests. Their interests serve them, at most, as rationalizations for
their passions. Then, when military tactics like trench warfare break out, were
shocked by our own ferocity and barbarity. Illusions are shattered.
Disillusionment sets in. Death on a massive scale results and is psychologically
devastating. This is the modern world according to Freud.