Civilized Sexual Morality and Modern Nervousness

"Our Civilization is, generally speaking, founded on the suppression of instincts."(4)

 

In Freud's 1908 article "Civilized Sexual Morality and Modern Nervousness, Freud touches upon the restrictive state of society, mainly cultural development, and the effect on the individual as well as society. Sexual and cultural "norms" are a mysterious term for there is no one normal but there is an overall understanding of what is perceived to be "right" and "wrong." In a culture where sex is still perceived to be taboo to talk about it, it is really all we do talk about. The norms placed on society, specifically when sexual aim is involved, still harbor a huge gap of space between those who follow it and those who do not. The most popular sexual moral opinons fall into three main categories: 1. Pre-marital sex  2.Extra-marital sex  3. Homosexual relations. Each of these categories have unsaid moral standings within them.

I wanted to focus more on the emotions of the individual carrying the weight of moral anxiety rather than the aftereffects of such trauma. When researching just what exactly moral anxiety was, I found the definition to be not only highlighting the limiting scope of action but of emotion. In one definition, moral anxiety was defined as "anxiety which results from fear of violating moral or societal codes. Moral anxiety appears as guilt or shame. Guilt and shame lie on the outside of basic emotion being categorized as a "self-conscious emotion" one that would not even exist if humans did not relate sense of self and the consciousness of others reactions to them. These emotions, based purely on how one perceives others opinions, are crippling to cultural development and aiding to suppression of basic instincts. These emotions play heavily in the societal need to suppress natural tendencies and innate instincts. "Each individual has contributed some renunciation- of his sense of dominating power, of the aggressive and vindictive tendencies of his personality."  It is when one cannot comply with the suppression that neurosis appears. The true neuroses are "disturbances, whether bodily or mental, appear to be of a toxic character." These disturbances can be induced by detrimental influences in sexual life. Freud then concludes that "it may be maintained that the sexual factor is the essential one in the causation of the true neuroses". On the other hand, there is the psychoneuroses which are more hereditary influenced (hysteria being an example.) This form of neurosis was found to be best approached with psychoanalysis for it was dependent on the unconscious and the repressed.

Sexual instinct impacted cultural development heavily, for its original purpose was not procreation but pleasure. Three stages were then formed of cultural development in regards to sexual instincts. The first being a stage in which "the sexual impulse may be freely exercised in regard to aims which do not lead to procreation." The second highlights a cultural norm where all sexual aims are suppressed with the exception of those used to procreate.  Lastly, stage three is which only legitimate procreation is allowed.

If forced to live within the realms for these stages, most of 'civilized' sexual morality falls within stage three. These three stages of development are much like the three most controversial of moral opinions listed above. A common place for the debate of sexual relations is within some religions where premarital sex, homosexuality and adultery are all highly frowned upon.  The exceptions to Freud's three stages of cultural development being individuals whos development of the sexual impulse has been impaired and therefore fall within a deviation from normal sexuality. These exceptions are the different varieties of perverts and homosexuals or inverts. Freud attributes stronger development of these perversions to result in feelings of adaptability and unhappiness. It is when these sexual aims are successfully suppressed that the individual becomes "inwardly stunted and outwardly crippled."

Overall, the norms placed on society have become so strenuous that many cannot comply with the demands. "All who wish to reach a higher standard than their constitution will allow, fall victims to neurosis." The question then stands, to have a working system should the individual have to suppress all feelings not accepted by the greater population? What effect on the 'civilized' morality does suppression of innate instincts have?