Psychoanalysis and depth psychology

Civilization and Its Discontents

One of Freud's final and most influential works, addressing the fundamental tension between the individual's desire for freedom and the restrictive demands of society. Freud argues that civilization is purchased at the cost of instinctual satisfaction, leading to a pervasive sense of unhappiness or 'discontent'. Of particular interest to the study of mysticism is the opening chapter, where Freud analyzes the 'oceanic feeling'—a sensation of eternity and limitlessness often described by mystics. Freud famously dismisses it as a regressive psychological state (infantile narcissism), providing a core psychoanalytic critique of spiritual experience.