Few years before World War I, there was the rise of systematic psychologism of psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud. His thesis is that religious rituals and beliefs are homologous with neurotic symptoms (Eriksen, 1950). According to him, a deep subconscious psychological conflict within social groups is responsible for the development of religion. He explains that the psychological conflict between the father and son, the hatred of son towards father, his desire for killing him and the guilt feeling are the reasons for the creation of totem based on the Oedipus myth. The worship or respect shown to the totemic animal is the reflection of subconscious conflict between the son and father and the latter’s kinsmen. The psychological defence mechanisms involve projections to avoid conflict and reduce anxiety. This is like “I hate X because you hate X”, which can be analysed at cultural level. Further, the childhood experiences carried out through out adult life in the forms of images and in this regard dependency of children on parents is significant. (Replacement of father theory)The dependency on parents by the children in the latter part of life is projected on the spiritual beings.
But Carl Jung takes a different approach taking the projections to cultural level of a group’s collective consciousness and Oedipus is just one example, and others include the Trickster, the Hero, Orphan, the Creator, the Sage or Fool, etc. Following this line of thinking, Kardiner, who is considered as a neo-Freudian, sought to demonstrate that religious institutions of tribal people are projections of a “basic personality structures,” formed not by the action of an unconsciously remembered historical trauma but by the more observable traumas produced by child-training practices.
Many others like Eriksen (1950) have also been influenced by Freud’s concept. Eriksen, drawing upon developments in ego personality to be a joint product of psychobiological maturation, cultural context, and historical experience, interpreted the religious notions of the Yurok and the Sioux in terms of certain basic modes of relating to the world. The basic Freudian premise is that religious practices can be usefully interpreted as expressions of unconscious psychological forces, and this has become, amid much polemic, an established tradition of enquiry.
Ruth Benedict (1934) in her work has provided a background for all later culture personality studies using the same method. She explains cultural patterns of some American Indians in terms of configurations from certain personality types.
Robert Ranulph Marett (1866–1943) in his book The Threshold of Religion (1900) proposed psychological component of religious belief. The original “stuff” of religion was “supernaturalism,” a matter of emotion rather than of intellect; “that basic feeling of Awe, which drives a man here he can think or theorise upon it, into personal relations with the Supernatural” . Both magic and religion spring from this original, undifferentiated category of experience (which he called “magico-religious”), the former in practices antithetical to the common good, the latter in practices or beliefs in harmony with it. he proposed animatism , a strong emotional attachment towards animated or inanimated object.
Wundt, Wilhelm , saw the origin of religion into man projection of fear into environment.
Rudolf Otto , also saw the fear about supernatural and weird cause the origin of religion.
Fetishism : strong emotional bond towards certain objects which bestowed with power.
The psychological approach has been superseded by functionalist approach but recently the significance of psychology once again came to light in a different route as symbolic anthropology. The context is that there has been a considerable discussion on ‘primitive thought’ which is different from that of the ‘modern rational thought’. The former is associated with lack of written language, technology, small in number and lack of uniformity, etc., and its religion is expressed in ritualistic activity and magic. The latter is associated with the scriptures, standard religious activities, rationalisation of behaviour and philosophical approach to life. However, there are commonalities and continuities in these two forms of thoughts and actions. In this respect, the approach of Clifford Geertz to religion is significant, as modern or primitive religion can be understood in an integrated system of thought through symbolism.
Note: Neurosis symptoms
- Anxiety and apprehension
- Excessive worry and guilt
- Tendency toward more negative emotions and reactions
- Irritability and anger
- Low self-esteem and self-consciousness
- Poor response to stressors
- An interpretation of everyday situations as threatening
- Depression
- Emotional instability