Freud presents an extremely disturbing projection of the human race: we are creatures of destruction who are influenced by irrational impulses. Up until the publication of his works, including Civilizations and its Discontents, the darker reality of human nature and psychological stability had not been of much emphasis. Civilization and religion are two institutions that are guilty of this ignorance. These institutions create a comical, yet delusional reality by suppressing our irrational instincts in an effort to promote stability.
This stability, however, exists only on an external level. Unfortunately, the psychological level becomes an area of neglect and consequently a source of much discontent. The neurotic ways of civilization and religion will ultimately lead to disorder. The vision of a better life brought about the creation of civilization. The basic purpose of civilization is to ensure a harmonious life, "namely to protect men against nature and to adjust their mutual relations" (Freud 42). Though, the stability created by civilization is at the expense of our happiness. Freud supports that, "There is no golden rule which applies to everyone: every man must find out for himself in what particular fashion he can be saved" (Freud 34). Civilization expects everyone to follow one set of laws, which do not adapt to each individual's needs. While one individual may be able to cope with the laws and attain happiness, another may not. This tragedy is the source of much tension in civilization.
Furthermore, these laws suppress our natural instincts. "It is impossible to overlook the extent to which civilization is built up upon a renunciation of instinct, how much it presupposes precisely the non-satisfaction of powerful instincts" (Freud 52). This "powerful instinct" is our innate impulse for destruction: "Besides the instinct to preserve living substance and to join it into ever larger units, there must another, contrary instinct seeking to dissolve those units and to bring them back to their primeval, inorganic state" (Freud 77).
