The reader is shown the definition of civilization “the whole sum of the achievements and the regulations which distinguish our lives from those of our animal ancestors and which serves two purposes, to protect people against nature and adjust their mutual relations.” One should note that in many places in the text civilization is seemingly analogous with the individual. Freud claims that civilization is largely responsible for human suffering. The third kind is said to be the cause of the most suffering and from here one can see how the narrative will soon be drawn in the direction of civilization. On the other hand, being cautious avoids displeasure yet at the same time restricts one’s ability to be happy.ĭispleasure or suffering is derived from three places: our own body, the external world (nature), and relationships between people. Either side has its ups or downs On the one hand, sudden unrestricted satisfaction seems attractive but throws caution to the wind which goes against the second part of the pleasure principle which is to avoid displeasure. From here the author points out that there are many ways to achieve this happiness such as through sudden action or through the more moderate, drawn-out, avoidance of displeasure. He declares people generally seek to be happy and to remain so.

Freud points out that happiness is in line with the pleasure principle maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. The first task undertaken in this work is that of defining happiness. Does his work, viewed through a modern lens, still hold up? Through this discussion, the reader ends up with exactly what the title suggests, a set of discontents brought forth because many of humankind’s natural tendencies are inconsolable with civilization. This discussion is developed into the reasons which civilization forms and defines many characteristics which can be seen in people, such as love, guilt, happiness, and aggression. In his work, Civilization and its Discontents, Sigmund Freud discusses what it is to be happy.

Freud and civilization