Freud

Using your own examples, explain what Freud means by happiness and by suffering, and what three factors threaten happiness.

Freud asserts that men show through their behavior the purpose and intentions for their lives, what they demand of life and what they wish to achieve in it. This is undoubtedly the endeavor for happiness. The basic mode of function for humans to attempt to achieve happiness is simply broken down into two aims; a positive and a negative one. On one side, humans aim to avoid pain and unpleasure, and on the other hand aim to enjoy intense pleasure.

Happiness however, in accordance to Freud, can never be fully achieved. This happiness is a perpetual state of mind, unfortunately Freud contends that it is our nature to associate happiness with the "preferably sudden satisfaction of needs". Therefore whenever there seems to be periods of satisfaction, it only produces mild contentment. A contrast seems to be required to experience strong happiness, a constant state of things always seem inadequate. For example, someone who was involuntarily homeless would experience extreme happiness if given an opportunity to live in a small house with minimal amenities. However one who currently dwells in the same house does not experience the same level of satisfaction as the homeless individual. It seems Freud associates this inevitability of unhappiness to human nature's inability to appreciate certain factors that are essentially the source of happiness. These factors can also be a source of pain and unpleasure, which is unfortunately far easier to experience. These three factors are the body, the external world and the social world.

The body is potentially the most consistent source of pain which is fated to decay with pain and anxiety. We as individuals generally can only limitedly control the forces which determine the fate of our bodies or contribute to it's decay. In the same respect, we are just as susceptible, vulnerable, and helpless toward the external forces which too may dictate the amount of pain and suffering in our lives. For example we can do little to stop an endemic plague or any manifestations of the superior powers of nature. The third, which Freud asserts is most painful, derives from the relations with other men. Freud emphasizes this factor which he claims is not given enough credit to or is underestimated. We are a very social creature and generally require social contact, unfortunately as Freud contends the regulations which adjust the mutual relationships between human beings are by a large part inadequate, therefore this source of pain is necessarily inevitable and no less formidable than the others. Our species experiences exceptional pain from discrepancies in our relationships, often leading to severe psychological damage and even suicide.

These factors from which pain and suffering emerge reveal