Freud’s premise was that any form of government was, ultimately, repressive of human nature. Was Freud on the right track?
I believe Freud is not far from the truth. Governments were created to maintain order, but to do so involves regulation of the people. However, it is questionable how much power the government should hold to regulate and bring order to the people.
I believe when an unclear boundary is made between the government and its citizens, repression is ultimately the solution, in the government’s eyes. Freud states that human nature is competitive and aggressive, which shows the desire of humans to progress and want power. In a government, many people take roles to enforce the rules of the government. However, if human nature is aggressive and competitive, eventually everyone would want power. Those great powers are what ultimately create repression in society. The people who have the ability to be in a state of power in the government will consistently want to hold that power and repress their people to keep it.
This can be seen in many famous government systems. Leaders keep their citizens in check and themselves in power by repressing society to the point they no longer find any wrongdoings in it. Police brutality is a common problem in society today because police believe they withhold more power than a civilian. There have been many times where the police have been let off the hook for actions that clearly are their fault. Yet, as citizens, we cannot do anything because we are made to believe that the police are there to “help and protect” us. Many people perceive this problem as a mistake, however not keeping the people in power in check is what leads to the repression of the people. The police will keep taking power away from us until we no longer realize all of it is gone. The fact that this concept is so common shows how Freud’s premise is valid. There are probably more examples of the government repressing human nature. However, it is common that we never notice it until our rights and liberties are diminished.
