Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Principles of Life
Sigmund Freud, still one of the most prominent figures in the field of psychoanalysis, has exerted what is now believed to be an undue influence on the modern mind. After making a study of his more emotionally disturbed patients, he drafted a map of man’s mental structure, in which he gave the unconscious a position of great importance. Freud held that it was actually the unconscious mind which was the determining factor in all human actions. According to this theory, man’s will and intention were exonerated of the blame for all manner of crimes. It simply meant that if a man’s actions were not governed by his conscious mind and will, he could no longer be regarded as an intentional wrongdoer. A commentator writes:
“Perhaps no science has been a more powerful source of forgiveness than the psychoanalysis of Freud. The sinner becomes a patient. And if he seems to do wrong, it is not really he who does it but an unconscious whose machinations are unknown to him.” If this theory were to be believed, the difference between one man and another is not that of right and wrong, but of right and mental illness what once was accepted as ‘discipline’ is now classified as ‘unhealthy repression.”
In today’s contest of moral laxity and a steadily rising crime rate, it is important, not just for psychoanalysts, their patients and enforcers of the law, but for everyone, to be made aware of the findings of the latest research into human nature, for these have proved the Freudian theory to be wrong.
The acceptance of the falsity of this theory now puts human beings back into the category of creatures with minds and wills of their own, and a keen sense of responsibility for their actions. Culpability may once again be clearly defined in terms of intentional wrongdoing and man, once more, becomes accountable for his actions to his Maker and to the society in which he lives.