Instinct vs Civilization

Freud spends a good deal of the book discussing man's natural instincts and how they affect and are affected by civilization. He concludes that the two forces are opposed to one another in an almost paradoxical way because instinct is what leads to civilization forming in the first place, then that civilization seeks to control or inhibit instinct.

There are two types of instinct as Freud describes them—those directed inwardly and those directed outwardly. He uses the Greek metaphors of Eros and Ananke to represent these kinds of instinct. Eros represents the "love" instincts, which include sexual desire but also the desire to procreate and join with other humans. Ananke is the "necessity" drive, which rules over the instinct to stay alive.

Civilization arises partly because Eros drives humans to gather together; however their natural instinct of aggression works against civilization. For civilization to...