Impact on Western Society

Freud’s theory has had a dramatic impact onWestern society, strongly influencing
the ways people view themselves and their interactions with others.
Terms such as “Freudian slip,” “Oedipus complex,” and “unconscious” are
part of everyday language. Emotions may be seen as “buried deep,” and
emotional expression may be called therapeutic. Assumptions about the unconscious influence both popular and professional conceptions of mental
life.

The assumption that the expression of emotion is healthy and the repression
of emotion is unhealthy may be traced to Freud. To some extent, this
idea has received support from research which suggests that unresolved anger
may contribute to physical health problems. Unfortunately, the release
of anger in verbal or physical aggression may cause those aggressive behaviors
to increase rather than decrease. The vicarious experience of aggression
via watching television or films may also teach aggression rather than
reduce the urge to act aggressively. 658