Science and the Reality Principle

Abstract

This chapter reveals how on the most basic level, m­ odern ­science seeks to use reason to judge reality by first eliminating all preconceived notions and then testing ideas against the reactions of empirical reality. For Freud, the goal of analysis was to help people apply this scientific method to their perceptions of their own lives and the world around them. On the most fundamental level, Freud examined why it was so hard for people to abide by what he called the ­“reality principle,” and much of his work examines the different ways people escape from the reality of their lives.