Smith, Joel Alexander; (2000) Psychoanalysis and moral theory. Masters thesis (M.Phil), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The aim of the paper is to assess the impact made by psychoanalysis on moral theory. In particular, I examine the claim that the psychoanalytic theory of the development of the super-ego has important ramifications in ethics. I argue that psychoanalytic theory is most reasonably seen as an extension of everyday 'commonsense' psychology. The psychoanalytic theory, of the development of the super-ego, offers an account of the development of moral sensibilities in the individual. This can be viewed as providing an account of moral motivation. Freudian and Kleinian psychoanalytic theories are examined and three accounts of moral motivation are identified: the 'oedipal model', the 'aggression model' and the 'Kleinian model'. I show that there are two main criteria for the acceptance of psychoanalytic theories: cogency of psychological explanation and independent empirical plausibility. The Kleinian model is found to be the most plausible of the psychoanalytic accounts. I claim that there is good evidence to suggest that the Kleinian model of moral motivation is true. Support for this claim is found, partly, in the fact that the Kleinian model cogently explains an impressive range of moral actions and phenomena. Also, it is shown that the Kleinian model receives support from experimental psychology, in particular the theories of Piaget and Kohlberg. I go on to claim that the Kleinian model of the development of moral sensibilities in the individual provides the basis of a plausibly sophisticated (genetic) naturalism in morals. Psychoanalytic naturalism is shown to be incompatible with rationalism in morals. This is followed by a discussion of the relationship between the Kleinian model and the realist/anti-realist debate in ethical theory. I finish with some thoughts on the place of moral psychology within the field of ethics and conclude that it should be awarded greater importance than has traditionally been the case.

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