Freud and Conscience
Sigmund Freud analyzed conscience psychologically as the superego—internalized parental and social authority. Conscience is not innate moral perception but a psychological mechanism developed through socialization. This reduces conscience's moral status but explains its origins.
Real World
Research in developmental psychology shows children raised in authoritarian households develop stronger guilt responses — consistent with Freud's model of the superego forming through internalised parental rules.
Exam Focus
Use Freud to challenge theological accounts of conscience; examiners reward counter-arguments that engage directly with the question's assumptions.
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