yuh1. Another aspect of religion is group bonding, which may be seen in all-night community singing and dancing. In fact, modern rock concerts and club dancing reflect this ancient practice. But in any case, the group mind-meld means the individual "loses himself" in the group consciousness. This practice may in some cases lead to a "higher spiritual plane," as can happen during congregational hymn singing. But, another possibility is that the more-or-less civilized self, that construct controlled by a rigid Freudian superego, is a burden on the more infantile self underneath.
Switching off the language-dominant, analytical self and slipping into an animalistic frame of mind is a great relief for many people. I do not say that all group spirituality is animalistic. But that need to "let down my hair" and "be me" does often relate to a need to regress to an animal state, a tendency recognized in the Bible as the pull of "the flesh." The need to switch mental states can be seen in the abuse of alcohol and drugs. In particular, those who black out -- become Mr. Hyde after only a few drinks -- are demonstrating a drive to regress to the amoral animal and/or infantile level.
We see how the superego and the ordinary self can be switched off en masse in mob rule, whether fueled by alcohol or not. Such an effect was for early man no doubt a benefit. Routine mental processing halts and everyone becomes of one mind in killing the woolly mammoth or battling the rival tribesmen. In fact, Napoleonic-type generals continue to exploit this human potential.
I even go so far as to suggest that the tendency of some individuals to quickly drop into a hypnotic trance with very small cues is a consequence of an eagerness to escape the prison of the "higher self."
Switching off the language-dominant, analytical self and slipping into an animalistic frame of mind is a great relief for many people. I do not say that all group spirituality is animalistic. But that need to "let down my hair" and "be me" does often relate to a need to regress to an animal state, a tendency recognized in the Bible as the pull of "the flesh." The need to switch mental states can be seen in the abuse of alcohol and drugs. In particular, those who black out -- become Mr. Hyde after only a few drinks -- are demonstrating a drive to regress to the amoral animal and/or infantile level.
We see how the superego and the ordinary self can be switched off en masse in mob rule, whether fueled by alcohol or not. Such an effect was for early man no doubt a benefit. Routine mental processing halts and everyone becomes of one mind in killing the woolly mammoth or battling the rival tribesmen. In fact, Napoleonic-type generals continue to exploit this human potential.
I even go so far as to suggest that the tendency of some individuals to quickly drop into a hypnotic trance with very small cues is a consequence of an eagerness to escape the prison of the "higher self."
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