Emile Durkheim and Sigmund FreudEmile Durkheim and Sigmund Freud are European sociologists who studied and wrote on the impact of industrialization and on society. Emile Durkheim is known to many in the humanities and academic fields. Freud is familiar to anyone who has studied intellectual and scientific history. Durkheim and Freud believed that understanding the rules of society was vital for the survival of humanity. Durkheim compares Freud in certain aspects to religion. Both Emile and Freud were of European origin. Emile then studied the rules of society in order to better understand it. He found the connection broken with when a crime or problem occurred. He relates this to scientific theory which allows social group to play a huge role in sociology. The value of small individual tasks led to a larger whole. When one group produces something very effective and strong, other groups build on it and form intergroup interaction. However, the groups are independent, they rely on each other to function. “Religion is something eminently social” (Pals 108). Durkheim believes that religion has been passed down over the years from birth. Psychoanalysis, on which Freud's ideas about religion are based, is not as scientific as it is believed. Although Freud was successful in making people understand that there may be hidden psychological motivations behind religion and religious beliefs, it is clear that religion involves much more. Religious beliefs are expressions of the symbolism of social realities; Without these social realities serving as a foundation, religious beliefs would have no meaning. Many have challenged this attitude, arguing that religion is more than just an expression of social reality...... middle of paper ...... it is the center of the Catholic faith. When we receive the Eucharist, we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for us. The Eucharist is considered a meal and a sacrifice and is a sacrament that is celebrated at every Catholic mass during the liturgy of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is also called Holy Communion. Despite these similarities, Durkheim and Freud are very different in many ways. Both have their own opinions and beliefs on religion and communion listed and explained in these paragraphs.