Historically, Gypsies developed unique culture, which was consistently different from the traditional concept of European civilization. In this respect, the view of Freud on civilization and the place of an individual in the world is quite noteworthy since it perfectly explains the traditional European civilization but can hardly fully explain the unique culture of Gypsies.
First of all, it should be said that the Freud ideas may be only partially applied to Gypsies in Europe. Unlike the rest of European peoples, Gypsies have never strived for comfort and the development of their own civilization in the definite place (Fonseca, 205). In stark contrast, they were traditionally focused on the personal freedom, which was the main priority and the cornerstone of their philosophy and mentality. In such a way, there was no clash between the individual freedom and civilization’s demand for conformity Freud writes about (Freud, 131). In such a way the Freudian postulate that “civilization”¦ obtains mastery over the individual’s dangerous desire for aggression by weakening and disarming it and by setting up an agency within him to watch over it, like a garrison in a conquered city” (147) is inapplicable since Gypsies traditionally put the individual freedom prior to benefits of civilization.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to recognize the fact that Freud is correct emphasizing the strive for individual freedom as one of the major forces that influences the behavior of an individual. In such a context it is possible to estimate that the prevalence and the dominant role of individual freedom in the culture of Gypsies differs this people consistently from other European peoples, which often preferred the comfort of civilization to the unlimited individual freedom.