Is the Death Instinct Silent or Clinically Relevant? From Freud’s Concept of a Silent Death Instinct to Understanding Its Clinical Manifestations

When Freud introduced his concept of the death instinct in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) he solved three theoretical problems which could not be explained by the one drive theory: masochism, repetition compulsion and the negative therapeutic reaction. The concept of two inherently opposed instincts remained one of the most controversial parts of Freud’s theory. For Melanie Klein, Freud’s idea of the death instinct was a powerful instrument in solving her greatest problems of integrating her clinical evidence of an earlier, very harsh superego. In Freud’s account, the superego was the manifestation at birth of the death instinct operating in destructiveness towards the person, as he had argued. In this way, Klein put – as Hinshelwood claims – clinical “flesh on the bones of Freud’s theory of the death instinct.” I will describe the development of Freud’s theory and how this was elaborated by Klein and her followers Bion, Esther Bick, Segal and Rosenfeld. With three clinical vignettes--from an Infant Observation, a child analysis and an adult analysis--the clinical use of the concept will be illustrated.

The Talmudic way of thinking cannot suddenly have disappeared from us. Death instinct, anti-Semitism and Jewish traditions in the foundation matrix of group analysis

One hundred years after the publication of Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle (Freud, 1920), anti-Semitism is understood as the realization of the (self-)destructive force in its group form of the anti-group (Nitsun, 1996). Foulkes’ secrecy about the impacts of the German National Socialism(NS)-anti-group in his life (unlike Freud and Elias), as well as the libidinal idealization of the group, can be understood as a post-traumatic defence. But, as Nitsun (1996) has demonstrated, the creative potential of the anti-group can help to develop the group if it is analysed by the group, and can also be demonstrated by this example: the analysis of the traumatic effects of the NS-annihilation-anti-Semitism on the history of group analysis may reveal its hidden prophetic and rabbinical traditions in its foundation matrix. In this respect we can think of every group analytical session as a sign that Auschwitz did not win.

The repudiation of femininity

Freud, in 1937, put forward the idea that the repudiation of femininity and the death instinct were factors contributing to the resistance to recovery in psychoanalysis, stimulating much contentious debate. I will illustrate how these ideas have been modified and expanded as both the repudiation of femininity and the death instinct are linked by their envy of the receptive dependence on the good object which lead to a feeling of humiliation and shame in both males and females. When the death instinct is formulated as an anti-life instinct the relationship with envy becomes clearer, the two may indeed turn out to be different aspects of the same thing. In this article I will use clinical material to try to show how the process of negotiating this receptive attitude by repudiating femininity in favour of phallic omnipotence is enacted with perverse behaviour and violence and how, with the help of analysis, the patient may be able to modify their destructive behaviour.

Materialismo dialético, luta de classes e insights filosóficos sobre a educação a partir de Slavoj Žižek

Materialismo dialético, luta de classes e insights filosóficos sobre a educação a partir de Slavoj Žižek Resumo: O artigo aborda a concepção de luta de classes no atual cenário histórico, político e social. O dogma das democracias ocidentais sugere que vivemos numa era pós-ideológica. Isso implica que não há mais espaço para a ideia de luta de classes. Contudo, segundo Žižek, é esse discurso que deve ser enquadrado no campo ideológico. Žižek retoma o conceito de materialismo dialético a fim de demonstrar a contradição interna ao campo ideológico de nossa sociedade dita pós-ideológica. Nesse momento, o conceito de luta de classes retorna à cena. A luta de classes não consiste num antagonismo entre dois polos num espaço comum, mas na fissura inerente ao próprio espaço. Para desenvolver o tema, cabe, antes, abordar o conceito de materialismo teológico de Walter Benjamin, que fundamenta, substancialmente, o conceito de materialismo dialético de Žižek. Importante, igualmente, retomar uma reflexão sobre o conceito de pulsão de morte em Freud, já que tal conceito exprime exatamente a fissura interna à realidade que condiciona a luta de classes. Convém, ademais, compreender como a ideia de educação pode ser pensada a partir da contradição que mobiliza a luta de classes.Palavras-chaves: Materialismo dialético. Luta de classes. Ideologia. Educação. Dialetic materialism, class struggle and philosophical insights on education from Slavoj Žižek Abstract: The article discusses the concept of class struggle in the current historical, political and social scenario. The dogma of Western democracies suggests that we live in a post-ideological era. This implies that there is no longer any room for the idea of ​​class struggle. However, according to Žižek, it is this discourse that must be framed in the ideological domain. Žižek takes up the concept of dialectical materialism in order to demonstrate the internal contradiction to the ideological field of our so-called post-ideological society. At this point, the concept of class struggle returns to the scene. The class struggle does not consist of an antagonism between two poles in a common space, but in the fissure inherent in the space itself. To develop the theme, it is first necessary to approach Walter Benjamin's concept of theological materialism, which substantially supports Žižek's concept of dialectical materialism. It is also important to resume a reflection on the concept of the death instinct in Freud, because this concept expresses exactly the internal fissure in reality which conditions the class struggle. In addition, it is important to understand how the idea of ​​education can be thought of from the contradiction that mobilizes the class struggle.Keywords: Dialectical materialism. Class struggle. Ideology. Education. Matérialisme dialetique, lutte de classe et insights philosophiques sur l'éducation de Slavoj Zižek Résumé: L'article aborde le concept de lutte des classes dans le scénario historique, politique et social actuel. Le dogme des démocraties Occidentales sugère que nous vivons à une époque post-idéologique. Cela implique qu'il n'y a plus de place pour l'idée de lutte de classe. Cependant, selon Žižek, c'est ce discours qui doit être cadré dans le domaine idéologique. Žižek reprend le concept de matérialisme dialectique afin de démontrer la contradiction interne au champ idéologique de notre soi-disant société post-idéologique. À ce moment, le concept de lutte des classes revient sur la scène. La lutte des classes ne consiste pas en un antagonisme entre deux pôles dans un espace commun, mais dans la fissure inhérente à l'espace lui-même. Pour développer le thème, il est d'abord nécessaire d'approcher le concept de matérialisme théologique de Walter Benjamin, qui étaye substantiellement le concept de matérialisme dialectique de Žižek. Il est également important de reprendre une réflexion sur le concept d'instinct de mort chez Freud, car ce concept exprime exactement la fissure interne à la réalité qui conditionne la lutte des classes. En outre, il est important de comprendre comment l'idée de l'éducation peut être pensée à partir de la contradiction qui mobilise la lutte des classes.Mots-clés: Matérialisme dialectique. Lutte des classes. Idéologie. Éducation. Data de registro: 09/02/2020Data de aceite: 28/08/2020

Konflik Psikologis Tokoh Terry dalam Novel Janji Pelangi Karya Fahrul Khakim

This research is based on the psychological conflict caused by an accident experienced by Terry's character that causes trauma. This is reflected in Fahrul Khakim's novel Janji Pelangi. The purpose of this study was to describe the type of trauma, the trauma response, and the personality structure of Terry's character, ego, and superego. The method in this research is qualitative with the type of text analysis research studied through literary psychology. The data collection technique is done by reading, listening, and taking notes. The results of this study include three things, first is the type of trauma, there are 8 data divided into four types, namely situational trauma due to accidents, developmental trauma due to peer rejection, intrapsychic trauma due to anxiety, and existential trauma due to accidents. not important. Second, there are 44 trauma response data which are divided into four responses, namely emotional responses that show shame, turmoil, and panic. Furthermore, cognitive responses that indicate inability to think, troublesome, and nightmares. Then, the behavioral response shows closure, and appetite decreases. Then the physiological response is indicated as a pale, sad, and thin face. Third, there are 56 data, each of which is as follows, Id has sub aspects which include life instinct, death instinct, and anxiety. Furthermore, the ego has sub-aspects of repression, projection, and regression. Then, the superego embraces morality and the pursuit of perfection. Keywords: psychological conflict, novel, Terry's character Abstrak: Penelitian ini didasari oleh konflik psikologis karena peristiwa kecelakaan yang dialami Tokoh Terry sehingga menyebabkan trauma. Kasus tersebut tercermin dalam sebuah novel yang berjudul Janji Pelangi karya Fahrul Khakim. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan tipe trauma, respon trauma, dan struktur kepribadian id, ego, dan superego tokoh Terry. Metode dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian analisis teks yang dikaji melalui psikologi sastra. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan cara membaca, menyimak, dan mencatat. Hasil penelitian ini meliputi tiga hal, pertama adalah tipe trauma ada 8 data yang terbagi atas empat tipe, yaitu trauma situasional karena kecelakaan, trauma perkembangan karena penolakan teman sebaya, trauma intrapsikis karena kecemasan, dan trauma eksistensial karena kekurangberartian. Kedua, respons trauma ada 44 data yang terbagi menjadi empat respons, yaitu respons emosional yang berindikator malu, bergejolak, dan panik. Selanjutnya, respons kognitif yang berindikator berpikir tak sanggup, merepotkan, dan mimpi buruk. Kemudian, respons perilaku berindikator mengurung diri, dan nafsu makan menurun. Lalu, respons fisiologis berindikator pucat pasi, wajah pilu, dan kurus. Ketiga, terdapat 56 data yang masing-masing sebagai berikut, Id memiliki subaspek yang meliputi naluri kehidupan, naluri kematian, dan kecemasan. Berikutnya, ego mempunyai sub aspek represi, projeksi, dan regresi. Kemudian, superego meliputi moralitas dan mengejar kesempurnaan. Kata kunci: konflik psikologis, novel, tokoh Terry

S. Freud. Aggression: between Eros and Thanatos

The article deals with the concept of aggression S. Freud. Aggression is shown as a biological phenomenon interacting with culture. According to Freud, biological phenomena (including human life) are permeated by two aspirations: the instinct of life and the instinct of death. The purpose of life is death, and life itself is a special case of inanimate matter. Aggression is a manifestation of the death instinct. Since the culture designed to restrain individual and mass aggression is itself permeated with both instincts (Eros and Thanatos), the outcome of the struggle between them is unknown.

A commentary on Freud's paper: "Analysis terminable and interminable"

Although Freud's (1937c) paper, "Analysis terminable and interminable" may seem an unlikely paper to write a commentary for the International Journal of Forensic Psychotherapy, I have chosen this paper with particular reference to the forthcoming International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy (IAFP) conference entitled, "Gendercide—the gender divide". Although much has been written on this paper, I am going to concentrate on two issues that are relevant to the IAFP conference and which Freud put forward to account for his pessimism regarding the efficacy of psychoanalysis, namely the death instinct and, in particular, the repudiation of femininity. I will also relate the relevance of these features to clinical practice.

The Curse of Thanatos: A Freudian Approach to Marsha Norman’s ‘Night, Mother

Marsha Norman (1947- ) is a well-known American playwright who burdens a heavy task to explore the disturbed psyche of women in the American society. Many of those female figures suffer from the fragile troubled psychology due to social imperfections as divorce, abandonment, unemployment, and lack of communication. These acts will be converted into traumas stored in the unconscious mind as reminiscences, which will indirectly lead to self-destructiveness. Freud attributes the emergence of death instinct to frustration, anger, and depression. This paper will focus on the concept of death from a Freudian perspective; in order to highlight the suicide’s motives dominated the main character of Norman’s ‘Night, Mother. It also demonstrates how Jessie strives to gain her subjectivity and liberty to end her life by committing suicide. Norman has attempted to investigate in this play what threatens and destroys the social and ethical texture of the American family. Keywords: Thanatos, Death, Norman, Freud, Suicide, Jessie.

Envy: How to Interpret a Mortal Sin?

Envy has always been a frequent topic in religious scriptures and literature. Freud formulated penis envy as a central element in female psychology. Nowadays this theory has been largely abandoned. Envy, however, continues to keep its position as a central psychoanalytic concept in the form of oral envy. Melanie Klein conceptualized it as a direct derivative of the death instinct. This paper starts with demonstrating examples of envy in literature. The author continues with searching his own life for traces of envy. He then draws on his own clinical practice and on case studies of other analysts. He concludes that a theory, describing envy as directly deriving from the death drive does not do justice to the multiple aspects of the complex emotional state of envy. Anne-Marie and Joseph Sandler’s work on the present and past unconscious as well as Mark Solms’ neuropsychoanalytic research on the unconscious and the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis corroborate this conclusion.

Encounter with Death (II)

The present article is a sequel of “Encounter with Death (I). An Interrupted Dialogue” (DOI:10.2478/rjp-2020-0013 Rom J Psychoanal 2020, 13(1):197-204) and it aims at exploring the possible psychoanalytical semantics of the double suicide committed by Arthur Koestler in 1983, together with his wife, Cynthia, at their home in London. It tries to relate the tragic event (in the context of Koestler’s previous life-threatening experience in the prison of Seville) to the Freudian death drive and to Imre Hermann’s clinging instinct, as approached in Philippe Van Haute and Tomas Geyskens’s book “From Death Instinct to Attachment Theory”.