Beyond the Pleasure Principle-First Edition Text (International Psycho-Analytical Library)

Reprint 2010 of 1922 edition. Beyond the Pleasure Principle marked a turning point and a major modification of Freuds previous theoretical approach. Before this essay Freud was understood to have placed the sexual instinct Eros centre stage in explaining the forces which drive us to act. In 1920 going beyond the simple pleasure principle Freud developed his theory of drives by adding the death instinct often referred to as Thanatos although Freud himself never used this term.The main importance of the essay resides in the striking picture of human beings struggling between two opposing instincts or drives: Eros working for creativity harmony sexual connection reproduction and self-preservation; Thanatos for destruction repetition aggression compulsion and self-destruction. Freud also took the opportunity to state the basic differences as he saw them between his approach and that of Carl Jung and covered the history so far of research into the basic drives.