- 168 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
On the Destruction and Death Drives
About this book
'Living with the idea of bearing a death-force fundamentally directed at oneself is hardly easy to admit. It is less so in any case than the idea that we are all murderers, that we are ever ready to plead legitimate defence or the need to survive so as to strike out at another.' André Green, from the Foreword
What drives men to kill and self-destruct? On the Death and Destruction Drives traces the introduction and development of the controversial concept of the "death drive", from the work of Freud (1920–1938) to the main contributions of classical and post-Freudian authors, including Ferenczi, Klein, Bion, Winnicott, and Lacan. Shedding light on non-neurotic phenomena and structures, such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, suicide, criminal behaviour, André Green offers a new perspective on the relationship between the life drive (Eros) and the death drive (Thanatos).
André Green was a key figure in contemporary psychoanalysis, who embraced philosophy and an international outlook to enhance psychoanalytic theory. This book was one of his last works, originally published in French as Pourquoi les pulsions de destruction ou de mort? in 2012. Green's defence of one of Freud's most daring revisions of his drive theory remains relevant to psychoanalytic work today, and it is an honour to bring this excellent translation to the English-speaking world. To enhance its worth, the book includes an introduction from translator Steven Jaron to clarify certain technical terms and situate the book within Green's oeuvre. This book is an important contribution to the development of psychoanalytic theory and essential reading for all trainee and practising psychoanalysts.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Half Title
- Full Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- About the author
- About the editor
- About the translator
- Introduction
- Translator’s preface
- On the edition of 2010
- Foreword
- Chapter 1: Foundations
- Chapter 2: The death drive’s shockwave: Ferenczi, Melanie Klein, Bion, Winnicott, Lacan, and others
- Chapter 3: The death drive in the social field: Discomfort in Culture
- Appendix: The return to biology: apoptosis or self-programmed natural death
- Leave-taking, updated
- Tentative conclusion
- References
- Index