Question

Freud’s ‘‘Beyond the pleasure principle’’: The end of psychoanalysis or its new beginning?

Answer 1

Answer- Sigmund Freud was one of the greatest psychologist of our society. "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" is an essay by Sigmund Freud that became the turning point in his theoretical approach of psychoanalysis. Previously, Freud focused on human behaviour related to the sexual instinct. But with "Beyond the Pleasure Principle", he developed his theory with the addition of the death drive. This essay describes two opposing drives of human behaviour, first is Eros that includes creativity, harmony, sexual connection, reproduction and self preservation and second is Thanatos which contains destruction, repetition, aggression, compulsion and self destruction. This essay brought a new change in the theory of psychoanalysis, at the same time, it became Freud's most controversial text. Many researchers rejected the theory described in "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" because the addition of death instinct seemed inappropriate to them.