Beyond the Pleasure Principle

By Sigmund Freud

"Perfect for students on a tight budget wanting a copy they can mark up with their own notes, or for anyone interested in just reading the text." — University of St. Andrews
This controversial 1920 publication marks a turning point in the celebrated philosopher's theoretical approach. Previously, Freud considered most behavior attributable to sexual impulses. In this volume, he expands his theory beyond these creative impulses to discuss the impact on human psychology of the death drive, or "Thanatos," which he defines as "an urge inherent in all organic life to restore an earlier state of things."
Beyond the Pleasure Principle is among Freud's most intensely debated works, and the important questions that it raises continue to be widely debated a century later. Rejected by some as a pseudo-biological speculation, the concept of Thanatos was embraced by others and formed a path to subsequent theories concerning the mind's attacks on itself, negative narcissism, and addiction to near-death experiences. The concept also helped link Western psychoanalysis with Eastern perspectives on life and death, making this book essential reading for students of psychology, history, and literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Nov 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9780486800714

Book preview

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Reviews for Beyond the Pleasure Principle

[amydross · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a strange book! Not what I was expecting at all... Freud is not at his best, I think, when dabbling in pseudo-biology. Ultimately, the idea of a death instinct is more compelling than the argument as it appears here.

[bloom_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This little book is indubitable proof of the breadth and depth of Freud's thinking. It is a fascinating and multi-faceted read, containing elements of psychoanalysis, philosophy, poetry, biology, and the literary theory. You will not believe how quickly Freud is able to move from topic to topic and the absurd range within which he is able to speculate. This is also an extraordinarily challenging read, it requires patience and many re-readings. Freud discusses the compulsion to repeat, transference neurosis, life and death drives, and a number of other cognitive and behavioral topics.Here is a curious quote I adore: "In the last resort, what has left its mark on the development of organisms must be the history of the earth we live in and its relation to the sun" (pg. 45).Beyond the Pleasure Principle is a seminal component of his expansive corpus, and should be standard reading for psychologists.