The misinterpretation of Sigmund Freud's concept of death instinct.

摘要

This thesis presents a discussion of the meaning of the death instinct as originally intended by Freud. Freud's definition of the death instinct is embedded in his educational training as a medical doctor, rather than a psychiatrist. He outlined the death instinct as cellular level death embedded in all living things. Freud was the first investigator in medical science to discuss and conceptualize the processes of death and dying in terms of the death instinct (Klain & Zurak, 1999). The death instinct was purely biologically based, according to Freud. This thesis will discuss the fact that the death instinct, as proposed by Freud, was not intended to have psychological, emotional, or behavioral correlates.;Freud's life and death instincts are discussed. In addition, other literature is reviewed to evaluate major distortions and misinterpretations of the death instinct. This thesis compares, and contrasts, various misinterpretations of the meaning of the death instinct in the field of psychiatry and psychology beyond problems caused by translating Freud from German to English. Finally, this thesis outlines specific conclusions Freud intended in his definition of the death instinct.;Also, future research is suggested, along the lines of exploring individual differences and clinical applications with respect to aggressive, self-destructive behaviors and suicidal ideation. Other, suggested research, includes exploring psychosocial variables of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors as they may relate to the biological basis of death and dying as proposed, originally, by Sigmund Freud.