'Death Drive': A Literature-based Heuristic Study of the Influence of the Freudian Death Drive on 21st Century Counselling and Psychotherapy Literature
Abstract
The theory of death drive has been controversial from the very start. It has been identified as a myth that had been out of favour in modern psychotherapy and counselling. Such is the dynamism of this ‘dead subject’ that it has been infused with life from 1920 to 2011; as this study will show sometimes by its adherents other times by its dissidents. Through this heuristically informed literature-based research, I endeavour to show the impact of the death drive on the present psychotherapy and counselling literature. Within much of the literature the death drive is perceived as a destructive or daemonic force, only achieving quiescence and Nirvana through addiction. Three emerging themes of Aggression, Quiescence and Narcissism have been further elaborated in chapters 4, 5 and 6. Written from a psychodynamic perspective, with keeping in mind its roots in psychoanalysis, this study concludes that like the phenomenon of death in life, the death drive is also inescapable in counselling and psychotherapy. By not getting mentioned in training and with covert references in literature its ‘unconscious pressure’ is difficult to ignore.Citation
Bains, M. (2011). 'Death Drive': A literature-based heuristic study of the influence of the Freudian Death Drive on 21st century counselling and psychotherapy literature. (Master's thesis). University of Chester, United Kingdom.Publisher
University of ChesterType
Thesis or dissertationLanguage
enCollections
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