The death instinct and the mental dimension beyond the pleasure principle in the works of Spielrein and Freud

Abstract

In 'Destruction as Cause of Come-into-being', Spielrein argues for the need of postulating the existence of a death instinct in mental functioning. The idea that she thus anticipated the concept of death instinct Freud introduced in 1920 is often found in psychoanalytic literature. But the specific meaning of Spielrein's hypothesis is seldom discussed, as well as the extent to which she anticipated Freud's concept. In fact, there are important differences between their views. Besides, a closer analysis of Spielrein's text reveals other ideas that come close to fundamental aspects of Freud's theories from 1920 onwards, particularly the assumption of a more primordial mental functioning than the one regulated by the pleasure principle. But also here there are important differences between the views sustained by both authors. With this in view, the objective of this paper is firstly to discuss some hypotheses formulated by Spielrein in her 1912 work in order to elucidate her concept of death instinct as well as her hypothesis of the existence of a more primitive mental functioning than the one governed by the pleasure principle. Next, the question of the possible similarities and differences with regard to Freud's concepts is also addressed.

Personal Conflict in Gohatto: Between Life and Death

“…Ekspresi dan tindakan Kondō tersebut sebagai pimpinan Shinsengumi menyatakan dirinya sebagai seorang samurai yang memiliki kontrol diri yang baik, yang setia terhadap tugasnya, dan terbukti melalui manifestasi energi positif insting hidupnya, yang mengarahkan dorongan libido menjadi energi kehidupan mempertahankan stabilitas kelompoknya. Sebagaimana yang dinyatakan dalam teori Freud, bahwa dorongan seksual berada pada posisi yang berlawanan dengan dorongan ego (Caropreso, 2017(Caropreso, , p. 1753, tindakan Kondō Isami tersebut dapat dipahami sebagai antikateksis yaitu dengan tidak mengikuti dorongan id, tetapi mengarahkan dorongan id pada dirinya (ego) menjadi insting untuk mempertahankan stabilitas kelompoknya dan menjadi insting kehidupan sebagai energi positif yang membangun daya bertahan hidup bagi kelompoknya.…”

As hipóteses teóricas de Sabina Spielrein nas suas cartas a Carl Gustav Jung (1917-1918)

“…The interest in Spielrein, awaken by Carotenuto's publication was specially focused, at first, on her biography, so that her role as an innovative clinic and the creator of unprecedented concepts in the psychoanalytical field remained in the background, as commented by Cromberg (2012). Although the situation is being reverted in the last years with the publication of works focusing mainly on her theoretical production (Caropreso, 2016(Caropreso, , 2017a(Caropreso, , 2017bCooper-Whiter, 2015;Covington & Wharton, 2003;Cromberg, 2014;Harris, 2015;Noth, 2015;Santiago-Delefosse & Delefosse, 2002;Skea, 2006;Vidal, 2011), there are still only a few studies specifically dedicated to the analysis of her thoughts, which can allow for the understanding of the complex theory elaborated by Spielrein and to assess her importance for the history of psychoanalysis and psychology. This context justifies carrying out studies directed towards the analysis of her theoretical proposals.…”

O Conhecimento E O Sentido De Realidade No Pensamento De Sándor Ferenczi

“…Entre outras coisas, para ela, o instinto de morte seria interno ao instinto sexual e não um impulso independente e oposto aquele de preservação da vida. Além disso, de acordo com suas hipóteses, o instinto de morte não visaria à aniquilação da vida como um todo, mas a destruição do ego e tal destruição seria condição e traria necessariamente como consequência a criação de algo novo, diferentemente de Freud (Caropreso, 2016(Caropreso, , 2017. Embora Ferenczi mantenha o pressuposto freudiano de que a pulsão de morte é uma classe de pulsões independente da pulsão de vida, distanciando-se, nesse aspecto, de Spielrein, ele a vincula a um aspecto construtivo ao propor que a destruição é condição para o devir; que a destruição do ego é condição para a representação e o conhecimento do mundo.…”