Destrudo
Encyclopedia
Destrudo is a term introduced by Italian psychoanalyst Edoardo Weiss in 1935 to denote the energy of the death instinct, on the analogy of libido
' - and thus to cover the energy of the destructive impulse
in Freudian
psychology.
- the urge to create, an energy that arises from the Eros (or "life") drive - and is the urge to destroy arising from Thanatos ("death"), an aspect of what Sigmund Freud
termed "the aggressive instincts, whose aim is destruction".
Weiss described how secondary narcissism related not only to libido turning towards the self, but also to aggression, which he called "Destrudo", which behaved in an identical way. Unfortunately this paper, which contains many interesting ideas, is written in a rather obscure German'.
Perhaps as a result, whereas Weiss, Federn
's disciple, collaborator, and the editor of his writings, preferred to call this second energy "destrudo"...[Federn's] term "mortido
" has been used by other analytic writers more generally'. Eric Berne
wrote that 'The term mortido is taken from Paul Federn...Weiss calls it "destrudo"'.
Interestingly enough 'Freud never bothered to name the aggressive and destructive energy of the death drive, as he did when he called the energy of the life drive "libido". With this in mind, Federn called this new energy source "mortido", while some others, like Charles Brenner
(1973,;22), elected the term "destrudo" for this purpose'.
to make at least metaphorical use of the term Destrudo. Descriptions of 'the struggle between the principles of destrudo and libido', of 'the mystification of the destrudo', and of how in artistic images 'incestuous libido and patricidal destrudo are thence reflected back against the individual and his society' are thus not uncommon.
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
' - and thus to cover the energy of the destructive impulse
Impulse (psychology)
An impulse is a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one. It can be considered as a normal and fundamental part of human thought processes, but also one that can become problematic, as in a condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder....
in Freudian
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
psychology.
Libido
Destrudo is the opposite of libidoLibido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
- the urge to create, an energy that arises from the Eros (or "life") drive - and is the urge to destroy arising from Thanatos ("death"), an aspect of what Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
termed "the aggressive instincts, whose aim is destruction".
Weiss described how secondary narcissism related not only to libido turning towards the self, but also to aggression, which he called "Destrudo", which behaved in an identical way. Unfortunately this paper, which contains many interesting ideas, is written in a rather obscure German'.
Perhaps as a result, whereas Weiss, Federn
Paul Federn
Paul Federn was an Austrian-American psychologist who was a native of Vienna. Federn is largely remembered for his theories involving ego psychology and therapeutic treatment of psychosis....
's disciple, collaborator, and the editor of his writings, preferred to call this second energy "destrudo"...[Federn's] term "mortido
Mortido
Mortido is a term used in Freudian psychoanalysis to refer to 'a form of energy belonging to the death instinct and analogous to libido'. 'The term "mortido", which is nowadays rarely used...designates here the destructive mode of psychic energy'....
" has been used by other analytic writers more generally'. Eric Berne
Eric Berne
Eric Berne was a Canadian-born psychiatrist best known as the creator of transactional analysis and the author of Games People Play.-Background and education:...
wrote that 'The term mortido is taken from Paul Federn...Weiss calls it "destrudo"'.
Interestingly enough 'Freud never bothered to name the aggressive and destructive energy of the death drive, as he did when he called the energy of the life drive "libido". With this in mind, Federn called this new energy source "mortido", while some others, like Charles Brenner
Charles Brenner (psychiatrist)
Charles Brenner was an American psychoanalyst who served as President of the New York Psychoanalytic Society, and is perhaps best known for his contributions to drive theory, the structure of the mind, and conflict theory....
(1973,;22), elected the term "destrudo" for this purpose'.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism has been almost more prepared than psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
to make at least metaphorical use of the term Destrudo. Descriptions of 'the struggle between the principles of destrudo and libido', of 'the mystification of the destrudo', and of how in artistic images 'incestuous libido and patricidal destrudo are thence reflected back against the individual and his society' are thus not uncommon.
Further reading
- Edoardo Weiss, Principles of Psychodynamics (New York 1950)
- Bernard Golse, "Destrudo"