Thanatos: what is the death drive according to Sigmund Freud?

One of the most important concepts of Freudian psychoanalytic theory and psychodynamics.

Talking about Freud and Freudian psychoanalysis usually implies, generally, talking about libido and sexual drive at some point. The father of psychoanalysis considered that psychic life was mainly linked to this type of drive, the libido being the core of psychic life and vital energy.

However, this drive, also called life drive or Eros (in reference to the Greek god), is not the only important drive for the author. Throughout his work and as he advanced in the formulation of his theory Freud considered the existence of another type of drive contrary to the first one that explains a part of the human psyche Eros fails to close. We are talking about the death drive or Thanatosabout which we are going to talk throughout this article.

Thanatos as drive: definition of the death drive

The death drive or Thanatos is a concept developed by Sigmund FreudIt is defined as the unconscious impulse and generator of organic excitation (i.e. a drive) that appears as the search of the being to return to the absolute rest of non-existence. It could be considered as the impulse that seeks its own death and disappearance.

While Eros seeks to unite Eros seeks to unite and preserve life, in addition to satisfying the libidoThanatos seeks to satisfy the aggressive and destructive impulses, aiming at the disunion of matter and the return to the inorganic state. This impulse often appears in the form of aggressiveness towards others or towards oneself, whether it occurs directly or indirectly. Likewise, while Eros is a force that generates dynamism, Thanatos is characterized by withdrawal and the search for repose unless it is associated with eroticism.

Thanatos is not guided by the principle of pleasure, like Eros, but by the principle of Nirvana: it seeks dissolution, the reduction and elimination of excitement not to find pleasure in the resolution of conflicts that allow survival and the resolution of conflicts but to find it in the dissolution and return to nothingness. to find it in the dissolution and the return to nothingness..

This concept has the particularity of being something little visible in a direct way: while Eros or libidinal vital energy facilitates union and action, Thanatos tends to show itself in an indirect way through projection, through aggression or through non-action or linkage with the world. An example of this is the emission of unhealthy behaviors or the resignation and passive acceptance of some kind of aversive event.

The drive fusion

Eros and Thanatos do not remain separate drives but interact continuously, although they are opposing forces. they are opposing forcesEros is a force of union and Thanatos of disunion.

Although part of the death drive remains disunited, something that generates a gradual drift towards death, the fusion of this with Eros has as a consequence that a great part of the death drive manifests itself by projecting itself outwards, generating aggressiveness.

Death drive, not always negative

According to the father of psychoanalysis, both the life drive and the death drive are essential for the human being and are presented in a continuous conflict that in multiple aspects is beneficial for the human being.

Although the idea of death drive is controversial and may seem aversive, the truth is that for Freud it is a kind of impulse necessary for survival.

At the psychic level, the existence of the death drive allows us to separate ourselves from objects, which in turn makes it possible for us not to identify and merge psychically with them, preserving our individuality.. There is also a certain link with the Oedipus complex, with libidinal and aggressive aspects towards the parents.

In addition, evolutionarily, the aggressiveness resulting from the fusion of both types of drive is advantageous in certain situations, allowing the struggle for survival and self-defense..

Likewise, the conflict between life drive and death drive is also associated with the moment of orgasm, being Eros what makes one seek sexual and erotic satisfaction but linking sex itself and the moment of climax to a discharge, linked to the idea of rest and return to the basal and there is a certain aggressive component in it.

In fact, authors such as Lacan would identify the death drive with the idea of jouissance, of satisfaction in the face of what should generally satisfaction in the face of what should generally cause us displeasure.. This explains in part the satisfaction that can cause something like revenge, sadism or even the suffering of oneself or others.

In pathology

The death drive can be positive, but it can also be reflected in aspects that are not so favorable for the human being.

Freud would come to consider that the concept of guilt would be linked to the death driveThe perseverance of unhealthy behaviors or even the compulsion to repeat unpleasant acts, such as self-injury or different types of compulsive behaviors, can also be related to Thanatos. Also the emergence of vital resignation, hopelessness and abulia can be related to Thanatos, as well as rumination and claudication. Likewise, taken to the extreme, this drive can lead to masochistic attitudes or to ideation or autolytic attempts.

And not only at the psychopathological level: the emission of responses of anger, denial and rejection or even resignation in the presence of difficulties, such as suffering from chronic diseases, would also be linked to Thanatos. An example of this would be doing something that we know is against our health (e.g. a diabetic (e.g. a diabetic eating something he should not, or the fact of Smoking in someone with pulmonary emphysema).

Eros and Thanatos: from mythology to Freud

Freud named the life and death drives Eros and Thanatos respectively, in clear reference to Greek mythology. That is why, in order to conclude the article, it may be interesting to analyze the deity that symbolizes them.

Eros is one of the best known deities of the Greek pantheon, being the god of love, vitality and amorous passion. In most versions of the Greek myth he is the son of the goddess of love Aphrodite and the god of war Ares, although in others, according to Plato in "The Banquet", he is the son of the goddess of poverty Penia and the god of abundance Poros, conceived in the celebration of Aphrodite's birthday (something that could be related to different types of love relationships).

Thanatos on the other hand is the god of non-violent death, son of the goddess of the night Nix and the god of darkness, Erebus.. This god, twin of Hypnos, the god of sleep, acted with a certain gentleness, being his touch soft and being in charge of the fulfillment of the will of the moiras regarding the fate of mortals when their time came. Nevertheless, it was a feared being and a force of disunion with life, also linked to the resignation to die.

This description can show us some of the main attributes of the life and death drives. But mythology allows us to see not only that the attributes associated with these gods are antagonistic, but also that there are some myths referring to the conflict between life and death. there are also some myths concerning the conflict between them.. One of them is linked to the death of the nymph Nymphea.

The myth tells us that Eros, god of love and in some versions of eroticism and passion, tended to approach and incite the goddess Artemis (goddess of hunting as well as virginity) and the nymphs (also virgin), to which the goddess responded by pushing him away with her dates. Tired of this Eros decided to throw one of his love arrows at the goddess in order to make her fall in love, but after the arrow was dodged by Artemis it hit one of the nymphs, Nymphea.

The nymph began to experience a high level of desire and sexual excitement, in an uncontrolled manner, arising a strong conflict between this desire and the chastity that was proper to her. This conflict caused her such anxiety that she decided to seek release in death, throwing herself into the waters of a lake in order to drown. At that moment Eros tried to save her, but was stopped by the god of non-violent death, Thanatos. Because of this Ninfae drowned, being subsequently transformed by Artemis into the first water lily and receiving the gift of reducing passion. and receiving the gift of reducing passion.

This myth (which has different versions), shows the interaction and conflict between the vital and destructive energy that is part of our psyche, according to Freudian theory.

Bibliographical references:

• Corsi, P. (2002). Preliminary approach to Freud's concept of death drive. Revista Chilena de Neuropsiquiatría, 40: 361-70.
• Freud, S. (1976). Beyond the pleasure principle OC XVIII 1920; 1-62.