Table Of ContentFreud, Psychoanalysis and Death
Was “death” a lacuna at the heart of Sigmund Freud’s work? Liran
Razinsky argues that the question of death is repressed, rejected and
avoided by Freud, therefore resulting in an impairment of the entire
theoretical structure of psychoanalysis. Razinsky supports his claim
through a series of close readings of psychoanalytic texts (including
not just Freud, but Klein, Kohut, Jung and Lacan, among others)
that explore psychoanalysis’ inattention to this fundamental human
concern. The readings are combined to form an overall critique of
psychoanalysis—onethatremainssympatheticbutcallsforarethinking
oftheissueofdeath.Inpresentingafreshandpersuasiveinterpretation
oftheFreudiancorpus,thisbookwillbeofinteresttoscholarsofFreud’s
thoughtandpsychoanalysis,literaryscholars,analysts,cliniciansandall
thosecuriousaboutdeath’spsychiclife.
liran razinsky is a Lecturer in the Department of Hermeneutics
and Cultural Studies at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. He works in both
French and comparative literature, and critical theory, as well as in
theoreticalpsychoanalysis.
Freud, Psychoanalysis
and Death
Liran Razinsky
cambridge university press
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ISBN978-1-107-00972-1
1. Death–Psychologicalaspects. 2. Psychoanalysis. 3. Freud,Sigmund,
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2012018825
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Contents
Acknowledgments pageix
Introduction 1
Deathintheory 5
Deathintheclinic 9
Thestructureofthebook 12
Chapter 1: Against death: Freudand the questionof death’s
psychic presence 15
Thecaseagainstrepresentation 15
Thedesiringmachine(hitsthewallofreality) 24
TheIofthebeholder 26
Thecaseagainstfear 30
Doubtandhesitation 37
Chapter 2: “Most of the timelife appears souncertain to
me”: Death as aconcern in Freud’slife 40
Chapter 3: The dream of death: TheInterpretation of Dreams 46
Opening:Deathrepresentableandirrepresentable 46
Dyingthedeathoftheother 50
Nonvixit 52
Dyinginone’sdreams 56
Finallyhemeltedaway 56
Acastlebythesea 59
Autopsy-choanalyzingoneself 62
Howmuchtime? 64
Imustnotgoyet?Avisittotheunderworld 67
Concernforothers 67
Limping,pale,andseriouslyill.Irma 69
Chapter 4: Todream,perchance to die: A further exploration
of The Interpretation of Dreams 75
Deathandambition 75
Themanwiththebeard 76
Nonvixit 77
Rome 78
“Imustnotdelayanylonger” 81
v
vi Contents
Lateinlife 82
TheBotanicalMonograph 83
Methodinthemadness 85
The“1851and1856”dream 86
Aspire–expire 87
Death,anabsurdity 89
Fatheronhisdeath-bed 90
Death:Betweendenialandrecognition 92
Fordustthouart 93
Nightofthelivingdead 97
Anxietyandwish 98
Conclusions:Deathanddreams 101
Chapter 5: Death andanxiety 105
Chapter 6: Astruggle with the concept of death: “Thoughts
for the Times on War andDeath” 112
Givingdeaththeplacewhichisitsdue 114
Butwhatistheplacewhichisdeath’sdue? 117
Thehigheststakeinthegameofliving 120
Thedirectencounterwithdeath 124
Theinfluenceofwar 126
Freud’shesitation 127
Chapter 7: Drivingdeathaway:Freud’stheoryofthedeathdrive 131
Thedeathdriveanddeath 133
Dyingyourowndeath 142
Critiquesofthedeathdrive 146
Recastingthedeathdriveasanexistentialconcept 149
Thedeathdrive,Freud,anddeath:Furtherconsiderations 152
Chapter 8: Death andculture: Death as acentral motif in
Freud’s culturalandliteraryanalyses 155
Thedeadandus 155
Immortality 155
Theuncanny 158
TotemandTaboo 160
Transientlives 161
Furtherthoughtson“Thoughts” 162
OnTransience 164
Chapter 9: Avoidance and reduction of death in psychoanalysis 170
Reduction 170
Generalizationandnon-specification 173
Sexualizationofdeath 175
Renderingdeathawishandactivizingthesubjectindeath 176
Concretizingdeath 177
Pathologizationofthepsychicreactiontodeath 178
Anegativemoraljudgment 180
Overlookingdeath 182
Contents vii
Intermezzo:Dyingwithoutdeath—MourningandMelancholia 183
Treatingdeathasaproblemoftheillandelderly 189
“Sowhat?” 189
Chapter 10: The post-Freudians in the labyrinth of death 191
TheKleinians 191
TheKleinianunderstandingofthefearofdeath 193
Thetheory’sapplication 195
Erikson 197
Kohut 201
Jung 204
Winnicott 206
Chapter 11: Lacan 208
Thesymbolic,theimaginary,andthereal 209
Thesymbolic 209
Theimaginary 211
Thereal 213
Tragicpathsandthedeathdrive 215
Thenatureofdesire 216
DasDing 218
Theconcretefearofdeath 219
Conclusion:Talkingaboutdeath 220
Chapter 12: Attempts at reconciliation 222
RankandBecker 222
Piven 224
Lifton 225
Deathequivalents 226
Yalomandclinicalapproaches 228
Facingtheabyssandsurvivingit 230
Existentialpsychoanalysis:Handlingotherness 232
Bridgestoone’spast 233
Chapter 13: Sourcesof the clash: The conflictbetween
analyticideasand concern with death 236
Wheredoestheproblemlie?Someanalytictenetsthat
hindertheintegrationofdeath 236
Thedeterministic-mechanisticmodel 237
Thefocusonthepast 238
Thedetachabilityofaffectandcontent 238
Theinterdependenceofpsychicevents 239
Theinstinctualmodel 240
Thefocusonpresence 240
Explainingtheexternalintermsoftheinternal 241
Theanalyticperspectiveonreality 242
Thefocusonrelationalaspects 243
Recoilingfromthe“high”:Againstphilosophy 243
GeneralityversusidiosyncrasyI:Universalexplanations 245
Therapeuticpessimism 246
viii Contents
Aspectsofdeaththatlie—ordothey?Beyondpsychoanalysis 247
Deathandthemeaningoflife 247
Analyticsensibilitieshelpfultotheintegrationofdeath 248
“Freudianpessimism” 249
Truthandillusion 249
GeneralityversusidiosyncrasyII:Idiosyncraticexplorations 249
Chapter 14: Deathin life 253
Deathinpraxis 254
Thepsychiclifeofdeath 257
Deathanxietyandthethoughtofdeath 260
Onnotknowingdeath:Defensesanddistortions 261
Deathasadynamicabsence 265
Tobewithnot-to-be 274
Knowledgeofdeathandtheencounterwithit 276
Final thoughts 279
References 286
Index 299
