The Writings of Sigmund Freud

The Writings of Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud remains a figure whose influence it is hard to

over-state. While many of his ideas in the field of depth psychology,

a field he largely created, have been compromised and challenged over

the course of the 20th century his influence remains palpable. We

continue to use terms that Freud originated almost unthinkingly -

concepts of frustration, aggression, guilt, anxiety, projection,

defence mechanisms and the unconscious remain dominant. Few of

Freud’s writings touch on matters of direct interest to international

relations but those that do have not only provided compelling

arguments on the origins of war, society and violence but continue to

be of importance. Civilization and Its Discontents [which was itself

an expansion of Freud’s paper Future of an Illusion] and Freud’s brief

correspondence with Albert Einstein on Why War? form the basis for

most of these arguments. Works like Totem and Taboo are more relevant

to sociology and anthropology but are from the same period of study

and so are guides to Freud’s thinking. Freud provides highly complex

and complete explanations not only for human nature and its

predisposition to violence but also for how civilisation monopolises

legitimate violence. He understands, despite the contentions of his

critics, the complex interplay between differing aspects of human

nature and how the community does much to dictate the boundaries of

acceptable behaviour. Most importantly Freud confronts the elements

of human existence which thinking in international relations has

oversimplified, rationalised or avoided since the enlightenment.

Freud’s l...

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...ligion, pp.359

[6] Sigmund Freud, Why War?, in Penguin Freud Library Volume 12:

Civilisation, Society and Religion, pp.355

[7] Chris Brown, Understanding International Relations, pp. 113

[8] Chris Brown, Understanding International Relations, pp. 114

[9] Sigmund Freud, Analysis Terminable and Interminable, quoted in

Abraham Drassinower, Freud’s Theory of Culture: Eros, loss and

politics

[10] Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo, pp.100, quoted in David

Stafford-Clark, What Freud Really Said

[11] David Reisman, Individualism Reconsidered, pp.340, quoted in

Benjamin Nelson [ed], Freud and the 20th Century

[12] Christopher Badcock, Essential Freud, pp.148

[13] Sigmund Freud, letter to Lou Andreas-Salome, 1914, Salome

Letters, pp.21, quoted in J.N. Isbister, Freud: An Introduction to his

Life and Work