Death drive/repetition compulsion

[Bitterfly]

Hello!

I'm doing some research on a poem, found a connection between it and what Freud called the repetition compulsion - researched that and found out it was linked to the death drive. What I don't understand is how... Would anyone happen to know?

PS: I hope I won't offend any philosophers by posting a question about psychoanalysis in this forum... :)

[billyjack]

psychoanalysis and philosophy go together well, no apologies needed.

repetition compulsion is the need to repeat the past. if death is linked to this, then we all must've died before.

[Bitterfly]

Erm, is that supposed to help me? :p

I've thought a little about it, but don't know if have the right answer. Aren't death drive and pleasure principle opposites? In that case, repeating a (usually destructive) action contradicts the pleasure principle, so I suppose it could be connected to the death drive that way. But I'm really not sure about it.

[Cellar Door]

[QUOTE=Bitterfly;623243]Hello!

I'm doing some research on a poem, found a connection between it and what Freud called the repetition compulsion - researched that and found out it was linked to the death drive.



Bitterfly,

The repetition compulsion is linked to the "death drive" in that we all (according to Freud) have a desire to repeat things, namely, a repetition of what it was like before we were alive. Now, the only way to achieve this is by implementing one's demise; hence, the death drive.

In addition, one need not fear offense, as psychoanalysis is very closely related to philosophy, as it is not rooted in science like modern schools of psychology.

I hope this helped.
For more information, you should read Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle