"Thanatos"
Abstract: The principle of the death drive (Thanatos) is understood as a genuine psychic force connected with the mother complex. Destructivity in repetitious form temporarily emancipates the ego from unconscious dependency in the psychology of phallic-narcissism. It is also present in the immature or fragile personality (the weak ego). Thanatos is unconsciously therapeutic in that it aims at strengthening a weak ego consciousness, thus to ward off unconscious wholeness, invariably associated with the Mother archetype, in which the borders of personality are dissolved. Although it serves to avoid regression, destructiveness can become obsessive. The sun-god Horus's perennial struggle against Seth, in Egyptian mythology, illustrates the dynamics of Thanatos. Accordingly, every night Seth defends the sun bark by defeating the negative Mother in the guise of the chaos monster Apophis. Thanks to Seth, the sun of consciousness is restored and can rise again in the morning. In history, phallocentric culture is sustained by Thanatos in its restorative capacity, but this runs counter to the ideals of patriarchal culture, whose guiding star is Horus.
Keywords: Todestrieb, trauma, suicide, mortido, destrudo, patriarchal, Phallic Mother.
Read the article here:
http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/thanatos.htm
Mats Winther
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