Sigmund Freud's concept of instincts

1. Libido & Thanatos
drives
Libido
&
Thanatos
drives
Under the Guidance of
Mrs. Mala Roy
Dept. of Psychology
RTMNU Campus (2016-17)
Paper III : Personality Theories I
Presented by:
Porshia Chawla
MA 1st Year (Sem. 1)

2. (Mental Representation)
Mind
Physiological
Excitation
Physiological
Excitation
Wish Fulfillment Displacement

3. Libido & Thanatos
drives
INSTINCTS
Eros / Libido
(Life Instincts)
Thanatos
(Death Instincts)

4. Libido & Thanatos
drives
 Maintains vital life processes & ensure propagation of species
 Also known as sexual instincts called “Libido”
 Works on pleasure principle
 Sex as primary motivation
 Erotic wishes arise from body’s erogenous zones :
the mouth, anus & sex organs
 Manipulating erogenous zones will reduce the tension
 Sucking produces oral pleasure, elimination anal pleasure
and massaging or rubbing genital pleasure
Eros/Libido

5. Libido & Thanatos
drives
 Destructive Instincts
 Biologically rooted – All things decay and die
 People have unconscious wish to die
 Wish to die  Aggressive drive
 Cruelty, aggression, suicide, murder are all
manifestations of aggression
 Works on principle of entropy – System of seeking balance
 Desire for death = desire for peace, escape from stimulation
 Attraction to narcotics, craving for rest and sleep,
loosing oneself in books and movies
Thanatos

6. Libido & Thanatos
drives
Cathexis
Driving Forces
Anticathexis
Restraining Forces
Psychoanalytical Motivation
System

7. Libido & Thanatos
drives
References
 Hjelle, L. A. & Ziegler, D. J. (1992) Personality Theories, Basic assumptions,
research & application, 3rd edn. McGraw-Hill Inc. International Edition. pp
91-94
Schultz, D.P. and Schultz, S.E. (2009) Theories of personality, Ninth
edition. Cengage Learning, Wadsworth, Belmont, CA 94002-3098 USA. pp
54-56.

8. Libido & Thanatos
drives
Thank You