Death Instinct (Noun)
Meaning
(psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die.
Classification
Nouns denoting goals.
Examples
- According to Freud's theory, the death instinct is a universal force that drives humans to self-destruct.
- His destructive tendencies were fueled by a powerful death instinct that made him sabotage every good opportunity that came his way.
- In the therapist's opinion, her patient's constant engagement in high-risk activities was a manifestation of an underlying death instinct.
- Some researchers argue that the human tendency towards addiction and substance abuse can be seen as an expression of the death instinct.
- Critics of Freud's psychoanalytic theory often question the existence of the death instinct as an unconscious force driving human behavior.