Making Death Thinkable: A Psychoanalytic Contribution to the Problem of the Transience of Life

By Franco De Masi

Mans perception of the finite nature of life is always present, resulting in anxieties of varying intensity, depending on the persons character and on the phases of life he is going through. De Masi is aware of the philosophical, sociological, religious or mystical approaches to the problem of death, but he chooses to focus on, and remain within, the theoretical frame of reference of psychoanalysis. He explores how different psychoanalytic theories have addressed the issue of death, its presence or absence in the unconscious, as well as the implications of the theories of the death instinct on a more strictly clinical and technical level. Moreover, De Masi is interested in thinking about the psychological resources available to man, to make death thinkable, when its inevitable occurrence needs to be faced. He is concerned with the transformation of the thought of death, from an unthinkable catastrophic event, to a natural conclusion of ones existence. As a psychoanalyst, he explores

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853437832
• ISBN13: 9781853437830
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Free Association Books
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"