Some Preliminary Notes on an Empirical Test of Freud’s Theory on Depression

Frontiers in Psychology

Mattias Desmet¹ 

关键词: mourning and melancholia;    depression;    narcissistic identification;    conceptual analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00158

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

A review of the literature indicates that empirical researchers have difficulty translating Freud’s theory on depression into appropriate research questions and hypotheses. In their attempt to do so, the level of complexity in Freud’s work is often lost. As a result, what is empirically tested is no more than a caricature of the original theory. To help researchers avoid such problems, this study presents a conceptual analysis of Freud’s theory of depression as it is presented in Mourning and Melancholia (Freud, 1917). In analyzing Freud’s theory on the etiology of depression, it is essential to differentiate between (1) an identification with the satisfying and frustrating aspects of the love object, (2) the inter- and an intrapersonal loss of the love object, and (3) conscious and unconscious dynamics. A schematic representation of the mechanism of depression is put forward and a research design by which this schema can be empirically investigated is outlined.

【 授权许可】

CC BY