Mourning and Melancholia
1917 work by Sigmund Freud
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"Mourning and Melancholia" (German: Trauer und Melancholie) is a 1917 work of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.[1]
| Author | Sigmund Freud |
|---|---|
| Original title | Trauer und Melancholie |
| Language | German |
| Subjects | Mourning Melancholia |
Publication date | 1917 |
| Publication place | Germany |
In this essay, Freud argues that mourning and melancholia are similar but different responses to loss. In mourning, a person deals with the grief of losing a specific love object, and this process takes place in the conscious mind. In melancholia, a person grieves for a loss they are unable to fully comprehend or identify, and thus this process takes place in the unconscious mind. Mourning is considered a healthy and natural process of grieving a loss, while melancholia is considered pathological.
It has been argued by some writers that Freud's description of mourning in this work is not compatible with current models of mourning.[2][3]
Bibliography
- Freud, Sigmund (1914–1916). The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XIV, On The History of Psycho-Analytic Movement, Papers on Metapsychology and Other Works (PDF). London: Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-Analysis. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
The book link is to Sigmund Freud's essay "Mourning and Melacholia" which has been extracted from the book
.
