Sigmund #freud (1856–1939) did not acknowledge at every opportunity an intellectual debt towards Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) because he claimed to have created the theory of the #unconscious or theory of #instincts as a driving force of human psychology. However, anyone familiar with Freud’s and Schopenhauer’s ideas cannot possibly fail to notice the close similarity between Freud’s theory of the unconscious and Schopenhauer’s ideas, in particular, the theory of the will (“life force”). Let us examine in detail how Freud’s work relies on a view of human life very similar to Schopenhauer’s. Freud published in 1914 his essay “On narcissism” in which he argues that a certain level of self-respect is necessary for a #healthy personality. The problem arises when the individual is pushing his desires (conscious or unconscious) beyond what is socially acceptable. Schopenhauer’s influence is already visible at this stage. In “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer had pointed out that the will (“life force” or “primary energy”) is often prompting humans to foolish behaviour. Narcissism is just one example of the aberrant influence of the will, although Schopenhauer did not pick up this clue. He regarded the will as a strong, irrational force that disrupts how people behave, but did not go into psychological details. If one follows Schopenhauer’s logic, mental disturbance can be attributed to the dire influence of the will. Schopenhauer did mention #emotional suffering but failed to categorise the mental distortions (stress, anxiety, panic, narcissism, and others). As time goes by, Freud’s publications resemble more closely to Schopenhauer’s theory of the will but not consistently. When Freud deviates from Schopenhauer’s #philosophy , he comes up with ideas that make no sense. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-influence-on-freud/
