Abstract
In this chapter, I intend to trace the development of Freud’s thought from his introduction of narcissism and the importance he placed on the process and outcome of mourning to his later emphasis on melancholic identification for the construction of the subject. I will suggest that Freud never really abandoned his belief in the significance of mourning as he always prioritised the subject’s identification with the transient power of the rival object (i.e., the father—in the case of the positive Oedipus complex—or mother—in the case of the negative one) over the subject’s identification with the lost object. However, I will also suggest that Freud’s understanding of the nature of melancholic identification is particularly significant as it throws light on the current social conditions that necessitate the construction of either a subject that melancholically (and regressively) longs for a union with what is dead or maniacally defends against it.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Narcissism, Melancholia and the Subject of Community |
| Editors | Barry Sheils, Julie Walsh |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Pages | 255-268 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319638294 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319638287 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Nov 2017 |