Libido

How relevant is the Freudian concept of Libido in contemporary psyhcoanalytical thought? Kennedy examines Freuds later concept of Eros as developing out of the earlier concept of libido, as well as looking at some of the links between Eros as Freud understood it, and as was put forward in an ancient thought.

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Ideas in Psychoanalysis is a series of essays which explain psychoanalytical concepts, their relevance to everyday life and their ability to illuminate the nature of human society and culture. Our drives and desires, according to Freud, do not merely motivate our actions. It is through them that we invest value in our world, and come to recognise ourselves within it. Freud's infamous centring of sex within psychoanalysis is explained by his idea of the libido; where it comes from, what it does and to where it may lead.