Love: A Psychoanalytic Perspective (The Psychology of Love, #3)

This book explores Freud's early conceptions of love, emphasizing its roots in childhood. Freud compares the state of being in love to the young child's relationship with parental figures, characterized by total obedience and a desire to be loved without expecting reciprocity. He then broadens this perspective by defining love as an expression of the sexual drive, distinct from the self-preserving instincts linked to survival. The introduction of the concept of libido—psychic energy underly...