Schopenhauer’s influence on Freud
from John Vespasian Hosted by John Vespasian
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) did not acknowledge at every opportunity an intellectual debt towards Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) because he claimed to have come up himself with the theory of the unconscious (instincts) as a driving force. John Vespasian points out that 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”). 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. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-influence-on-freud/
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