TOTEM AND TABOO: RESEMBLANCES BETWEEN THE PSYCHIC LIVES OF SAVAGES AND NEUROTICS

TOTEM AND TABOO: RESEMBLANCES BETWEEN THE PSYCHIC LIVES OF SAVAGES AND NEUROTICS

Totem and Taboo: Resemblances Between the Psychic Lives of Savages and Neurotics by Sigmund Freud, translated by A. A. Brill, explores the parallels between the psychological behaviors of ancient cultures and individuals with neuroses. The book is divided into four chapters: The Savage’s Dread of Incest delves into the universal fear of incest and societal mechanisms to prevent it; Taboo and the Ambivalence of Emotions examines the conflicting emotions of fear and reverence associated with taboos; Animism, Magic and the Omnipotence of Thought explores early human belief systems and their psychological implications; and The Infantile Recurrence of Totemism links primitive totemic practices to child psychology. Freud bridges anthropology and psychoanalysis, suggesting that the psychological mechanisms governing ancient peoples and modern neurotics are fundamentally similar.