Beyond the Pleasure Principle

Freud had long held that the mind seeks pleasure and avoids pain. In this short, speculative essay he questions that idea, prompted by puzzling behaviour such as soldiers repeatedly reliving traumatic experiences and a child's repetitive game. He considers a compulsion to repeat and introduces the notion of a death drive alongside the drive for life. Freud openly admits the argument is tentative. The book is often seen as a turning point in his later thinking.