ABSTRACT
Sigmund Freud's work on an aetiological theory of the neuroses and psychoses frequently contributed to a better understanding of normal processes as well. Once Freud had introduced the death drives into his theory, he was forced to alter his latest definition of the drives published in "Instincts and their Vicissitudes". In his new theory the drives were no longer characterised by the pleasurable pursuit of satisfaction. Instead their most important quality was the repetition of an earlier state. Freud's interest in applying psychoanalysis to the other sciences is reflected in a number of his works: for example, Totem and Taboo , Group Psychology and Ego-Analysis , and Civilization and Its Discontents. Rather than a contribution to an interdisciplinary conversation these works were designed to prove the superiority of psychoanalysis over the other sciences. To put Freud's understanding of the trauma and the traumatic situation in theoretical language: trauma is characterised by external amounts of excitation breaking through the protective shield.
