ABSTRACT
The theory of seduction holds a curious place in psychoanalytic theory, for like no other concept, it is essentially understood in terms of its rejection. S. Freud himself, in fact, never spoke of a theory—that label was first given by historians of psychoanalysis—but rather of a "grave error" that he tried hard to rectify throughout his life. Freud's considerations regarding seduction theory originated in his preoccupation with mental illnesses such as hysteria and obsession, which he called defensive neuro-psychoses. The general psychological structure of the child develops from it, as does sexual desire more specifically. Freud's most important theoretical accomplishment in conjunction with the seduction theory is the concept of Nachtraglichkeit. The only exception is Laplanche's general theory of seduction, which regards the death drive as a sexual drive as well, and thereby reasserts a monism in the drive theory that emphasizes the central significance of the sexual.
