ABSTRACT
The concept tragic knots emerged within the long history of critical thought about the dramatic genre tragedy, the Weltanschauung known as the tragic sense of life, and the diffuse rubric derived from them— the tragic. Consciously or unconsciously, a person must confront a recognizably fateful situation that is insufficiently under his or her control. In this situation, that person must choose a course of action while knowing or sensing that the anticipated benefits of each choice will be compromised by painful consequences. Freud was arguing convincingly that the virtual ubiquity of neurotic suffering and interaction testifies to the great emotional costs of modern life. Freud never failed to strike a balance between emphasizing civilization’s darker aspects and its achievements and rewards. Nothing could diminish his profound appreciation of civilization’s cultural and scientific accomplishments. Recently, many analytic writers have focused their attention on the intrapsychic consequences of victimization.
