ABSTRACT
The most abiding contribution of Sigmund Freud to the psychological and social sciences is his special standpoint for the observation of interpersonal events. Some of his own tentative applications of psychoanalysis to society have already been superseded, notably the formulations put forth in Totem and Tabu. 1 His distinctive terminology is in process of liquidation as his work merges with the broad stream of scientific development. But his observational standpoint remains ever fruitful for the investigation of interpersonal relationships; it is capable of providing data which disconfirm, as well as confirm, his early hypotheses. 2
