The economic point of view: A defence of the concept of psychic energy, its place in theory and practic

This thesis purports to prove the logical necessity of the psychic energy concept discarded by modern psychoanalysis by linking the "evolutionistic argument" against epiphenomenalism to Brillouin´s negentropy principle. If our conscious awareness of affects and other psychological events should be attributed a signal value at all, they must necessarily exercise effect on the soma. This presupposes an energy concept. The dynamic significance of such an energy concept is shown as well. It is also shown,contrary to the views taken by Bowlby,Stern, Tomkins and Nathanson, that the pleasure principle cannot be ruled out, but remains hidden in their respective models. Stern´s critique of freudian motivational theory seems to rely on a faulty conception of "phase", where Freud, on closer scrutiny, was more sophisticated than hitherto realized. Stern also overlooks that that his notion of "amodal perception" forces us to assume the existence of "amodal motivation". Logically, this is is equal to the concept of "libido", which Stern wishes to dismiss. Freud was wrong, however, in allocating aggression "beyond the pleasure principle". Like most theorists he overlooks the fact that aggression is self-motivating. On the other hand, Freud´s seemingly far-fetched speculations about a Death drive gain credence when juxtaposed to the riddles of modern immunology. Comparative physiology provides us with reasons to believe that the single cell may experience pleasure. This impression is indeed strengthened by re-examination of Edelman´s work, though his own conclusions are in sharp contrast with the present author´s. Edelman´s research seems to imply that consciousness is indeed a prerequisite for selectional processes within the organism, however primitive. This is a third reason for Evolution to employ psychic processes. The last three essays concern the practical intricacies ensuing the omission of a psychic energy concept. Psychosomatic illnesses may be treated quite differently according to the conceptual views of the health care systems. Indeed the form of the organizations follow the underlying philosophical out-look; cartesian parallelism is still a trend-setter. The teaching of psychodynamic therapy may also become afflicted unnessecarily if a quantitative energetic factor is not observed.