A case study of the historical conditions of Imre Hermann's "The Ancient Instincts of the Man" (1943), with attention to aspects of the Budapest psychoanalysts' critique of classical Freudian treatments of instincts and rationality.

Abstract

This paper centers on the project of the Hungarian psychoanalyst, Imre Hermann, to establish a complete theory of instincts on the basis of a concept of a "clinging instinct." In addition to providing an outline of this concept, I will explore the combined impacts on Hermann's work of both key principles of classical Freudian psychoanalytic theory and local historical conditions.