death instinct meaning

Noun: death instinct  dethin'stingkt

1. (psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die
   - death wish, Thanatos

Derived forms: death instincts

Type of: impulse, urge

Encyclopedia: Death instinct

[Medicine]
n : an innate and unconscious tendency toward self-destruction postulated in psychoanalytic theory to explain aggressive and destructive behavior not satisfactorily explained by the pleasure principle —called also Thanatos —compare EROS

• instinct:    Noun: instinct&nbs ...
• herd instinct:     noun  T ...
• killer instinct:    n. [c]the ambition ...

Examples

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1. instinct theory of s . freud-the living and death instinct in chinese contemporary literature
2. Gradually, Freud developed his theory of death instinct, which is in opposition to libido.
3. He believed that the death instinct starts immediately after birth and intends to return in the future.
4. He compares Thomas More's ( Utopia ) and nihilistic, unconsciously motivated by a death instinct.
5. Lear disagrees with Freud in some areas, too, particularly Freud's theory of the death instinct.