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The paper analyses Defence from a psychobiological point of view, through the contribution of Affective Neuroscience. This discipline, through the study of motivational/emotional systems, is linked to a central element in the theoretical/clinical construction of psychoanalysis, that of instinct/drive, which is closely tied to the functional dimension of the brain. The significance of the instinct/drive in psychoanalytic thought had gradually waned in the work of Freud’s successors, until Bowlby revitalised it through the contribution of new disciplines within the field of biology, such as ethology and neuroethology. The paper then analyses the importance of the Dominance/Submission system in the study of Defence, which is central to regulate relationships from the onset of sexual maturity. The
dynamics of emotions related to the Dominance/Submission system are then highlighted by the research of Prof. Gallese’s group on the regulation and recognition of emotions in children and adolescents raised in a highly aversive relational environment.
KEY WORDS: Defence, Dominance/Submission System, Emotion, Instinct, Motivation.