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THIS STUDY OF A PROBLEM in the domain of psychic energy is undertaken with the knowledge that serious difficulties exist in further clarifying energy theory (Holt, 1967); (Schafer, 1968); (Applegarth, 1971). While some analysts have gone so far as to wish to do away with the concept of psychic energy (Klein, 1967); (Rubinstein, 1967; and others) a large majority (Lustman, 1969); (Engel, 1971) have found that much psychoanalytic data—clinical, observational, and theoretical—cannot be explained satisfactorily without such a concept. The present effort reflects my conviction that further clarification of instinctual drive theory can shed further light on the concept of psychic energy.
Whereas we know much about instinctual drive theory, some unclarity still remains, and some dissatisfaction with certain specific theoretical points, one of which I explore here. The observations that drew my attention to the problem at hand come from the Early Child Development Project, "An Epigenesis of Aggression in Early Childhood," a project10 now active for over two