War and Peace as a Psycho-Analytic Problem1

So far psycho-analytical research has greatly neglected the problem of war and peace, though such research is indispensable for the purpose of investigating and influencing the underlying crucial psychic motives, viz. those that are unconscious. As long ago as 1913 Freud himself was inclined to take a dissuasive attitude towards this subject, and even at the end of his career he declared himself incompetent to express practical views on the problem of avoiding war. None the less, he made an important pioneer contribution in the sphere of depth psychology and the treatment of these problems which are at the very heart of the general interest of mankind. From his very cautious approach to this problem he expected considerable success.

In the first part of this paper it is the writer's intention to follow up Freud's objections to a theoretical and practical psycho-analysis of war motives. To the questions: Why war? and, What is its specific origin? the creator of psycho-analysis provides the most far-reaching answer in his conception of the innate aggressive and destructive cruelty- and death-instinct, Thanatos. While fully acknowledging this reduction, it is incumbent upon us carefully to examine these instincts with reference to their essence, source, typical characteristics and efficacy.

In those cases where a war is fought with the utmost reluctance and in self-defence, to save life itself as well as the necessities of life, it would seem that the destructive instinct can be attributed only to the aggressor. Even so, it would be the task of psycho-analysis to inquire whether this assumed position of emergency may perhaps have been built up as a pretext for war under the influence of unconscious aggressive and destructive wishes. Furthermore we must bear in mind that many aggressive actions do not have it as their conscious aim to liberate, to create happiness, to substitute something new and better for something insufferable, tormenting, and destructive tha