The Economic Standpoint—recent Views1

Economy of 'Forces' or Economy of 'Pleasure' The term 'economic' is used in analysis paradoxically. Strictly speaking it should be used, as always in economics, only in relation to the distribution of and trade in 'goods'. This is precisely what Freud seems to mean by 'economic' in relation to pleasure-unpleasure (Lust-Unlust) (Freud, 1915). Yet in fact—and here lies the problem—it might be said that, at the beginning as at the end of his works, the psychical life is summarized as the result in equilibrium of contrary, if not conflicting, forces. Thus, as early as the 'Outline' (Freud, 1895), Freud's theory was simply to introduce 'the phenomena of consciousness into the structure of quantitative psychology,' (p. 372) and his research was directed, as he wrote to Fliess (Freud, 1887–1902, No. 24) to discovering 'how the theory of mental functioning takes shape if quantitative considerations, a sort of economics of nerve-force, are introduced …'

No doubt in the same spirit, he writes at the end of his works (Freud, 1937):

'Once more we realize the importance of the quantitative factor and once more we are reminded that analysis has only certain limited quantities of energy which it can employ to match against the hostile forces. And it does seem as if victory were really for the most part with the big battalions.' 'The final result always depends on the relative strength of the conflicting psychical agencies'

It is thus seen that the whole economic problem presents itself first and foremost in strategic terms: troop movements, battalion strength. The keywords of this standpoint are 'energy', 'force', and 'quantity'.

This translation of the pleasure problem into an energy problem is apparent as long as the psychical life is from the outset regarded as represented (or 'fictionalized') (Freud, 1900) by an 'apparatus'. From this point of view the active principle must be a force.

Examples of this kind of translation abound in Freud's writings. Freud asks himself (Fr