Typical phenomena of the suicidal act (e.g., the characteristic discrepancy between knowledge about the reality of death and death fantasies) are not adequately accounted for by the classical psychoanalytic depression-aggression theory developed by Freud and Abraham. Basing his thesis on relevant concepts

of Freud, Henseler proposes to extend traditional theory in the direction of the contemporary theory of narcissism. In this context, he regards the suicidal act as a defense against a narcissistic catastrophe, implemented by acting out the wishful fantasy of a return to the harmonious primal state.