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Received as “The Forum” went to press
The dual approach of presenting psychoanalytic metapsychology of a topic and at the same time reviewing the historical development of
that metapsychology is shown by Dr. Litman to be a felicitous exercise and a stimulating one. The viewpoints illuminate each other, juxtaposing Freud's unfolding concepts against an emergent appreciation of the complexity of the problem of suicide. One can forgive both Freud and Litman for failing to achieve theoretical synthesis in attempting to explain a symptomatic act which occurs across a wide spectrum of psychopathology.
The paradox in Dr. Litman's paper is that in his task as critical reviewer he touches the epistemological-philosopher frontier of psychoanalytic theory which is the death instinct, but in his role as original contributor he focuses so sharply upon the therapeutic-prophylactic issues as to blur the main province of psychoanalysis which lies between psychotherapy and philosophy.
Dr. Litman cannot be accused of omitting from his discussion any possible psychodynamic consideration in suicide. But the thrust of his own contribution is to criticize Freud's “overemphasis on aggression and guilt as components of suicide with underemphasis of the helplessness, dependency and erotic elements.”
Dr. Litman rightfully shows how Freud's continuing focus upon id psychology and the central role of the Oedipus complex in psychoneurosis led him to ignore, relatively, the ego aspects of severe depression and the value of those ego aspects in psychotherapy. He is to be commended on his role in the pioneering work which has forged new psychotherapeutic tools in dealing with suicidal risk. Dr. Litman should not, however, with the illumination to which he has made a significant contribution, commit the opposite error and lose sight of the instinctual issues which enter into that complex act of suicide. In the service of emphasizing the ego aspects of “the suicidal drama” Dr. Litman evidently feels