Da experiência de totalidade à criatividade: as elaborações de Lou Andreas-Salomé sobre o narcisismo

Abstract

For a long time, researchers in the field of psychoanalysis focused solely on the biographical experiences of Lou Andreas-Salomé, neglecting her theoretical writings. Andreas-Salomé formulated a hypothesis about the narcissistic phenomenon that goes beyond the Freudian proposal, positioning psychic action as the reservoir of human creative potential. The author argues for the existence of an original narcissism in which it is not possible to distinguish between the ego instincts and the sexual instincts. This narcissistic state would involve a primordial unification of the psyche, conceived as the reservoir of creativity. According to this theory, artistic creation would be a way to discharge primitive instincts without falling ill. By accessing the sense of primordial unity, the experience of totality, the individual could express and fulfill instinctual desires in culture. The present dissertation aims to analyze AndreasSalomé's theory on narcissism. Initially, we present some of the main characteristics of Freud's concept of narcissism, which served as the starting point for the author's thinking on the phenomenon. Finally, we will examine the ideas presented on the subject in Andreas-Salomé's diary entries, in the letters exchanged between her and Freud, and also in the following texts: Anal and Sexual, Psychosexuality, and Narcissism as Dual Direction.