Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (Norton Library) [Paperback]

Sigmund Freud (Author), James Strachey (Editor), Peter Gay (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1990

To Freud, individual and social psychology were virtually identical.

The question he addresses here is, What are the emotional bonds that hold collective entities, such as an army and a church, together? It is a fruitful question, and Freud offers some interesting answers. But Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego stands chiefly as an invitation to further psychoanalytic exploration.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is one of the twentieth century's greatest minds and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. His many works include The Ego and the Id; An Outline of Psycho-Analysis; Inhibitions; Symptoms and Anxiety; New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis; Civilization and Its Discontent, and others.

Peter Gay is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the National Book Award winner The Enlightenment, the best-selling Weimar Culture, and the widely translated Freud: A Life for Our Time. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (September 17, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393007707
• ISBN-13: 978-0393007701
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is one of the twentieth century's greatest minds and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. His many works include The Ego and the Id; An Outline of Psycho-Analysis; Inhibitions; Symptoms and Anxiety; New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis; Civilization and Its Discontent, and others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FREUD ON LOVE: HE EXTENDS HIS "LIBIDO THEORY", August 13, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (Paperback)

Freud wrote this book in 1921, and its themes are related to his books Beyond the Pleasure Principle-First Edition text and The Ego and the Id - First Edition Text.

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"(I)n a group the individual is brought under conditions which allow him to throw off the repressions of his unconscious instinctual impulses. The apparently new characteristics when he then displays are in fact the manifestations of this unconscious..."

"Since a group is in no doubt as to what constitutes truth or error, and is conscious, moreover, of its own great strength, it is as intolerant as it is obedient to authority. It respects force and can only be slightly influenced by kindness, which it regards merely as a form of weakness."

"But we do not separate ... one the one hand, self-love, and on the other, love for parents and children, friendship and love for humanity in general, and also devotion to concrete objects and to abstract ideas. Our justification lies in the fact that psychoanalytic research has taught us that all these tendencies are an expression of the same instinctual impulses; in relation between the sexes these impulses force their way toward sexual union, but in other circumstances they are diverted from this aim..."

"From being in love to hypnosis is evidently only a short step. The respects in which the two agree are obvious."

"The group ... agrees with hypnosis in the nature of the instincts which hold it together, and in the nature of the replacement of the ego ideal with other individuals, which was perhaps originally made possible by their having the same relation to the object."

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius, August 31, 2010

By 

Val - See all my reviews

This review is from: Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (Paperback)

This review is for the 1922 hardcover edition, in which there are no typos or misprints.

This is a compact in-depth examination of group psychology (which Freud correctly refers to as the oldest human psychology). I was blown away by the clarity of writing that I just don't see anymore in modern nonfiction.

It was a pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone interested in human group formation, group psychology, and leader dynamics. Actually everyone should read this, it is extremely relevant today.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Group Psychology and the Anaylsis of the Ego, June 19, 2008

By 

O. B. Starnes "Lecturer/Psychology" (UNC-Charlotte) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (Norton Library) (Paperback)

Classical Freudian Psychology...his discussion on Group Behavior and the Ego (leadership functions and issues) is insightful and provides provocative understanding of group process....traditional Psychoanalytic thought.....