Thanatos theory

I mentioned in an earlier blog posting about expat cultural adaptations (Arabian Anomie), and one category was rebellion, which is a kind of self-destruction. I want to return to this theme in this posting.

Freud was one who observed in his clients, as well as in society at large, a drive to destroy oneself, which he termed the death drive, or thanatos. He saw this as a naturally occuring phenomenon in every living organism, a kind of yin yang relationship. One builds up (eros), one tears down (thanatos). He used the bodily function of anabolism and catabolism as an illustration. I think this metaphor falls down, however, in that the catabolic state (ie digestion), is not in itself seeking the death of the organism, but actually the breakdown of inorganic matter. When the catabolic state is dysfunctional, however, it begins a self-destructive process:

Aside from helping fuel the human body with energy that's necessary to grow and function, catabolism sometimes acts as a negative process that leads to adverse health effects. This does not occur often, but when the body has an extremely high rate of catabolism, as opposed to anabolism, muscle tissue and essential fat deposits found within the body become depleted. For example, during rest, the body tends to recover and remain in an anabolic state. When the body does not properly rest for long periods of time, as in prolonged vigorous exercise, muscle tissue will continue to break down. Without proper nutritional intake, the natural process of tissue growth and repair will not take place. Even though this does not sound particularly problematic, simply imagine remaining in a constant state of depletion. Quite literally, when the actual muscle tissue in the body endures lengthened stretches of the catabolic state, it eats away at itself in an attempt to find a source of stored energy. Most people who live healthy lifestyles which include proper diet and exercise do not encounter catabolic problems. However, high levels of stress and hormone imbalances do trigger adverse effects that harm the natural balance between anabolism and catabolism.

That is, the Freudian idea that a death wish was a normal state of life was actually based on a misunderstanding of the metabolic state: the organism does not begin the process of eating itself, of destroying itself, until the environment ceases to provide the proper inputs to maintain a healthy balance. Far from being an instinct, research might suggest thanatos is a reaction to severe trauma.

People who may be prone to self-defeatism, who may also suffer from poverty of life resources, can be prime targets for the joining of cults and adopting a fatalistic and absolutist mind-set. In this article, a cult survivor describes how targeting of displaced, disatisfied people into the highly structured community of the cult. Fascism (Germany and Italy) and totalitarianism (Russia), the societal triggers for the deathwish construct of Freud, had many cult-like characteristics. Both of these societal revolutions came from the milieu of the great depression, and the tortured clashing of cultures culminating the great wars was probably inevitable as transportation and communication technologies continued to improve and create greater and more frequent opportunities for people of varied socio-cultural heritage to interact.