In this paper Dr André Michels will read chapter seven of Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents in relation
to the contribution of legal scholar Hans Kelsen’s* ‘The theory of State and social psychology: with special
reference to Freud’s group theory’. To what degree is the legal aspect a genuine contribution to our
understanding of the genesis of the superego as a clinical factor?
The seminar will include a discussion on the themes of guilt, the superego, drives, and trauma. The debate
will revolve around the questions that participants send in advance to Dr André Michels or as they emerge
during the discussion.
In order to benefit from the seminar, you are invited to read Civilization and Its Discontents and in particular
chapter seven. If you have any questions in advance, please send them on to [email protected].
The registration fee is €30. The seminar will take place on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent before the
seminar begins. To register please email: [email protected] or click on the following Eventbrite
link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-feeling-of-guilt-and-the-genesis-of-the-superego-tickets-238147584837?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*Hans Kelsen (1881-1973) was a jurist and a political philosopher born in Prague. He studied law in Vienna where he
met Freud and contributed to the subject of social psychology. Due to his Jewish origins, he left Vienna and moved
to Germany and later to the United States. He wrote the 1920 Austrian Constitution and has been very influential
across Europe and Latin America