Totem and Taboo

In this landmark collection of essays, originally published in 1918, the father of psychoanalysis explores the conflict between primitive feelings and the demands of civilization, i.e., the struggle to reconcile unconscious desires with socially acceptable behavior. Topics include the childhood development of totemism, incest taboo in primitive societies around the world, taboo and the ambivalence of emotions, and the infantile recurrence of totemism.

The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) ranks among the most important figures in Western psychology. Freud is responsible for the theories of parapraxis (Freudian slips), dreams as wish fulfillment, the Oedipus complex, repression, the unconscious mind, and other ground-breaking concepts.