Depth Psychology and the dismantling of consciousness: Between Nietzschean Philosophy and Freudian Psychoanalysis

Abstract

This article investigates the conceptual interweaving between Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy and Freudian metapsychology, focusing on the notion of depth psychology. Through the analysis of both authors’ works, it is argued that, despite Freud’s declared reservations regarding philosophy, particularly the metaphysical tradition initiated by Plato, there are significant resonances between their thoughts. The study highlights how Nietzsche, by deconstructing the idea of a unified self and criticizing the metaphysical foundations of consciousness, anticipates crucial formulations of psychoanalytic theory, especially concerning the constitution of the psychic apparatus and the mechanisms of repression and forgetting. By comparing Nietzschean genealogy with Freudian concepts such as the unconscious, symptom, and resistance, the article proposes a critical rapprochement between philosophy and psychoanalysis, emphasizing the relevance of psychopathology as a privileged path to understanding subjectivity. Finally, the text argues that Nietzschean philosophy functions as a theoretical anticipation of critical psychoanalysis, offering valuable contributions to reforming the concepts of health, sickness, and normality in light of a non-normative approach to human existence.