Nellie Curtin – Freud’s Interest in the Origins of Humanity as Reflected in his Theory of Psychoanalysis
 
The Letter Issue 66-67 (Autumn 2017/Spring 2018) Pages 75-82
 
From his earliest writings Freud frequently drew parallels between origin stories and psychoanalysis. In his later writings he goes further and makes direct links between the prehistoric and the unconscious: ‘the man of prehistoric times survives unchanged in our unconscious’ In relation to a similar theme of myth, Lacan states that to establish these connections seems ‘to me indispensable if we are to situate our domain well, or even simply find out where we are.’  This paper attempts to look at these parallels and connections with a view to assessing their relevance and application to psychoanalytic theory and practise. 
 
Key words: Mythic Formations; ancestral prehistory; totem; archaic heritage; residual phenomena.