The influence of vitalism on Freud’s thinking and on the historical-epistemological foundations of psychoanalysis is analyzed taking into account the framework of the scientific, philosophical and medical debate of the 19th century that was based on the question “What is life?”. We examine the concept of drive (Trieb) and present the lines of convergence and divergence that allow us to conceive Freudian metapsychology as a kind of negative vitalism that places death at the center of life.
Key words:
Freud; foundations of psychoanalysis; drive; vitalism