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Article: Principle of Constancy
- Article from:
- International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis
- Author:
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PRINCIPLE OF CONSTANCY
The
principle of constancy
is the principle of psychic functioning that seeks to maintain the quantity of excitation contained in the apparatus at a low or constant level. This is accomplished through a discharge of the energy present in the apparatus or by avoiding its augmentation.
In 1892, Freud submitted a manuscript and letter to Breuer articulating their common position regarding the thesis of "holding constant the amount of excitation" (1940d). One year later, Freud spoke of a tendency to "shrink" or "diminish" the "amount of excitation," and trauma was conceived to be a result of its augmentation.
The principle of constancy represented a point of view ...