In psychoanalytic theory, the life instinct that drives self-preservation, reproduction, and creative activities. Freud described it as the force that motivates behaviors aimed at survival and pleasure-seeking.
Named after Eros, the Greek god of love and sexual desire. Freud adopted this term in 1920 to represent the life-affirming drives that oppose destructive impulses, drawing from ancient Greek mythology where Eros represented the creative force of love.
Eros isn't just about romantic love or sex—it's actually Freud's term for every force that keeps you alive and thriving! From your desire to eat when hungry to your drive to create art, Eros encompasses all life-preserving and life-enhancing impulses.
Eros (god of love) in Greek tradition depicts desire as masculine-driven. Literary and philosophical traditions often centered male desire and agency while feminizing the object of attraction.
When referencing Eros in mythology, acknowledge that desire is not gender-singular; in modern psychology, discuss attraction and agency for all genders equally.
["desire","attraction","connection"]
Women poets and philosophers (Sappho, contemporary scholars) reclaimed language around female desire and agency, challenging male-centered frameworks of Eros.
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