thanatos
/ˈθænəˌtɑs/
noun
- In psychoanalytic theory, the unconscious drive toward death, self-destruction, and a return to an inorganic state.
- Some psychologists believe thanatos explains why people sometimes engage in risky or self-harming behaviors.
- Freud proposed that thanatos, or the death instinct, exists alongside the life instinct, eros.
- The concept of thanatos is still debated among modern therapists and researchers.