Gustave Fechner(1801-87) developed a theory which states that every organism strives to attain stability, i.e., an equal distribution of energy within itself, a state of internal quiescence. The behavior of living organisms is therefore, essentially an attempt to reduce tension.
Freud called this the Nirvana principle, where the final goal is the complete extinction of desire. Then Freud goes one step further and claims that all desire seeks its own extinction.
Marcuse follow Freud in postulating two basic instincts that govern the behavior of all living organisms, the life instinct and the death instinct.The death instinct is innate. It is the drive toward the destruction of life and toward self-destruction.And the source of the drive is an escape from tension which is disturbing the state of quiescence.
From the for-what-it’s-worth-department:
So that in effect, Fechner, Freud and you seem to be agreeing with me? :-)
I had never heard of Fechner. However, many of Freud’s theories have been diasvowed and/or disproven by the shrink community so that it is difficult what to believe and what not be believe which Freud said.
Many people have described to me being aware of both the ‘life-wish’ and the ‘death-wish’ as I have described it. They said that they are aware that both of those ‘wishes’ are ‘alive-and-well’, ( no pun intended ), in themselves.