The Denial of Death

In Freudian psychology, the “ego” basically comprises a person’s sense of self and the rational part of their mind. The “superego” refers to a person’s internalized social and cultural rules. Becker refers to the culture a person is born into as itself the superego (265).

“Heroism” is a term used by Ernest Becker to describe the drive people have to assert themselves as individuals and become part of something greater.

In terms of Freudian psychology, “narcissism” is the human urge to put one’s needs and wants ahead of other people’s. Becker argues that this is common among children and often develops into heroism with adults.

“Neuroses” are what we might call compulsions and mental illnesses, including things from mild, recurring anxieties and fears to mental illnesses like depression. However, Becker argues neuroses are a “normal” (81) part of the human condition, stemming from when we first become aware of death and our physical natures in childhood.

A psychological concept from Freud, the “Oedipal complex” refers to the theory that every boy experiences a desire for their mothers and a hatred for their fathers.

From the writings of Kierkegaard, the term “philistinism” refers to the tendency of many people to cope with life through material possessions and achieving basic security.

Ernest Becker usually describes the “symbolic identity” as being in a binary with humanity’s physical or animal identity (26). The symbolic identity refers to humans’ mental and imaginative abilities and our efforts to understand ourselves and our relationship to the world through language, rituals, and myths.