Psychoanal Cult Soc
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-024-00453-5
BOOK REVIEW
Negative Psychoanalysis for the Living Dead:
Philosophical Pessimism and the Death Drive
Julie Reshe, Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2023, 144 pp., hardcover,
ISBN: 978-3-031-31200-7
Asijit Datta1
Ó The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2024
Julie Reshe’s book, Negative Psychoanalysis for the Living Dead, stands out as an
exceptional and unconventional work in the realm of psychoanalytic literature. It
has swiftly become a subject of widespread discussion and interest, capturing the
attention of many. This book diverges from traditional norms in several key aspects.
It is explicitly stated as not being ‘‘recommended for anyone.’’ In her interviews,
Reshe cautions that readers might regret engaging with its contents. However, the
experience of reading it often proves to be the opposite—akin to finding a friend
who is willing to listen patiently to one’s deepest grief and darkest musings. The
book’s defining characteristic is its refusal to offer salvation or aspire to clarify or
improve anything. Reshe posits that proposing salvation or improvement inherently
involves a denial of life’s darker aspects. The book appears to assume the role of a
listener rather than that of a speaker, creating a space of understanding rather than
providing guidance.
In her earlier work on depressive realism, Reshe highlights the stigma often
associated with the voice of depression. Through her book, it seems she is
destigmatizing this voice, offering it legitimacy and understanding. She admits that
the exploration of human existence in her book centers around a fundamentally
depressed being. She reconsiders depression and negative states not as deviations
from our natural state, but as an intrinsic quality of human existence. Instead of
treating them as distorted or inadequate perceptions of the world, Reshe views them
as a form of attunement to our existence and the existence of the world. This book
offers no consolation; rather, it posits that conventional forms of consolation, be
they religious or therapeutic, often serve as mechanisms for denying crucial aspects
of human existence.
& Asijit Datta
asijitdatta@gmail.com
1
SRM University AP - Amaravati, Amaravati, India
A. Datta
Negative Psychoanalysis for the Living Dead presents an alternative to the
prevalent positive orientation of contemporary therapeutic discourse and self-help
culture. The dominant narrative, as critiqued by Reshe, places a strong emphasis on
happiness and well-being, suggesting that these states are naturally achievable
through specific methods. Contrarily, she unfolds an alternative negative perspec-
tive, elaborating in her three main chapters a view of the self, society, and nature
shaped by an understanding led by despair. Each chapter of the book engages with a
prominent contemporary thinker, such as Catherine Malabou, Alenka Zupančič, and
Todd McGowan. Additionally, each chapter features transcribed interviews with
these thinkers, providing depth and context to the discussions.
The chapter ‘‘The Living Dead: Destructive Plasticity’’ offers a profound
exploration into the depths of the human psyche from a negative psychoanalytic-
existential perspective. Reshe, drawing on Catherine Malabou’s concept of
destructive plasticity, pushes the boundaries of conventional psychoanalysis by
proposing that the core of our being is fundamentally linked to a process of self-
annihilation and constant fragmentation of self. This idea is in sharp contrast to the
conventional therapeutic focus on healing from trauma. Her theory posits that self-
actualization is intrinsically tied to self-annihilation and that our existence is defined
by a perpetual rupture from ourselves. Reshe challenges the view that traumatic
experiences are mere distortions of the self that can be reintegrated through therapy.
Instead, she suggests that trauma is constitutive of human existence, not an
aberration from a normative psychological state. The chapter explores how our
identities and life narratives are essentially compensatory illusions, covering the
rupture at the foundation of our being. Reshe emphasizes that at our core is
annihilation and death, with an inner void that, when confronted, evokes immense
psychological burden, sometimes leading to numbness beyond pain and suffering.
Drawing on Malabou’s work, Reshe pushes the discussion into the realm of the
‘‘unfixable ones’’—individuals whose lives and psyches are beyond repair,
challenging the limits of conventional psychoanalytic and therapeutic approaches.
These people, altered beyond recognition by trauma, become embodiments of a
living form of death. She also engages with Slavoj Žižek’s ideas, aiming to extend
this negative framework of psychoanalysis to a general anthropological perspective.
This approach questions the traditional distinctions between those profoundly
affected by trauma and those who are not, suggesting that all of us are
fundamentally shaped by an inescapable traumatic core. By proposing that everyone
is a product of destructive plasticity, Reshe offers a stark and thought-provoking
perspective on the human condition, challenging the optimistic underpinnings of
conventional therapeutic theories.
In the chapter ‘‘Dead Together: Love Hurts,’’ the focus is on the concept that both the
individual and society are driven by the death drive. Reshe explores how lack is at the
very core of our being and is what most genuinely unites us. This lack leads to a radical
negativity that forms the foundation of social bonds, characterized not by harmony or
happiness but by rupture, destruction, and pain. This idea contradicts the common belief
in attainable, healthy non-painful relationships, suggesting that such ideals are mere
illusions that mask the underlying woundedness of our social connections. The
chapter explores the tragic nature of society, presenting it as constituted by the death
A review of Negative Psychoanalysis for the Living Dead:
drive. Reshe draws on Todd McGowan’s thinking on the social death drive, radicalizing
it and discussing its implications. She also brings into consideration attachment theory
and social cognitive neuroscience, aligning these fields with the psychoanalytic
perspective of societal trauma and lack. The chapter culminates in the proposition that
the ultimate reality of our existence with others is embracing the emptiness and void that
both separates and unites us. Reshe concludes that love, sociality, and even subjectivity
itself are rooted in this tragic and paradoxical states of being, fundamentally altering our
understanding of these concepts.
In the last section of this chapter, ‘‘The Negative Project of Psychoanalysis,’’
Reshe scrutinizes the work of Freudo-Marxist theorists, who aim to apply
psychoanalytic insights to societal dynamics, often with the intent of catalyzing
political change. However, Reshe critiques their approaches for not going far
enough in embracing the more negative aspects of Freud’s theories, particularly the
concept of the death drive. Central to Reshe’s analysis is the argument that
conventional psychoanalytic practices and political theories fall short of fully
acknowledging the inescapable, inherent lack and trauma within the human
condition. She argues that these approaches often strive for healing or improving
society, but they tend to overlook the foundational role of the death drive and the
intractable nature of human loss and suffering. Reshe posits that embracing
psychoanalytic insights means recognizing the irrevocable status of lack in the
constitution of both the individual and society. In her examination of the negative
project of psychoanalysis, Reshe points out the irony of psychoanalytic therapy’s
attempts to ameliorate self-destructive tendencies. She notes that Freud himself
became increasingly disillusioned with the efficacy of psychoanalytic cure,
especially after he introduced the death drive. This disillusionment led to a
recognition that certain aspects of the human psyche, particularly those driven by
the death drive, are beyond the reach of traditional therapeutic resolution. Reshe
concludes that a genuinely negative form of psychoanalytic practice would abandon
the healing of societal ills as its primary goal. Instead, it would focus on
understanding and acknowledging the tragic nature of existence.
In the chapter ‘‘A Tragic Fairy Tale of Evolution: Zupančič, Zapffe, and Other
Monsters,’’ Reshe critically re-examines the traditionally positive narrative of
evolution. She challenges the conventional view of evolution as a harmonious and
progressive process, arguing instead that it is characterized by chaos, destruction,
and deviations. Reshe contends that evolution is not primarily aimed at the
conservation and multiplication of life, but rather it exists as long as it fails itself,
with species being instances of its monstrous failure. Reshe extends Alenka
Zupančič’s interpretation of Nietzschean and Freudian–Lacanian theories of the
human animal, arguing that the concept of lack is constitutive not only of humans
but of nature itself. This perspective implies that incompleteness, often attributed
solely to the human condition, is a broader characteristic of life and evolution as a
whole. The chapter also elaborates on Peter Wessel Zapffe’s views, which perceive
both human and non-human existence as intrinsically tragic. Zapffe’s theory posits
that humans do not substantially differ from other evolutionary formations; each
species can be seen as a failure of nature, differing only by the types of failures they
represent. Reshe also discusses Richard Goldschmidt’s ‘‘hopeful monster’’
A. Datta
hypothesis and Stephen Jay Gould’s theory of punctuated equilibrium. These
theories suggest that macroevolution is driven by large, disruptive mutations rather
than gradual adaptive changes, aligning with Reshe’s view of evolution as shaped
by disruptive, chaotic forces. In conclusion, Reshe presents life as a constellation of
nature’s deadly forces. She posits that life is essentially a continuous process of
generating monstrosity, disruption, and death. This perspective presents a stark
revaluation of evolution, depicting it not as a story of progress and triumph, but as a
narrative dominated by monstrosity and the tragic essence of existence.
In the epilog titled ‘‘No Salvation,’’ Reshe brings her exploration of negative
psychoanalysis to a culmination, emphasizing the impossibility and illusory nature
of salvation or escape from the negative aspects of existence. Reshe’s approach
defies the typical structure of a book addressing human misery, which would
traditionally end with words of consolation or practical instruction. Instead, she
steadfastly guards the realm of the negative, showing the futility of attempting to
escape it. In discussing the role of psychoanalysis, Reshe distinguishes between its
therapeutic and negative dimensions. While psychoanalysis has often been
repurposed to fit the requirements of positively oriented psy-industries, its negative
aspect is what aligns with the core of human existence and the social bond. This
negative psychoanalysis, as envisioned by Reshe, does not aim to offer salvation,
cure, or improvement. It is a place of collective sincerity and shared disillusionment.
Reshe concludes that true engagement with negative psychoanalysis or practice
means embracing the paradox of existence—the impossibility of salvation and the
absence of saving affirmation, formula, or strategy that can save us. It is an
acceptance of the painful structure of our existence and the realization that there is
no escape from the pain and no practical tips or strategies that can bring us back to
life. The epilog reinforces the central message of the book: we are all, in some
sense, living dead, navigating a world where illusions of salvation are constantly
challenged by the reality of our internal despair and deadness.
In Negative Psychoanalysis for the Living Dead, Reshe invites us into a world
where conventional comforts are set aside, and hard truths are faced head-on. The
book tears the soul of the reader apart while profoundly resonating with what we all
know but rarely dare to admit. This book stands out as a powerfully pessimistic
reflection on existence and love, offering a brutally honest yet invaluable perspective.
Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps
and institutional affiliations.
Asijit Datta works as Assistant Professor (II) at SRM University-AP (India) and heads the Department of
Media Studies there. He has recently joined the editorial board of the journal, Studies in the Fantastic
(published by the University of Tampa Press). In July 2021, he was appointed assistant editor by the
Journal of Posthumanism (Transnational Press, London). His academic interests include posthumanism,
Beckett studies, zombie studies, modern European theatre, world cinema, and psychoanalysis. For the last
four years, he has been maintaining an independent academic channel for students, academicians, and
teachers (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzxb2hTWGNNCOBfcXSgFb2g). He has also received
critical acclaim and multiple awards for stage direction and scriptwriting.
