Rage, Power, and Aggression

Book excerpt: Rage, aggression, and the 'will-to-power' are significant human characteristics that have been relatively neglected in psychoanalytic literature. In the past, rage has been viewed as a response to threat or frustration, aggression as an instinctual drive, and the will-to-power as causing destructive and maladaptive behavior. In this volume, the authors probe these dimensions of human experience to show how they serve adaptive needs, assuage anxiety, protect against threat, and foster maturation.