El "impulso" en psicoanálisis y conceptos afines en filosofía analítica de la mente

The different defi nitions of the concept of instinct within psychoanalytic theory are discussed in this article, highlighting the tension that exists in Freud' writings between a more phenomenological version of instinct, or drive, and a concept with biological overtones. The controversies around this concept are discussed and arguments stemming from philosophy against the biological version are considered. Relying on the work of a psychoanalyst from the object relations theory, the author concludes that psychoanalysis should overcome a body based notion of instinct and consider it instead as a behavior that human beings learn in the course of their interactions.