Buddhist and Freudian Psychology

This book presents comparative perspectives on the nature of mind, motivation, conflict, anxiety, and suffering, as well as the therapeutic management of these problems, in both the writings of Sigmund Freud and the discourses of the Buddha. The nature of the instinct of sexuality, ego instinct, and the death instinct in Freud are compared to parallel concepts in Buddhism. This fourth edition has been revised and updated, and looks at the emerging dialog between Buddhism and psychotherapy. It includes new chapters on the nature of the unconscious, the therapeutic basis of early Buddhist psychology, and the Freudian search for the ideal therapeutic model.

Padmasiri de Silva graduated from the University of Ceylon with a Honours Degree in Philosophy, and obtained the M.A. & Ph.D in Comparative Philosophy from the University of Hawaii. He was the Professor and Head of Philosophy and Psychology Department, University of Peradeniya (1980-89). Subsequently he was appointed Senior Teaching Fellow at NUS Singapore. He has also held visiting positions in the University of Pittsburgh, the ISLE program, and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. In 2006 he was awarded the Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Counselling and practiced as a professional counselor at the Springvale community center, working with migrants. He is the author of Environmental Philosophy & Ethics in Buddhism.