Dictionary
A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.
DEATH INSTINCT
A term for the irrational desire for destruction and death and, when joined with pleasure, is a morbid drive for pain. It partly explains why some people commit suicide. It also helps to explain the nihilistic tendency in certain modern movements that exhibit a positive genius for destroying what may have taken centuries to build in religious or secular society.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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