This essay reinterprets Freud’s psychoanalytic theory through the lens of the neural demand for recognition—a key mechanism Freud could not see with the tools of his time. By replacing sexuality with recognition as the primary psychic switch, we uncover a deeper understanding of narcissism, the Oedipus complex, the superego, and neurosis. Eidoism, a contemporary philosophical framework, builds on Freud’s insights while correcting his misattributions, offering a structural path beyond the loop of recognition that drives modern suffering.
