Depression theory is split between guilt-based and deficiency-based models.

Evidence

As the first symposium on the depressives state in France opened at the Saint-Anne Hospital in November 1954, the speaker mentioned a specific name: Pierre Janet. “At the beginning of the century,” declared Dr Julien Rouart, “there was much talk about certain neurotic depressions that have since disappeared, like neurasthenia, and Pierre Janet founded his entire psychasthenia theory on the notion of ‘a lowering in psychological tension.’ In fact … neurotic depressions are in contrast to the psychotic type as constitutional weakness is to illness.” Asthenia, lowering, weakness: the depressive mentality is built upon inadequacy. Freud, psychoanalysts have since pointed out, wrote very little on depression: he preferred anxiety. Are anxiety and inadequacy opposed to one another? In fact, the border of their respective territories is guilt. Freud was guilt’s protagonist, while Janet was deficiency’s. — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self, 171

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the Freud-guilt vs Janet-deficiency axis that organizes the whole history of depression.
• XREF: connects to: Depression diagnosis shifted from causes to observable subtypes around 1975 — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 627; Depression subtyping proceeded by biology and classification, not etiology — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 660; Dysthymia replaced neurotic depression, opening chemical personality therapy — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 874 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Framing attachment around ideals rather than current traits raises group-based guilt. #exemplifies (0.85) — Sonia Roccas and Yechiel Klar and Ido Liviatan, The Paradox of Group-Based Guilt, 128
• The intuition of contingency is not identical with a feeling of guilt. #qualifies (0.80)
• Glorification predicts exonerating cognitions that blunt group-based guilt. #expands (0.80) — Sonia Roccas and Yechiel Klar and Ido Liviatan, The Paradox of Group-Based Guilt, 48