Freud, Heredity, and Genetics

To emphasize how interwoven <i>innate</i> and <i>acquired</i> factors are in the aetiology of mental disorders, Freud introduced the concept of <i>complemental series</i>. Today, current genetic research data is shedding new light on this hypothesis. The development of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has highlighted the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the aetiology of psychiatric diseases. By reinterpreting the evolution of Freud's positions regarding the aetiological role of heredity through the prism of current literature, this article aims to introduce a dialogue between psychoanalysis and contemporary genetics.