[Repetition and iteration. From psychoanalysis to systems theory]

Starting with Freud's presentation in "Beyond the Pleasure Principle", the conception of the repetition compulsion is introduced. Freud gave a teleological interpretation of the psychological phenomenon of repetition. On one hand, he considered it as an attempt of the psyche to get delayed control over a penetrating amount of traumatic stimuli, on the other hand, he interpreted it within his conception of death instinct as an expression of a destructive impulse. From systems theory, especially from chaos theory originates the conception of iteration. It is used to describe systems characterized by repeatedly performed operations representing simultaneously an important model of homeostatic regulation in living systems. The applicability of the iteration conception on repetition phenomena in the psychic field is being discussed. With reference to Luhmann's systems theory, repetition can be considered as an iterative phenomenon within the selfreferencing organization of the psyche. However the connection between physiological processes in the nervous system and psychological phenomena is not ascertainable, especially not from the point of view of systems theory. Conceptions of systems theory being transferred to the psychic field represent a hermeneutic approach to the matter.