This landmark collection of essays by the father of psychoanalysis explores the conflict between primitive feelings and the demands of civilization. Freud identifies a strong unconscious inclination as the basis of taboo, a forbidden behavior, and traces its earliest appearance to the childhood development of totemism, a widespread belief in a sacred relationship between an object and a kinship group. An acquaintance with this ground-breaking work is essential for teachers and students of psychology, ethnology, and folklore.