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AbstractThis paper reviews the concept of repetition compulsion (RC) from Freud's original formulation to recent contributions from psychoanalysis and the neurosciences. Literature on RC presented four major controversies: (1) Does RC describe a broad range of dysfunctional repetitive behaviors, or only the repetition of severe traumatic experiences? (2) Is RC an attempt to achieve mastery and control of a traumatic experience, or to reach a particular psychic state as analgesia or excitement, which reduces the perception of emotional pain? (3) Is the death instinct an acceptable explanation for RC? (4) Is RC a useful, meaningful, and specific concept? The author describes his personal perspective on RC which integrates psychodynamic and biological contributions. Clinical material is provided.