'Thanatos Syndrome'

Factual Questions
1

I just got back from a smoking break. I was standing on the balcony of a building of which we are on the 9th floor. The balcony is set off with a low but sturdy railing, but one which you can easily climb over.

I was standing there, and even while I’m scared as death of heights, I was wondering what it would be like to climb over, fall and plummet to almost certain death. There was an almost irresistable urge to do just that, but it was not irresistable or otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this.

I have this often. When I go climbing, sightseeing on high buildings or whatnot. A friend of mine described this as the ‘Thanatos Syndrome’ (sp?) and it is apparantly quite common. I’m wondering why? Why do I have this urge while I clearly know that it can’t be a good idea. Why do I have the tendency to meet certain death? I really don’t have a death wish or something, I enjoy life too much. And if it is such an urge, why don’t I act on it? What keeps me from stepping over the railing and find out what I want to know? I find this incredibly strange.

Any psychology students out there?

2

You have reminded me of a story I read a long time ago:

 "And because our reason violently deters us from the brink, *therefore* do we the most impetuously approach it. There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a plunge." Edgar Allan Poe, *The Imp of the Perverse*

I used to get the same feeling standing on the roof of an eleven-story building. Now I mostly just want to step out of fast-moving vehicles. [sup][sub]We’re okay, though, aren’t we?[/sub][/sup]