Happiness as an Expression of Health: A Dialogue Between Law and Psychoanalysis

Health gained a global prominence and became a right declared by the World Health Organization in 1948. In the 21st century, it is understood as a complete well-being of the individual, far beyond the absence of disease. In this context, the right to happiness translates as an expression of the aspirations for the realization of the right to health. Thus, this chapter aims to understand, in the light of the Freudian perspective, the aspects of soul life that lead the individual to the exhausting task of seeking happiness and seeks to reflect the possible contributions that legal science can offer to the improvement of individual well-being as a right health in the context of global health. Freud's theories about the formation of the psychic apparatus, his conception of malaise caused by culture and legal interventions that can possibly contribute to the reduction of individual unhappiness are presented.