Introduction to Psychoanalysis

Chapter 37 People's Sexual Life (1)
Gentlemen, you must think that there is no doubt about what the word "sexual" means.The so-called "sexual" is of course improper in the first place, and should not be spoken or seen in pen and ink.Once upon a time there was a psychiatrist whose students wanted to show the teacher the often sexual tinge of hysterical symptoms.For this purpose he was brought by them to the bedside of a hysterical female patient.At the time, the patient's symptoms clearly mimicked the act of production.However, the teacher said, "Girls don't necessarily have to be sexual!" Of course, he was right, and having kids isn't necessarily illicit.

I understand that you disagree with me and have joked about these big issues.It wasn't all a joke, though.To be honest, it is not easy to give a precise definition to the word "sexual".Or the definition of "sexual" only applies when referring to things related to gender differences; however, you also understand that this is vague and uncertain.If you take the sexual act itself as the core, you may think that "sexual" refers to the satisfaction of pleasure obtained from the body of the opposite sex, especially the sexual organs; in a narrow sense, it refers to the combination of genitals and sexual behavior the completion.In this way, you will almost be sure that "sexual" and "improper" are synonymous, and the matter of "production" really has nothing to do with sex.If you take the function of reproduction as an element of sexual life, you will inevitably exclude from the definition of "sexual" behaviors such as masturbation or kissing. Although masturbation or kissing does not have reproduction as the purpose, it is undoubtedly sexual.We realize that there will always be difficulties in defining, and will not continue this attempt here.Perhaps we suspect that a perfect definition of the word "sexual" is impossible.However, generally speaking, the meaning of the word "sexual" is self-evident to everyone.

According to the general view, the concept of "sexual" includes the difference between the sexes, the stimulation and satisfaction of pleasure, the reproductive function, and the concept of obscenity, obscenity and concealment, and so on.Although this view is applicable to ordinary life, it is not suitable for science.Because hard research is enough to show that some people's sex lives are far different from ordinary people.These people can be called "sexual psychopaths", and some of them seem to have no gender differences in their lives.They think that only the same sex can arouse sexual desire; for the opposite sex, especially the genitals of the opposite sex cannot make them sexually stimulated, but become the object of fear.Therefore, they have completely lost their reproductive function, and such people are called homosexuals.Their psychological development, both intellectually and ethically, has a very high standard that cannot be reproached, but it is a little regretful because of this.Scientists call them a special case of the human sex, the third sex, which has equal rights to the other sexes.We may have occasion to criticize this view in the future.Of course, they are not the "excellent" among human beings they claim to be; at least they also have individuals who are as inferior and useless as other sexes.

These perverts, at least as well as normal people, achieve their goals by having objects of lust.However, there are many perverts among them, whose sexual life is far from the interests of ordinary people.There are so many types of these people, and their manifestations are so grotesque, that they are comparable to Breuer's monsters tempting St. Anthony, or Flaubert's penitents in front of a procession of decrepit gods and statues. admirer.This chaotic crowd, if we are not confused, then we must classify it.Thus, they were classified into the first category, that is, the change of sexual object, which is the same as that of homosexuals; the second category, that is, the change of sexual purpose.People in the first category do not need to combine with the genitals, but replace it with other organs or positions such as the mouth or anus, regardless of whether there is any hindrance, whether it is shameful or not.Others, though still having the genitals as their object, are not due to its sexual function, but to other similar functions.For these people, the excretory function, which is indecent and filthy, can also arouse their whole sexual interest.There are also people who do not take the genitals as objects at all, but take other parts of the body, such as a woman's breasts, feet or hair, as objects of lust.There are also those who have no interest in other parts of the body, but a dress, a shoe, or even a shirt can satisfy their passions; these people are undoubtedly followers of fetishism.Then there are those who, though they also need objects, do so in a peculiar and horrific way, and what is more, driven by the compulsion to commit crimes, they turn to irresistible corpses in order to satisfy them. as a means of satisfying desires.No more needs to be said about this horror.

In the second category of psychopaths, their sexual goals often manifest as a sexual preparation made by ordinary people.Some people achieve sexual satisfaction by watching, touching, or peeping at the most private behavior of others; some people expose the hidden parts of the body and hope that the other party will do the same in return.There are also some unreasonable sadists who obtain sexual satisfaction from giving the other party pain and punishment. The light ones make the other party submit, and the heavier ones cause the other party's body to be severely injured.The opposite of the sadist is the masochist, whether real or symbolic, who wishes only to be conquered or punished by the other.Still others do both.Finally, we also learned that each of these two broad categories of perverts can be subdivided into two types: the first who seek sexual gratification in a specific way in reality, and the second who seek sexual gratification only in fantasy. To obtain satisfaction, there is no need to have a real object, but to create an illusion instead.

There is no doubt that these crazy, grotesque, even horrific activities constitute the content of these people's sexual life.Not only do they themselves admit their surrogate character, but we are compelled to admit that such activities occupy an equal or equal place in their lives as normal sexual gratification occupies in ours. Greater sacrifice.We may be able to briefly or in detail describe where these perverted sexual phenomena are similar to the normal ones, and where they are different from the normal ones.You also understand that all the illicit qualities of sexual life are present in these ways, sometimes to the point of being repulsive.

Now, what attitude should we take toward the gratification of these morbid sexual desires?If we express anger, disgust, and confidence that we don't have such desires, it's pointless.The crux of the matter is not here.This phenomenon is also similar to other phenomena. If you dismiss these phenomena as weird and unusual and avoid talking about them, it is easy to refute them, because such phenomena are everywhere and common.If, however, you think that such phenomena are nothing but perversions of the sexual instinct, and that the theories about the sexual life of man need not be modified, a serious reply must be made.If we cannot understand these pathological ways of sexuality and relate them to normal sexual life, normal sexual life must also fail to understand.In conclusion, theoretically, we must satisfactorily explain the existence of all psychosexuals and their relation to normal sexual life.

To this end we will use a point of view and the help of two new kinds of evidence.This point of view should be credited to Bloch. He believes that the statement that "all sexual perversions are symbols of degeneration" is not credible; because no matter in ancient times or today, no matter which nation, the most primitive until Such perversions of sexual aims and objects exist in the most civilized, and are sometimes tolerated by ordinary people.Two new pieces of evidence come from psychoanalytic studies of the mentally ill, and their enormous influence on the theory of sexual perversions is unquestionable.

We have said that the symptoms of psychosis are substitutes for sexual gratification, and we have also said that it would be difficult to confirm this by the analysis of the symptoms.Frankly, we must regard the so-called "perverted" sexual need as a sexual gratification; for the extent to which symptoms are explained on the basis of this statement is astonishingly universal.Homosexuals often claim to be the "excellent class" of human beings. However, if we know that every mentally ill patient has homosexual tendencies, and most of the symptoms are the manifestation of latent homosexual tendencies, such boasting will naturally be untenable. foot.Those who profess to be homosexual, but their homosexuality is self-conscious or obvious, the number of these people is almost insignificant compared with the number of people who have only hidden homosexuality.In practice, we must regard choosing the same sex as the object of love as a normal state of the ability to love, and gradually understand how important this fact is.Of course, the distinctions between homosexuality and normality do not disappear automatically; in practice they still matter, but their theoretical value is greatly diminished.We will even come to the conclusion that paranoia is a type of insanity that no longer belongs to the category of "transference psychosis", which is often caused by the repression of strong homosexual tendencies.You will recall from the above example the patient whose compulsive sexual behavior caused her to imitate the behavior of a man, the estranged husband, the sort of masquerade symptoms which often occur in psychotic women.If, this cannot be attributed to homosexuality in fact, it is also very closely related to the origin of homosexuality.

As you know, mental diseases such as hysteria can manifest symptoms in various systems of the body, such as the circulatory system, respiratory system, etc., thereby disturbing all the functions of the body.According to the results of the analysis, those "psychopathic" impulses to replace the genitals with other organs are expressed in these symptoms.Therefore, other organs are used as genital substitutes. It is precisely because of the study of hysterical symptoms that we understand that the organs of the body, apart from their original functions, also have sexual meanings, and if their sexual meanings are too strong, Its original function will be affected.Thus, with regard to non-sexual organs, the excitement and impulse that we encounter as symptoms of hysteria are perverted sexual gratifications.We thus understand better how the nutrient and excretory organs satisfy the sexual drive.Psychosexual disorders show the same symptoms; but the symptoms of psychosexual disorders are easy to debate, and the analysis of hysterical symptoms at least is troublesome.In addition, you must understand that the impulses of psychopaths belong to the subconscious part of the patient's personality, not the consciousness.

Among the many symptoms of obsessive-compulsive psychosis, the most serious is the sadistic perversion of sexual orientation and purpose due to excessive energy.According to the structure of obsessive-compulsive psychosis, these symptoms are mainly resistance to perverted desires, or express the contradiction between satisfaction and refusal.But there are no shortcuts to contentment. It knows how to meander through the patient's movements to achieve its goal, and it suffers willingly for it.There are other expressions of this type of mental illness, such as excessive worry, deep thinking, etc.; moreover, excessively regard the preparatory actions that only belong to sexual life in the normal state as sexual satisfaction, such as the desire to peep, touch and explore.Thus, we can explain why fear of contact and compulsive handwashing play a very important role in this disorder.Most compulsive sexual behaviors can be regarded as masturbation in a modified form, and masturbation can be regarded as the only basic action of various sexual fantasies.

Originally, I would have gone into more detail about the relationship between sexual perversion and psychosis, but I believe we have achieved our purpose.We cannot overestimate how common and strong this tendency is in man, assuming that the tendency to sexual perversion plays an important role in the explanation of the symptoms.You have learned that the insatiability of normal sexual desires may lead to psychosis, but in fact the lack of sexual desire satisfaction is such that sexual needs have to seek perverted outlets in the form of sexual impulses.You will later learn how these things happened.In any case, you should understand that this "occasional" check must necessarily increase the force of the perverted drive, so that if the normal sexual gratification is not hindered, the force of the perverted drive must be weaker.Again, a similar cause is evident in some markedly abnormal states.In some cases, if the sexual instinct is restricted by temporary obstacles or by permanent social institutions, it is difficult to obtain normal satisfaction and cause abnormal states.In other cases, the tendency to pervert is quite independent of these conditions.They seem to be the normal state of some human life.

Perhaps you will temporarily think that these discussions are not enough to explain the relationship between normal and abnormal sex life, but more confusing.You will, however, bear in mind the following argument: If the actual impediment or absence of sexual gratification does cause the display of sexual perversions in persons who do not show it otherwise, then we must conclude that these persons are more prone to it. Symptoms of sexual perversion; or that there is a tendency for sexual perversion lurking in their bodies.So, we begin to discuss the second kind of new evidence mentioned above.As psychoanalytic research has shown, since the recollections and associations evoked in the analysis of symptoms often go back to the earliest years of childhood, it is also necessary for us to study the sexual life of children.In recent years everything we have thus discovered has been confirmed by direct observation of children.Therefore, we understand that all sexual psychopathic tendencies originate in childhood, and children have sexually perverted tendencies, even behaviors, which are just in line with their immature level; therefore, perverted sex life refers to the sex life of infants. It's just that the size of the scope and the complexity of the ingredients are different.

(End of this chapter)