Sadomasochism in the Perversions: Some Thoughts on the Destruction Of Reality

Abstract

The author summarizes and develops some of her viewpoints on the perversions (outlined in several of the books and articles she has written. For her all the perversions, whatever their content, develop against an anal sadomasochistic backdrop. Their aim is to destroy reality. Reality, from a psychosexual perspective, may be defined as resulting from the existence of the father separating the mother and the child. This may be formulated in another way: reality is recognition of sexual and generational differences. Or, yet again: mother and father have a procreative sexuality, whereas the child does not. This leads to the idea that the destruction of reality is equivalent to destruction of the paternal universe. Clinical case illustrations are provided, one of which centers on the assassination of an old man who, besides representing a paternal oedipal image, also represents reality itself. This case illustrates in concrete form the murder of the father, and hence of reality, accomplished by the pervert when he eradicates the paternal dimension of psychosexuality by regressing to the anal sadomasochistic dimension.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bak, R. (1968). The phallic woman. Psychoanal. Study Child, 23: 15–36.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. , (1973). The Ego Ideal. New York: Norton, 1985.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. , (1978). Reflections on the connections between perversion and sadism. Int. J. Psychoanal., 59: 27–35.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J., (1982). Perversion and the universal law. In Chasseguet-Smirgel (1984b), pp. 1–2.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. , (1984a). The archaic matrix of the Oedipus complex. In Sexuality and Mind. New York: N.Y. Univ. Press, 1986, pp. 74–91.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. , (1984b). Creativity and Perversion. New York: Norton.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. , (1984c). Ethique et Esthétique de la Perversion. Champ Vallon, France: Seyssel.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J., (1984d). A psychoanalytic study of “falsehood.” In Chasseguet-Smirgel (1984b), pp. 66–78.

Chasseguet-Smirgel, J., (1989). Thinking and the superego. In preparation.

10.

Freud, S. (1905). Three essays on the theory of sexuality. S. E., 7.

11.

Freud, S. (1909). Analysis of a phobia in a five–year–old boy. S. E., 10.

12.

Freud, S. (1917). On the transformation of instincts as exemplified in anal eroticism. S. E., 17.

13.

Freud, S. (1919). A child is being beaten. S. E., 17.

14.

Freud, S. (1924). The economic problem of masochism. S. E., 19.

15.

Glasser, M. (1979). Some aspects on the role of aggression in the perversions. In Sexual Deviations, ed. I. Rosen . Oxford, Eng.: Oxford Univ. Press, pp. 278–305.

16.

Glover, J. (1927). Notes on an unusual form of perversion. Int. J. Psychoanal., 8: 10–24.

17.

Grunberger, B. (1959). Etude sur la relation objectale anale. In Narcissism. New York: Int. Univ. Press, 1979, pp. 265–281.

18.

Jouhandeau, M. (1988). Tirésias: Ecrits secrets III. Paris: Arléa.

19.

Rosenberg, B. (1982). Culpabilité et masochisme moral ou la culpabilité comme “négatif” du masochisme. Cahiers Center Psychanal. Psychothér., 4.

20.

Sade, A. F.de . Marquis de Sade-Oeuvres complètes. Paris: Tchou, 1967.

21.

Stoller, R. (1975). Perversion. New York: Pantheon.