Chapter 10

*Prematurity.*--Such a factor is the spontaneous sexual _prematurity_ which can be definitely demonstrated at least in the etiology of the neuroses, though in itself it is as little adequate for causation as the other factors. It manifests itself in a breaking through, shortening, or suspending of the infantile latency period and becomes a cause of disturbances inasmuch as it provokes sexual manifestations which, either on account of the unready state of the sexual inhibitions or because of the undeveloped state of the genital system, can only carry along the character of perversions. These tendencies to perversion may either remain as such, or after the repression sets in they may become motive powers for neurotic symptoms; at all events, the sexual prematurity renders difficult the desirable later control of the sexual impulse by the higher psychic influences, and enhances the compulsive-like character which even without this prematurity would be claimed by the psychic representatives of the impulse. Sexual prematurity often runs parallel with premature intellectual development; it is found as such in the infantile history of the most distinguished and most productive individuals, and in such connection it does not seem to act as pathogenically as when appearing isolated.

*Temporal Factors.*--Just like prematurity, other factors, which under the designation of _temporal_ can be added to prematurity, also demand consideration. It seems to be phylogenetically established in what sequence the individual impulsive feelings become active, and how long they can manifest themselves before they succumb to the influence of a newly appearing active impulse or to a typical repression. But both in this temporal succession as well as in the duration of the same, variations seem to occur, which must exercise a definite influence on the experience. It cannot be a matter of indifference whether a certain stream appears earlier or later than its counterstream, for the effect of a repression cannot be made retrogressive; a temporal deviation in the composition of the components regularly produces a change in the result. On the other hand impulsive feelings which appear with special intensity often come to a surprisingly rapid end, as in the case of the heterosexual attachment of the later manifest homosexuals. The strivings of childhood which manifest themselves most impetuously do not justify the fear that they will lastingly dominate the character of the grown-up; one has as much right to expect that they will disappear in order to make room for their counterparts. (Harsh masters do not rule long.) To what one may attribute such temporal confusions of the processes of development we are hardly able to suggest. A view is opened here to a deeper phalanx of biological, and perhaps also historical problems, which we have not yet approached within fighting distance.

*Adhesion.*--The significance of all premature sexual manifestations is enhanced by a psychic factor of unknown origin which at present can be put down only as a psychological preliminary. I believe that it is the _heightened adhesion_ or _fixedness_ of these impressions of the sexual life which in later neurotics, as well as in perverts, must be added for the completion of the other facts; for the same premature sexual manifestations in other persons cannot impress themselves deeply enough to repeat themselves compulsively and to succeed in prescribing the way for the sexual impulse throughout later life. Perhaps a part of the explanation for this adhesion lies in another psychic factor which we cannot miss in the causation of the neuroses, namely, in the preponderance which in the psychic life falls to the share of memory traces as compared with recent impressions. This factor is apparently dependent on the intellectual development and grows with the growth of personal culture. In contrast to this the savage has been characterized as "the unfortunate child of the moment."[15] Owing to the oppositional relation existing between culture and the free development of sexuality, the results of which may be traced far into the formation of our life, the problem how the sexual life of the child evolves is of very little importance for the later life in the lower stages of culture and civilization, and of very great importance in the higher.

*Fixation.*--The influence of the psychic factors just mentioned favored the development of the accidentally experienced impulses of the infantile sexuality. The latter (especially in the form of seductions through other children or through adults) produce the material which, with the help of the former, may become fixed as a permanent disturbance. A considerable number of the deviations from the normal sexual life observed later have been thus established in neurotics and perverts from the beginning through the impressions received during the alleged sexually free period of childhood. The causation is produced by the responsiveness of the constitution, the prematurity, the quality of heightened adhesion, and the accidental excitement of the sexual impulse through outside influence.

The unsatisfactory conclusions which have resulted from this investigation of the disturbances of the sexual life is due to the fact that we as yet know too little concerning the biological processes in which the nature of sexuality consists to form from our isolated examinations a satisfactory theory for the explanation of either the normal or the pathological.

[1] The differences will be emphasized in the schematic representation given in the text. To what extent the infantile sexuality approaches the definitive sexual organization through its object selection has been discussed before (p. 60).

[2] See my work, Wit and its Relation to the Unconscious, translated by A.A. Brill, Moffat Yard Pub. Co., New York: "The fore-pleasure gained by the technique of wit is utilized for the purpose of setting free a greater pleasure by the removal of inner inhibitions."

[3] Cf. Zur Einführung des Narzismus, Jahrbuch der Psychoanalyse, VI, 1913.

[4] It is necessary to make clear that the conceptions "masculine" and "feminine," whose content seems so unequivocal to the ordinary meaning, belong to the most confused terms in science and can be cut up into at least three paths. One uses masculine and feminine at times in the sense of activity and passivity, again, in the biological sense, and then also in the sociological sense. The first of these three meanings is the essential one and the only one utilizable in psychoanalysis. It agrees with the masculine designation of the libido in the text above, for the libido is always active even when it is directed to a passive aim. The second, the biological significance of masculine and feminine, is the one which permits the clearest determination. Masculine and feminine are here characterized by the presence of semen or ovum and through the functions emanating from them. The activity and its secondary manifestations, like stronger developed muscles, aggression, a greater intensity of libido, are as a rule soldered to the biological masculinity but not necessarily connected with it, for there are species of animals in whom these qualities are attributed to the female. The third, the sociological meaning, receives its content through the observation of the actual existing male and female individuals. The result of this in man is that there is no pure masculinity or feminity either in the biological or psychological sense. On the contrary every individual person shows a mixture of his own biological sex characteristics with the biological traits of the other sex and a union of activity and passivity; this is the case whether these psychological characteristic features depend on the biological or whether they are independent of it.

[5] Psychoanalysis teaches that there are two paths of object-finding; the first is the one discussed in the text which is guided by the early infantile prototypes. The second is the narcissistic which seeks its own ego and finds it in the other. The latter is of particularly great significance for the pathological outcomes, but does not fit into the connection treated here.

[6] Those to whom this conception appears "wicked" may read Havelock Ellis's treatise on the relations between mother and child which expresses almost the same ideas (The Sexual Impulse, p. 16).

[7] For the explanation of the origin of the infantile fear I am indebted to a three-year-old boy whom I once heard calling from a dark room: "Aunt, talk to me, I am afraid because it is dark." "How will that help you," answered the aunt; "you cannot see anyhow." "That's nothing," answered the child; "if some one talks then it becomes light."--He was, as we see, not afraid of the darkness but he was afraid because he missed the person he loved, and he could promise to calm down as soon as he was assured of her presence.

[8] Cf. here what was said on page 83 concerning the object selection of the child; the "tender stream."

[9] The incest barrier probably belongs to the historical acquisitions of humanity and like other moral taboos it must be fixed in many individuals through organic heredity. (Cf. my work, Totem and Taboo, 1913.) Psychoanalytic studies show, however, how intensively the individual struggles with the incest temptations during his development and how frequently he puts them into phantasies and even into reality.

[10] Compare the description concerning the inevitable relation in the Oedipus legend (The Interpretation of Dreams, p. 222, translated by A.A. Brill, The Macmillan Co., New York, and Allen & Unwin, London).

[11] Innumerable peculiarities of the human love-life as well as the compulsiveness of being in love itself can surely only be understood through a reference to childhood or as an effective remnant of the same.

[12] This was true not only of the "negative" tendencies to perversion appearing in the neurosis, but also of the so-called positive perversions. The latter are not only to be attributed to the fixation of the infantile tendencies, but also to regression to these tendencies owing to the misplacement of other paths of the sexual stream. Hence the positive perversions are also accessible to psychoanalytic therapy. (Cf. the works of Sadger, Ferenczi, and Brill.)

[13] Here one often sees that at first a normal sexual stream begins at the age of puberty, but owing to its inner weakness it breaks down at the first outer hindrance and then changes from regression, to perverse fixation.

[14] That keen observer of human nature, E. Zola, describes a girl in his book, La Joie de vivre, who in cheerful self renunciation offers all she has in possession or expectation, her fortune and her life's hopes to those she loves without thought of return. The childhood of this girl was dominated by an insatiable desire for love which whenever she was depreciated caused her to merge into a fit of cruelty.

[15] It is possible that the heightened adhesion is only the result of a special intensive somatic sexual manifestation of former years.

INDEX

Aberrations (see Perversions) a fragment of inhibited development, 89 Sexual, 1, 13, 14 shown by the psychoneurotic, 29 with animals, 13

Absolute Inversion (sexual object of the same sex), 2

Activity and Passivity in sexual aim in exhibitionism, 21 of Sadism and Masochism, 23 precursors and masculine and feminine, 59

Activity, Muscular, 63

Adhesion, heightened, or fixedness of impressions of sexual life, 99 may be only result of a special intensive somatic sexual manifestation of former years, 99

Affective Processes, 64 pathogenic action of, 64 value of unconscious thought formation, 27

Aggression, Sadism and Masochism not attributable to mixture of, 24 taint of, shown by sexuality of most men, 22

Agoraphobia and neurotic disturbances of walking, 64, note 22

Aims of impulses distinguish them from one another, 31

Algolagnia, 22

Alkaloids, introduction of, analogous in neuroses and phenomena of intoxication and abstinence, 76

Ambivalence, 59

Amnesia, Infantile, 37 connected with infantile sexual activity, 51 and hysterical compared, 39

Amphigenous inversion, 2

Anal Erotic, 10, note 11 Zone, activity of, 47 erogenous significance of, 48 masturbatic irritation of, 49

Androgyny, 8

Anesthesia, causes of, are partly psychic, 81 continuance of, caused by retention of clitoris excitability, 81 of newly married women, 80 of wives due to parent complex, 85 of women often only apparent and local, 81 of women only at vaginal entrance, 81

Animals as sexual objects, 13

Anus (see also Anal) as aim of inverts, 12; 17 especially frequent example of transgression, 29 part played by erogenous zone in, 32

Anxiety on railroads, 63

Archaic constitution, 10, note 11

Arduin, Dr., 9, note 11

Attractions connected with pleasure, 70

Autoerotism, the gratification of sexual impulse on own body, 43 separation of, from object love, not temporal, 55, note 19 essential, of infantile sexuality, 58 of erogenous zones, same in boy and girl, 79 regular, of sexual impulse, 81

Baths, warm, therapeutic effects of, 62

Bayer, 40, note 6

Beautiful, concept of, 21 a quality of excitation, 70

Bell, S., 37, note 2; 55, note 19

Binet; 19; 34

Birth theories, 57

Bisexuality, Relation of, 7 as explanation of inversion, 9, note 11 Sadism and Masochism, 24 necessary to understanding of sexual in man and woman, 80

Bladder, disturbances of childhood sexual in nature, 51

Bleuler, 37, note 2; 60

Bloch, I., 1, note 1; 5; 16

Breast, rubbing of, 43 woman's, as erogenous zone, 71

Cadavers, 25

Cannibalistic pregenital phase, 59

Castration complex, 22; 56 of males does not always injure sexual libido, 75

Catarrh, intestinal, produces irritations in anal zone, 48

Cathartic treatment, 26

Character built up from the material of sexual excitations, 96 composed of impulses fixed since infancy and won through sublimation, 96 of individual determined by infantile sexual activity, 50

Chemical theories of sexual excitement, 76

Chevalier, 7; 9, note 11

Childish, see Infantile

Children and neurotics compared, 38 as sexual objects, 13 cruelty especially characteristic of, 30 educability of, impaired by premature sexual activity, 91 impressionability of, 38 in school, behavior of and germinating sexuality, 64 sexual life of, 40

Clitoris, chief erogenous zone in female child, 80 erection of, in little girls, 80 excitability retained causes continuance of anesthesia, 81 excitation, destinies of, 80 conducts excitement to adjacent female parts, 80 transfer of, to other parts, takes time, 80 sexuality is a part of male sexual life, 80 sexuality repressed in girl at puberty, 80

Coitus, 36

Colin, 23

Complex, castration, 22; 56 Oedipus, 85 parent, 15, note 14 strongest in girls, 85

Compulsion emanating from unconscious psychic material, 51 inversion is perceived as a morbid, 3 neurosis, 32 psychoanalysis enlightens ego libido, 77 from fixation on erogenous zones in infancy, 77

Congeniality in inversions, 4 of perversions in all persons, 34

Conscience, 22

Constitutional factor, relation of, to occasional 96

Contrary Sexuals, 2

Conversion, 27

Coprophilic smell desire, 20, note 19

Copulation, 14

Courting, 22

Craving, best English word for libido, 1, note 2

Cruelty and sexual impulse most intimately connected, 23 as component of infantile sexual life regarding others as sexual objects, 53 especially near the childish character, 54 partial desires as carriers of impulses of, 30

Culture and sex, 41

Dangers of fore-pleasure, 72

Degeneration, nervous, 4 high ethical culture in, 5

Dementia præcox, 26

Desire, coprophilic smell, 20, note 19 for knowledge, 55 immense sexual, in hysteria, 28 partial, 29

Dessoir, 87

Donation, idea of, 48; 49

Drinking, desire for, in former thumbsuckers, 44

Ear lobe pulling, 42

Eating, sexuality of, 66

Ego-Libido (see Libido)

Ellis, H., 1, note 1; 6; 8; 23; 43; 52, note 18

End Pleasure (see Gratification, Orgasm, Pleasure) new to age after puberty, 72

Enuresis nocturna corresponds to a pollution, 51

Erection of clitoris in little girls, 80 of penis, a somatic sign of sexual excitation, 69

Erogenous action of pain, 65 functions, disturbance of, in lip zone, 66 significance of anal zone, 48 zones, partial impulses and, 31 significance of in psychoneuroses, 32 preponderance of special, in psychoneuroses, 34 source of sexual feelings of infantile years, 41 lips as, 44 characters of, 45 predestined, 46 show same characters as hysterogenous, 46 any part of body may become, 46, note 12 significance of anal zone, 48 premature activity in, indicated by cruelty, 54 parts of skin called, 65 one of three ways of stimulation of sexual apparatus, 69 their manner of adjustment to new order, 70 rôle of, in preparing sexual excitation, 70 increase tension, 71 make possible the gratification pleasure, 72 contribute unusual pleasure in infantile life, 72 connected anatomically with centers producing tension, 74 autoerotism of, same in boy and girl, 79 chief, in female child is the clitoris, 80 changed from clitoris to vagina, mark of womanhood, 81 change of leading, determines woman's preference for neuroses, 81 gratified by intercourse between child and foster parents, 82

Etiological group, 97 composed of dispositional and definitive groups, 97

Eulenberg, 1, note 1

Excitement enhanced by preliminary activities, 14 hunger, 16 influences, three kinds of, 62 sexual, nature of, entirely unfamiliar, 66 prepared by erogenous zones, 70 result of any of three kinds of stimuli, 69

Exhibitionism (see Looking, Peeping, Voyeur) as a perversion, 21 partial desires as carriers of, 30 the eye as erogenous zone in, 32 as component of infantile sexual life, 53

Eye as erogenous zone, 32; 70

Faith, 15

Father, sexual intimidation experienced through, averts inversion, 88

Fear, infantile, 83 only expresses child's missing beloved person, 83 influence of, sexually exciting, 64 of being alone alike in child and neurotic, 84 of dark, infantile, 83 of grown up neurotic like that of children, 84 only children with excessive sexual impulse disposed to, 83 sought as sexual excitement, 64

Feces, licking of, 25 retention of, a source of pleasure, 48 a cause of constipation, 49

Feelings, perverted, 34

Female (see Masculine and Feminine)

Female child, entirely made character of in autoerotism and masturbation, 79

Féré, 23

Ferenczi, 15, note 14

Fetichism, 18 Binet's findings in, 34 nothing in unconscious streams of thought inclining to, 30 of foot, 20, note 19

Fixation, 99 of impulses accidentally experienced, 99

Fliess, W., 10, note 11; 29, note 26; 41, note 7

Foot, as unfit substitute for sexual object, 18 fetichism of, 20, note 19

Fore-Pleasure, connection of, with infantile life strengthened by pathogenic rôle, 72 dangers of, 72 is that of excitation of erogenous zones, 72 mechanism contains danger to attainment of normal sexual aim, 72 primacy of genital zones and the, 69 same as that furnished by infantile sexual impulse, 72 too much endangers attainment of normal sexual aim, 72

Fur, 19

Fusions, 26 activity of, 49

Genital zone, primacy of, 69 external, in woman, so important for later sexual functions, 80 overestimation of internal, 75 gratification of, 52

Genitals, erogenous zones behave like real, in hysteria, 32 looking only at, becomes a perversion, 21 male, in all persons, the infantile sexual theory, 56 mouth and anus playing rôle of, 29 opening of female, unknown to children, 58 primacy of, intended by nature, 50 rubbed by children while pleasure sucking, 43 sexual impulse of reawakens, 50 touching of, caused by strong excitements in children, 64

Gley, E., 9, note 11

Globus, hysterical, in former thumbsuckers, 45

Gratification pleasure of orgasm, 71 sexual, 3; 14 picture of, in suckling, 44 relation of, to sexual excitement not explained, 91 the best hypnotic, 43

Groos, K., 37, note 2

Hair, 18

Halban, 8

Hall, G.S., 37, note 2

Hemorrhoids and neurotic states, 48

Heredity, 36

Herman, G., 10, note 11

Hermaphrodites, psychosexual, 2; 7 anatomical, 7

Hetero-sexual feelings, 3, note 5; 29, note 26 intercourse, dangers of, fix inversions, 6

Hirschfeld, M., 1, note 1; 9, note 11

Hoche, 16

Homosexual, 2 among Greeks, 11 favored by bringing up of boys by men, 88 inclination resulting in inversion, 6 in men, 11 in women, 12 object selection accomplished by all men in the unconscious, 10, note 11

Hug-Hellmuth, Mrs. Dr. H., 37, note 2

Hunger and sex compared, 1 excitement, 16

Hypnosis (suggestion), 3, note 4 obedience in, shows nature of, to be fixation on hypnotizer, 15, note 14 removes inversion, 6

Hysteria, immense sexual desire in, 28 male, explained by propensity to inversion, 29 many cases of have syphilitic fathers, 93 preference for, in women determined by change of leading erogenous zone, 81 determined by repression of puberty, 81 psychoanalysis in, 26 of, enlightens the ego-libido, 77 removes symptoms of, 27 seduction as frequent cause of, 52 some cases of, conditioned by disappearance of one parent, 88 symptomatology of, tendency to displacement in, 46

Hysterical globus, 45 vomiting, 44; 45

Hysterogenous zones show same characteristics as erogenous, 46

Ideal of sexual life, the union of all desires in one object, 61

Identification as development out of oral pregenital sexual organization, 59

Immature as sexual objects, 13

Impotence, 20

Impulse development, 9 partial, 31 independent of each other, strive for pleasure, 58 sexual, 1 acquired, 5 to mastery, foreshadowed in boys' masturbation, 50

Incest barriers, 84 object selection significant in psychosexual disturbances, 86 phantasies rejected, 85 temptations, struggle of the individual with, 85, note 9

Infantile amnesia, 37 and infantile sexual activity, 51 attraction for parents, etc., repressed in puberty, 86 desire for parents, 87 factor for sexuality, 39 fear, 83; 84, note 7 fixation of libido, 86 in sexuality, 34 conserved by neurotics, 35 masturbation, 51 neglect of the, 36 object selection, after effects of, 86 onanism almost universal, 50 relations to parents, produces serious results to sexual life, 87 cause of jealousy of lover, 87 wet nurse, 82 reminiscences in neurotics, 40 sexual activity, 50 aim, 45; 46 excitement generously provided for, 65 impulse same as adult fore-pleasure, 72 investigation, failure of, 57 sexuality, 36 manifestations of, 42 determines normal, 73 source of, 61 sexual life, 53

Influences, opposite, paths of, 66

Inhibitions (see Shame, Loathing, Sympathy) 26, note 23 sexual, 40 develop earlier in girl, 78 study of, 58

Innateness, 5

Inner organic world, one of three stimulants of sexual apparatus, 69

Inquisitiveness, 55 of children attracted to sexual problems, 56

Intentions, Appearance of New, 20

Intellectual work, 65

Intensity of stimulus, a factor in sexual excitement, 65

Intestinal catarrh in neurosis, 48

Inversion, amphigenous, 2 influence of climate and race on, 5 conception of, 4 congeniality of, 4 corresponds to sexual inclinations of many persons, 88 effect of father on, 11, note 11 explanation of, 6; 10, note 11 extreme cases of, 3 feelings of, in all neurotics, 29 frequent in ancient times, 5 permanent, made possible by a disappearance of one parent, 88 prevention of, 87 time of, 3