Selected papers on hysteria and other psychoneurosesFreud, Sigmund
Science
Selected papers on hysteria and other psychoneuroses
Freud, Sigmund
Hysteria; Neuroses; Psychoanalysis
I think it worth emphasizing that with all changes my ideas on the
etiology of the psychoneuroses still never disavowed or abandoned two
points of view, to wit, the estimation of sexuality and infantilism. In
other respects we have in place of the accidental influences the
constitutional moments, and instead of the pure psychologically intended
defense we have the organic “sexual repression.” Should anybody ask
where a cogent proof can be found for the asserted etiological
significance of sexual factors in the psychoneuroses, and argue that
since an outburst of these diseases can result from the most banal
emotions, and even from somatic causes, a specific etiology in the form
of special experiences of childhood must therefore be disavowed; I
mention as an answer for all these arguments the psychoanalytic
investigation of neurotics as the source from which the disputed
conviction emanates. If one only makes use of this method of
investigation he will discover that the symptoms represent the whole or
a partial sexual manifestation of the patient from the sources of the
normal or perverse partial impulses of sexuality. Not only does a good
part of the hysterical symptomatology originate directly from the
manifestations of the sexual excitement, not only are a series of
erogenous zones in strengthening infantile attributes raised in the
neurosis to the importance of genitals, but even the most complicated
symptoms become revealed as the converted representations of fancies
having a sexual situation as a content. He who can interpret the
language of hysteria can understand that the neurosis only deals with
the repressed sexuality. One should, however, understand the sexual
function in its proper sphere as circumscribed by the infantile
predisposition. Where a banal emotion has to be added to the causation
of the disease, the analysis regularly shows that the sexual components
of the traumatic experience, which are never missing, have exercised the
pathogenic effect.
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