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Polymorphous perversity

Polymorphous perversity is a foundational concept in psychoanalysis, coined by Sigmund Freud to characterize the innate, diffuse sexual instincts of infancy and early childhood, wherein libidinal energy is not confined to genital zones or a singular reproductive aim but manifests through multiple erogenous areas in autoerotic and varied forms.^[1] Introduced in Freud's seminal 1905 work, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, the term encapsulates the "polymorphously perverse" disposition of children, whose sexual excitations arise from diverse sources such as the mouth, anus, and skin, often independent of external objects and unhindered by later-developing inhibitions like shame or disgust.^[1] Freud observed that this disposition can be overtly revealed through seduction, leading children toward "all possible kinds of perverse sexual activity" and underscoring the accidental, non-teleological origins of adult sexual orientations.^[1] In this pre-pubertal phase, sexuality remains unorganized and "multifariously perverse," serving as a precursor to both neuroses and virtues: through mechanisms like repression and reaction-formation, these broad impulses are either sublimated into socially adaptive traits—such as tenderness or aesthetic sensibility—or fixated into perversions that deviate from reproductive norms.^[1] The concept revolutionized understandings of human sexuality by positing it as inherently plastic and non-normative from the outset, challenging Victorian-era views of childhood innocence and adult heterosexuality as natural endpoints.^[2] Freud likened this infantile state to that observed in "uncultivated women" or certain adults who retain elements of polymorphous expression, suggesting a universal potential for erotic multiplicity that society curtails through cultural and psychological maturation.^[1] Subsequent psychoanalytic thought has extended the idea, interpreting it as a basis for gender fluidity and diverse identities; for instance, it informs contemporary discussions of transsexuality by highlighting the "accidental nature" of gender identifications arising from early perverse potentials.^[3] In modern queer theory and sexuality studies, the term evolves toward notions like "polysexuality," emphasizing emancipatory potentials for reclaiming bodily pleasures beyond hegemonic binaries, though critics note its historical embedding in pathologizing frameworks that equate non-genital aims with deviance.^[2]

Definition and Origins

Core Concept

Polymorphous perversity refers to Sigmund Freud's characterization of infantile sexuality as a diffuse and undifferentiated form of libidinal energy, where sexual drives in infancy and early childhood are not centralized around a single genital aim or specific object but instead manifest across multiple erogenous zones and attach to a variety of activities and individuals.^[1] In this primordial state, the sexual instinct lacks a fixed object, with its organization emerging only later after puberty, allowing for a broad, exploratory pursuit of pleasure that Freud described as inherently "polymorphously perverse."^[1] Key characteristics of this disposition include indiscriminate pleasure-seeking, where the infant derives satisfaction from diverse bodily sources without the inhibitions of shame, disgust, or morality that develop later; autoerotic tendencies, in which pleasure is self-generated through one's own body rather than directed toward an external object; and an absence of structured object choice, enabling attachments to nearly any stimulus or person.^[1] This contrasts sharply with adult "normal" genital sexuality, which Freud viewed as a more repressive and organized synthesis under the primacy of the genitals, aimed at reproduction and bound by cultural norms, whereas the polymorphous perverse phase remains fragmented and non-reproductive.^[1] Illustrative examples abound in pre-oedipal behaviors, such as thumb-sucking, which exemplifies oral erotism through rhythmic stimulation of the lips and mouth as an erogenous zone; pleasure derived from the retention or expulsion of bodily excretions, highlighting anal erotism; or diffuse sensory enjoyment from skin contact and touch, all demonstrating the undifferentiated libido's capacity to find gratification in everyday activities without genital focus.^[1] These manifestations underscore the innate, exploratory nature of early sexuality, which Freud posited as a universal disposition revealed through observation and occasionally amplified by external seduction.^[1]

Historical Development in Psychoanalysis

The historical roots of polymorphous perversity trace back to late 19th-century sexology, where Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis (1886) profoundly influenced Sigmund Freud by cataloging sexual perversions—such as sadism, masochism, and inversion—as pathological deviations from reproductive norms, often attributed to hereditary degeneration or acquired neuropathology. Krafft-Ebing defined perversion functionally, stating that "every expression of [sexuality] that does not correspond with the purpose of nature—i.e., propagation—must be regarded as perverse," thereby framing non-procreative acts as symptomatic of underlying mental illness.^[4] Freud initially adopted this pathological lens in his early clinical work but progressively reconceptualized perversions, arguing that they represented not isolated degeneracies but universal, innate elements of human sexual development, present in infantile sexuality before cultural inhibitions impose genital primacy.^[4] This shift marked a departure from Krafft-Ebing's emphasis on perversion as aberrant pathology toward viewing it as a foundational disposition in normal psychosexual maturation.^[5] Freud's evolving ideas gained traction amid the intellectual ferment of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, established in 1902, where discussions in the mid-1900s debated the nature of perversions, infantile sexuality, and their links to neuroses. These sessions, documented in the society's minutes, integrated emerging psychoanalytic insights, including Freud's 1897 abandonment of his seduction theory—which had posited external sexual trauma as the primary cause of hysteria and perversion—in favor of internal psychic fantasy and constitutional factors as drivers of sexual development.^[6] In this transition, perversions were reframed from trauma-induced distortions to expressions of an underlying polymorphous sexual instinct, emphasizing endogenous fantasy over exogenous events like seduction.^[6] Such debates solidified the concept's place within psychoanalysis, highlighting its role in bridging normal and aberrant sexuality. Embryonic formulations of these ideas appeared in Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), where he explored the sexual underpinnings of dream content and latent infantile wishes, suggesting an undifferentiated, multisourced libido predating mature genital organization. The concept achieved fuller articulation by 1905 in Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, positing a "polymorphous-perverse disposition" as an original universal feature of the sexual instinct, observable in children's uninhibited erotism across multiple zones and objects.^[7]

Freud's Theory

Formulation in Early Works

Sigmund Freud introduced the concept of polymorphous perversity in his seminal 1905 work, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, a collection structured across three interconnected essays: the first on "Sexual Aberrations," examining deviations in sexual aim and object; the second on "Infantile Sexuality," positing the roots of adult sexuality in childhood; and the third on "The Transformations of Puberty," tracing the consolidation of these early impulses into mature genital organization.^[1] This progression underscores Freud's argument that perversions originate not as isolated pathologies but as distortions of a universal developmental trajectory, with infantile sexuality serving as the foundational source from which all later perversions emerge.^[1] Central to Freud's formulation is the notion that the libido, or sexual drive, begins in an aim-inhibited and objectless state, manifesting through diffuse component instincts attached to various erotogenic zones rather than a singular genital focus.^[1] He describes this as an innate "disposition to perversions" inherent in the human sexual instinct, where "the sexual instinct in man is originally without an object and its choice is subsequently determined by chance experiences."^[1] Perversions, in this view, represent either inhibitions or regressions within the normal developmental process, arising when early impulses fail to integrate properly due to fixation, repression, or external influences like seduction.^[1] Freud emphasizes that these perversions stem from the persistence of preparatory sexual acts that, in maturity, become subordinated to the primacy of the genitals.^[1] Freud explicitly terms this primordial state the "polymorphously perverse disposition," stating: "It is an instructive fact that under the influence of seduction children can become polymorphously perverse, and can be led into all possible kinds of sexual activities."^[1] He illustrates this with examples such as scopophilia (voyeurism), where pleasure derives from looking at or exposing the body, observable in children's uninhibited gazing or exhibitionism, which may later become repressed components of normal sexuality.^[1] Similarly, sadism—encompassing the pleasure in causing pain or cruelty—appears as a pregenital instinct in infancy, often linked to mastery over objects, but is typically subordinated and repressed in adult development, persisting only in pathological forms if developmental barriers fail.^[1] This framework pivots on Freud's rejection of prevailing Victorian assumptions that sexuality is absent or dormant in children until puberty, instead asserting that "children bring sexual activity with them into the world" in a diffuse, non-reproductive form shaped by multiple zones and aims.^[1] By linking perversions to this early, universal disposition—unhindered by the "dams" of shame, disgust, or morality that later civilize it—Freud counters the era's idealization of childhood innocence, proposing instead a continuum where adult normality emerges from the synthesis of these primal elements.^[1]

Connection to Psychosexual Stages

In Freud's model of psychosexual development, polymorphous perversity manifests primarily during the pre-genital stages, where the libido is not yet organized around genital primacy but diffuses across various erogenous zones, allowing for multiple sources of pleasure independent of reproductive aims.^[1] The oral stage represents the initial expression of this perversity through mouth erotism, such as thumb-sucking or nursing, which combines nutritional and sexual gratification in an auto-erotic manner.^[1] This phase establishes incorporation as a fundamental pleasure mechanism, with the mouth serving as the dominant erogenous zone before other areas gain prominence.^[1] The anal stage extends polymorphous tendencies to the anal zone, where pleasure derives from retention or expulsion of feces, often intertwined with sadistic elements and control dynamics during toilet training.^[1] Here, the child's perverse impulses involve active and passive currents, reflecting the undifferentiated nature of early sexuality without fixed object choices.^[1] Transitioning to the phallic stage, polymorphous perversity begins to consolidate around the genitals, yet retains perverse components through activities like masturbation and curiosity about sexual differences, culminating in the Oedipus complex where object-directed desires emerge but remain multisensory and non-reproductive.^[8]^[1] The developmental trajectory traces a progression from this diffuse, polymorphous state in pre-genital phases to genital organization post-puberty, achieved through the resolution of the Oedipus complex, which subordinates earlier component instincts to a unified reproductive aim.^[1] During the latency period (approximately ages six to twelve), repression diverts these perverse impulses via mechanisms like shame, disgust, and moral inhibitions, temporarily halting overt sexual expression and channeling libido into social or intellectual pursuits.^[1] This repression, while essential for mature sexuality, does not eradicate the underlying drives, which resurface at puberty to form adult genital primacy if development proceeds normally.^[1] Clinically, fixations arising from over- or under-gratification in these early stages can perpetuate polymorphous elements into adulthood, manifesting as perversions where partial drives override genital organization.^[8] Common psychoanalytic interpretations include oral fixations leading to traits like dependency, excessive smoking, or oral sexual preferences; anal fixations contributing to obsessive orderliness, sadism, or scatological interests; and phallic fixations resulting in voyeurism, exhibitionism, or fetishistic attachments, such as to non-genital objects like feet.^[8] Such outcomes stem from unresolved conflicts or premature excitations, transforming infantile perversity into symptomatic adult behaviors rather than integrated sexuality.^[1] Conceptually, this progression can be outlined as a sequential flow: polymorphous diffusion (pre-genital auto-erotism across zones) → pre-genital organization (stage-specific dominances with emerging sadism and object choice) → genital primacy (post-Oedipal unification under reproductive function), interrupted by latency repression to facilitate maturation.^[1]

Theoretical Applications

In Understanding Infantile Sexuality

Polymorphous perversity provides a framework for interpreting various behaviors in early childhood as manifestations of infantile sexuality, drawing on detailed clinical observations to illustrate how children derive pleasure from multiple erogenous zones without fixation on genital primacy. In Sigmund Freud's case study of "Little Hans," a five-year-old boy suffering from a horse phobia, the child's fantasies and play revealed a diffuse, non-localized pursuit of pleasure that transcended adult normative categories.^[9] These observations extended to everyday play and fantasy, highlighting autoeroticism as a normal mechanism through which infants and young children explore bodily sensations, such as rhythmic movements or oral gratification, without implying deviance. Behaviors such as thumb-sucking and bed-wetting can be analyzed as autoerotic activities rooted in sexual drives.^[1] Freud viewed these perversions not as pathological in children but as inherent and universal components of development, serving to build the ego by negotiating the pleasure principle across diverse somatic sources. This perspective reframed what society might label as aberrant—such as exploratory touching or scopophilic interests—as essential steps in psychic maturation, where the child's unbound libido fosters resilience and adaptability rather than repression from the outset.^[1] Central to this phase is an initial gender neutrality, characterized by constitutional bisexuality, wherein the child's drives operate without differentiation toward masculine or feminine objects, preceding the phallic stage's more defined genital focus. This polymorphous state allows for fluid identifications and pleasures, unencumbered by later societal binaries, as evidenced in the undifferentiated nature of early autoerotic activities observed in clinical cases.^[1] Supporting this theoretical construct are pediatric observations of infantile masturbation, often documented as rhythmic self-stimulation emerging in the first years of life, which Freud linked to broader polymorphous tendencies and used to critique prevailing notions of childhood asexuality that promoted abstinence and denial of such behaviors. These findings, drawn from both clinical reports and parental accounts, underscore masturbation's role as a benign expression of sexual curiosity, challenging educational approaches that pathologize it and advocating instead for non-interfering guidance to support healthy development.^[1]

Role in Adult Neuroses

In Freudian psychoanalysis, adult neuroses arise through the mechanism of regression, whereby unresolved conflicts from pregenital stages of development lead to a return to earlier, polymorphously perverse dispositions of the libido. This regression occurs when the ego, under pressure from the superego's moral demands, fails to integrate infantile sexual impulses into mature genital organization, resulting in fixations that manifest as neurotic symptoms. For instance, hysteria is often linked to oral or anal fixations, where libidinal energy regresses to these zones, producing somatic complaints as substitutes for repressed desires.^[7] Central to this process are the dynamics of repression, intensified by the formation of the superego during the Oedipal phase, which suppresses perverse impulses originating in infantile sexuality. These repressed impulses do not vanish but return in disguised forms, leading to symptom formation through conversion, where displaced libido transforms into physical or mental phenomena such as phobias, compulsions, or inhibitions. The superego's role in enforcing shame, disgust, and morality diverts sexual energy from direct expression, creating a "negative" perversion in the form of neurosis, where unconscious perverse tendencies underpin the pathology.^[7] Freud illustrated these mechanisms in his analysis of the Dora case, where symptoms of hysteria, including jealousy toward her father and disgust at Herr K.'s advances, revealed residues of polymorphous perversity. Dora's coughing and aphonia stemmed from repressed oral fixations tied to childhood thumb-sucking and fantasies of oral gratification, displaced onto adult relational conflicts, while her jealousy masked unconscious homosexual attachments rooted in early sexual curiosities. Similarly, in the Wolf Man case, obsessional neurosis emerged from regression to the sadistic-anal stage, with symptoms like animal phobias and compulsive rituals tracing back to repressed anal-sadistic impulses, such as cruelty to animals and masochistic fantasies of punishment, activated by the primal scene and castration threats.^[10]^[11] Psychoanalytic therapy addresses these neuroses by uncovering the repressed infantile perversions through free association and dream analysis, allowing the patient to confront and resolve the underlying conflicts. In Dora's treatment, Freud aimed to trace symptoms to their pregenital origins, though transference resistance limited progress; for the Wolf Man, interpreting anal-sadistic residues facilitated partial remission by reintegrating split-off impulses into conscious awareness. This process diminishes the power of regression and repression, fostering symptom relief and ego strength.^[10]^[11]

Later Interpretations

Post-Freudian Psychoanalysis

Melanie Klein extended Freud's concept of polymorphous perversity by integrating it into her object-relations theory, emphasizing its manifestation in the earliest phases of infantile development. In the paranoid-schizoid position, which she described as dominating the first few months of life, the infant's libidinal energies are directed toward part-objects in a fragmented, sadistic manner, reflecting the non-genital, multi-zonal nature of early sexuality. Klein posited that projective identification serves as a key mechanism here, whereby the infant projects aggressive impulses outward, amplifying infantile sadism and contributing to the persecutory anxieties characteristic of this position. This view underscores how polymorphous perversity, rather than being merely playful, underlies the destructive phantasies that structure early psychic life.^[12] Anna Freud, through her development of ego psychology, shifted focus to the ego's adaptive role in managing polymorphous perverse impulses, particularly during the latency period. Building on her father's psychosexual stages, she argued that the ego employs defense mechanisms—such as repression, reaction formation, and sublimation—to neutralize these pre-genital drives, allowing for social integration and deferred gratification. In latency, roughly ages six to twelve, perverse impulses are warded off to facilitate ego maturation and reality-testing, preventing their eruption into neurosis or perversion in adulthood. This defensive strengthening of the ego against the id's polymorphous demands marks a key post-Freudian emphasis on resilience over conflict alone.^[13] Jacques Lacan offered a structural reinterpretation of polymorphous perversity, situating it within the dynamics of the imaginary register during the mirror stage. He viewed perverse drives as foundational to the formation of the ego, where the infant's identification with the specular image introduces a misrecognition that sustains fragmented, non-genital desires beyond Oedipal resolution. Lacan further distinguished this from genital organization by introducing jouissance, an excessive enjoyment tied to the drives that transgresses the pleasure principle and phallic limits, often evading full symbolization. In his 1950s seminars, he linked these elements to the entry into the symbolic order, where perverse structures persist as disavowals of lack in the Other.^[14]

Influence on Critical Theory

Herbert Marcuse, a prominent member of the Frankfurt School, drew heavily on Freud's concept of polymorphous perversity to critique modern society in his seminal work Eros and Civilization (1955). He envisioned it as a foundational element of a non-repressive society, where erotic energies could flow freely beyond the genital focus imposed by capitalist productivity and patriarchal norms. Marcuse argued that under capitalism, the suppression of polymorphous tendencies channels libido into labor and consumption, perpetuating alienation and domination.^[15]^[16] Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer extended similar Freudian insights in their Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), portraying civilization's advance as a process that represses instinctual and perverse potentials to enforce rational control. They analyzed how enlightenment rationality, exemplified in myths like the Odyssey, subordinates bodily pleasures and multiplicity to instrumental reason, fostering a culture industry that further stifles erotic diversity. This repression, in their view, underpins the totalitarian tendencies of modernity by domesticating the very drives that could resist conformity.^[17]^[18] Marcuse's reinterpretation of polymorphous perversity profoundly shaped the 1960s counterculture, inspiring movements that sought social liberation through a return to infantile erotic multiplicity and experimentation. Activists and thinkers in this era adopted the idea to challenge monogamous norms and authority, viewing sexual pluralism as a pathway to utopian freedom from repressive institutions.^[19] A core argument in this critical theory tradition distinguishes between Freudian sublimation—where drives are redirected productively—and outright repression, which Marcuse deemed surplus under advanced capitalism. He proposed instead a non-repressive sublimation, enabling aesthetic and utopian forms of perversion that integrate polymorphous instincts into creative, liberatory practices without exploitation.^[20]^[15]

Criticisms and Modern Perspectives

Psychoanalytic Critiques

Within psychoanalysis, empirical critiques of Freud's concept of polymorphous perversity, introduced in his 1905 work Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, centered on the absence of biological substantiation for the proposed erogenous zones and the overreliance on fantasy as the origin of adult neuroses and perversions. Sándor Rado argued that Freud's notion of innate sexual dispositions, including the biological basis for bisexuality underlying polymorphous perversity, lacks empirical grounding, positing instead that deviations in sexuality arise from adaptive responses to anxiety rather than inherent, diffuse eroticism.^[21] Similarly, in his 1932 paper "Confusion of Tongues between Adults and the Child," Sándor Ferenczi challenged the emphasis on endogenous fantasies by highlighting the role of actual interpersonal trauma in shaping sexual development, suggesting that real experiences with adults could override or distort the supposed polymorphous phase, thus complicating the theory's explanatory power for clinical phenomena.^[22] Theoretical inconsistencies further undermined the concept, particularly the ambiguity inherent in Freud's use of the term "perversion," which blurred distinctions between normative infantile sexuality and pathological adult deviations, leading to interpretive difficulties in clinical application. This vagueness was exacerbated by tensions with Freud's later structural model of the psyche, where the id's raw, polymorphous drives clashed with the ego's reality-testing functions and the superego's moral prohibitions, raising questions about how undifferentiated infantile eroticism integrates—or fails to integrate—into mature psychic organization without clearer mechanisms. Critics noted that the drive-based framework of polymorphous perversity did not adequately account for ego-mediated inhibitions, rendering the theory less compatible with evolving understandings of psychic conflict. Key figures amplified these concerns; Rado, for instance, critiqued the over-sexualization of childhood implicit in polymorphous perversity, viewing it as an anthropomorphic projection rather than a verifiable developmental stage. Later object-relations theorists, such as W. R. D. Fairbairn, questioned the universality of the concept by prioritizing relational dynamics over isolated drives, arguing that infantile sexuality emerges from early object attachments rather than an autonomous, perverse polymorphism.^[23] This shift reframed perversion not as a fixation on bodily zones but as a defensive structure against relational failures, diminishing the explanatory centrality of Freud's original formulation. By mid-century, psychoanalytic thought moved toward relational and ego-psychological models, diluting the focus on polymorphous perversity in favor of interpersonal and adaptive perspectives. Proponents like Donald Winnicott emphasized the environmental facilitation of emotional development over innate erotic diffuseness, while ego psychologists such as Heinz Hartmann integrated drive theory with conflict-free ego functions, effectively sidelining the more radical implications of infantile perversity for understanding pathology. This evolution reflected a broader theoretical maturation, where the concept's provocative insights were retained but its empirical and structural limitations prompted reevaluation in clinical practice.

Contemporary Cultural and Psychological Views

In contemporary queer theory, polymorphous perversity has been reinterpreted as a model for non-normative desires, extending Leo Bersani's 1987 essay "Is the Rectum a Grave?" which linked anal eroticism to a subversive rejection of phallic norms. Post-2000 scholarship builds on this by emphasizing the concept's potential to disrupt heteronormative constraints, portraying it as a resource for embracing fluid, multiplicitous sexual expressions beyond genital focus.^[24]^[25] For instance, theorists argue that Bersani's framework, when applied to communal bonds, reveals how perverse energies foster social forms of queer relationality, challenging individualistic models of desire.^[26] Links to transsexuality in 2020s discussions further highlight this fluidity, viewing polymorphous perversity as underscoring the accidental and creative nature of gender identifications rather than fixed binaries. Scholars reconceptualize trans identities as embodying an "in-process" psyche, where desire defers satisfaction through fetishistic constructions that echo Freud's emphasis on unpredictable erotic potentials.^[3] This perspective aligns with polysexuality, a term proposed to replace "perversity" and affirm diverse erotic energies as inherent, critiquing hegemonic normativity in favor of queer liberation.^[2] Psychological updates, particularly from developmental neuroscience and attachment theory, question the rigidity of fixed psychosexual stages, reframing early sexuality as relational and adaptive rather than inherently perverse. Attachment theory, influenced by John Bowlby, posits infantile bonds as object-seeking for security, prioritizing emotional regulation over pleasure-driven zones; however, some scholars argue for integrating attachment dynamics with Freud's model of infantile sexuality to provide a fuller understanding of development.^[27] Feminist deconstructions, such as those by Luce Irigaray, critique polymorphous perversity within phallocentric frameworks that repress non-reproductive desires, particularly female multiplicity, to enforce binary genders. Irigaray argues that such theories subordinate women's autoerotic plurality to male specular economies, advocating instead for a recognition of sexual difference that recovers pre-Oedipal fluidity.^[28] Modern views on neurodiversity, including autism, further challenge universal polymorphous assumptions by illustrating varied sexual trajectories that resist normative developmental narratives. For example, psychoanalytic explorations of autism spectrum experiences reveal perversion-like traits as adaptive diversities rather than deficits, complicating Freud's generalized model.^[29] In 2020s cultural discourse, polymorphous perversity has been reframed through #MeToo lenses as intertwined with power dynamics and consent, shifting focus from infantile impulses to societal structures that normalize coercive desires. Articles connect early relational patterns to adult consent violations, urging a view of "perversion" as a product of unequal power rather than innate traits, thereby integrating it into broader discussions of ethical sexuality.^[2] This aligns with Herbert Marcuse's earlier critical theory as a historical precursor, where repressed perverse potentials critique repressive societies.^[30]

References

[1]
None
Below is a merged summary of "Polymorphous Perversity" in Freud's *Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality*, consolidating all the information from the provided segments into a single, comprehensive response. To maximize detail and clarity, I will use a table in CSV format to organize the key information, followed by a narrative summary that ties it all together. The table will capture definitions, contexts, quotes, page references, and URLs, while the narrative will provide an overarching synthesis.
[2]
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Feb 21, 2023 · Together with that of “polymorphous perversity,” the notion that we start life with an equal potential for heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, ...Missing: review | Show results with:review
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Feb 18, 2023 · Freud's understanding of infantile sexuality as polymorphous-perverse establishes the accidental nature of gender identifications and the ...
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the perversions that Krafft-Ebing had described as the perversions par excellence. ... Evolution du concept de structure perverse-fétichiste dans le.
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Feb 16, 2021 · ... Krafft-Ebing did this through mapping perversions; Freud, by challenging perceived norms about sexual development more broadly. The article ...
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In the seduction theory, perversion was thus understood as a purely negative phenomenon, arising from the dis tortion of a normally present heterogenitality ...
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... development occur before the perversions become fixated. Analytic ... POLYMORPHOUSLY PERVERSE DISPOSITION It is an instructive fact that under the ...
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### Summary of Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
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[PDF] Freud, S. (1918). From the History of an Infantile Neurosis. The
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Feb 14, 2020 · The psychoanalysis of children ; Publication date: 1963 ; Topics: Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939, Child development, Psychoanalysis, Child psychology.
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Jun 5, 2012 · The ego and the mechanisms of defense. by: Freud, Anna, 1895-. Publication date: 1967. Topics: Ego (Psychology), Defense mechanisms (Psychology).
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Marcuse's vision of a non-repressive society, based on Marx and Freud, anticipated the values of 1960s countercultural movements.
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[PDF] Perverse Love? - University of Texas at Austin
is put in the service of a greater Eros, which led him toward an emphasis on radical sexu- ality and polymorphous perversity. Marcuse's love involved a perverse ...
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[PDF] Dialectic of Enlightenment - Max Horkheimer & Theodor W. Adorno
We dictated long stretches together; the Dialectic derives its vital energy from the tension between the two intellectual temperaments which came together in ...
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Nov 4, 2024 · Dialectic of Enlightenment presupposes a critical social theory indebted to Karl Marx and Max Weber. Adorno reads Marx as a Hegelian materialist ...
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Aug 5, 2017 · In addition, sexuality was still largely heterosexual in the counter culture, despite Brown's introduction of the term “polymorphous perversity” ...
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Herbert Marcuse's Eros and Civilization: Is Repression Necessary?
Mar 8, 2023 · The very drives and perversions; processes of sublimation and ... Thus, Marcuse suggests, polymorphous perversity and immediate ...
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Limentani (1986) emphasized that what is central to perversions is the perversion of truth. He proposed that the sexual behaviour represented a turning away ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[21]
Sexuality and Identity: The Contribution of Object Relations Theory ...
passes through in "its" development (oral, anal, phallic, and genital), ... a divide between a normal psychosexual development that just evolves naturally ...<|separator|>
[22]
Im/mobility | differences | Duke University Press
May 1, 2023 · I pointed out that, in the first of his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, Freud distinguishes the polymorphous infantile perversity he ...<|separator|>
[23]
[PDF] The Subject of Jouissance: The Late Lacan and Gender and Queer ...
Mar 21, 2019 · also enabled him to explain how parts of the polymorphous perversity of the child were actually capable of surviving during adulthood at an ...
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Queer Bonds - Duke University Press
How, we ask, might we apprehend the polymorphously perverse also in its social being? Can it characterize not only psychic subjects, but also modes of ...Missing: post- | Show results with:post-
[25]
ATTACHMENT THEORY AS DEFENSE: What Happened to Infantile ...
Oct 2, 2025 · rather than to infantile sexuality and its corresponding aspects of polymorphous perverse,. oral, anal, phallic, and oedipal dimensions. This ...
[26]
Attachment Theory and Psychoanalysis - Simply Psychology
Jan 24, 2024 · John Bowlby disagreed with the Freudian view that the need for oral gratification and pleasure drives an infant's relationship with its mother.
[27]
[PDF] a contemporary feminist critique of psychoanalysis through - RUcore
abandoning all pre-oedipal and polymorphously perverse desire and ending up with the ... In conjunction with Irigaray's critiques of phallocentrism and ...
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Freud (1905) argued that infantile sexuality is a type of perversion and that neurosis is a negative form of perversion. ... autism spectrum disorder. In ...
[29]
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Feb 10, 2010 · ... polymorphously perverse prior to the onset of cultural normalization provided abundant resources for their struggles to radically re ...