Tuesday, November 1, 2011

psychoanalytic basics- character

Characterology should based upon the confluence of several points of infantile fixation instead of the simple sense that an oral character, for example, had trauma at the oral stage.

Orality will play a part in all neurosis that doesn't come from exceptionally stressful situations. As the vagina dentata or the expressions "bite of conscience" ,"sweet taste of revenge" or someone being "nice and sweet" show, there is a 'displacement downwards from above' (Rank). I'm also pretty certain that death drive libido or jouissance isn't biological but comes from an early stage of development as a negative quality that splits off from the somatic, instinctual homeostatic processes.

Anyway, I don't like reading omnipotence or a sense of entitlement or wanting to 'be loved' into a pre-verbal child nor can I understand how people can say that this fixation may produce someone who will want to 'mother' others. It makes no sense to me considering the ego state of the child. Any oral fixation would be a relationship between two bodies, problems with two bodies being in different proximities of each other, and problems with deep, root feelings that may produce individuals who are "overly" affectionate, individuals who are awkward in affectionate moments and induce others to keep away, or individuals who can no longer reach out for affection.

The Other at this stage of development would have to include everyone because the child isn't capable of differentiating them more.

Analysts often used to imagine that children had the same thought processes as them... but I can't say they are better now. They either still believe this or toss out the whole idea of fixation and have no theory.

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