Psychoanalytic Study of an Unusual Perversion—Discussion

DR. FREEDMAN HAS GIVEN US a valuable clinical study of perversion with clear detail and documentation in a highly readable and vivid presentation. The historical and clinical data are fascinating in their implications and refer to a number of significant theoretical issues. Dr. Freedman's case demonstrates the importance of oedipal traumatization in the etiology of this remarkable form of psychopathology, and hints at the role of preoedipal factors which predisposed to the formation of the perversion. Indeed, the paper shows the importance of the consideration of trauma at different developmental stages and the complementary relationship between neurotic disposition and the role of sociocultural forces. The historical and clinical data provide a firm base for Dr. Freedman's formulations and dramatically invite the reader to participate in the process of drawing inferences and proposing hypotheses about the patient's personality structure, defense constellation, and the special roles played by traumatic regression and castration anxiety. The sacrificial aspect of the perversion calls attention to the powerful role of aggression fused with the overt sexual gratification in the perverse discharge and the elaboration of the patient's sadomasochistic disposition. I shall nevertheless confine my commentary to a most important dimension of this patient's psychology