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CJP 4(1):1-27 (1996)

The Role of Aggression in Sadomasochism

Authors: Dan H. Buie, W. W. Meissner, Ana-Maria Rizzuto

Introduction

In previous communications, our study group on aggression has advanced a theoretical perspective on aggression (Rizzuto et al 1993), focusing on the role of aggression in the psychoanalytic situation (Buie et al. 1983), and in phobic states (Meissner et al. 1987) In the present paper, we wish to extend our view of aggression to consider its role in the dynamics of sadomasochism

The relevant aspects of our view of aggression can be summarized in the following points.

We distinguish between aggression and action This was a sticking point for Freud, who struggled with the question of whether every action or behaviour of the organism required a drive to explain it We take the position that the potential for action is inherent in the structures composing the psychic apparatus and do not require a separate source of drive energy to account for their functional activity. If drives are brought into the picture, they would be required to account for some aspect of the activity other than merely the action itself.
Aggression is not conceived as a drive in the traditional Freudian sense of a continually active, biologically determined force that impinges on the psychic apparatus. Rather we would regard aggression as a psychic capacity that can be called into action by appropriate stimulus conditions and motivational contexts.
We distinguish between aggression and affects Certain affect states can and do accompany arousal of aggression, but they are not synonymous with it Thus anger can be—and often is—aroused in contexts in which aggression is called for, but it may
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also be aroused in contexts in which aggression is not so motivated. Or there can be aggressive states that do not involve anger—they may involve other affective components or no particular affective modality at all. The extraordinary effort put out by the hard-driving fullback to overcome the obstacles in his path may not be accompanied by anger at all, but may resonate with feelings of self-enhancement a

CJP 4(1):1-27 (1996)

The Role of Aggression in Sadomasochism

Authors: Dan H. Buie, W. W. Meissner, Ana-Maria Rizzuto

Introduction

The relevant aspects of our view of aggression can be summarized in the following points.

We distinguish between aggression and action This was a sticking point for Freud, who struggled with the question of whether every action or behaviour of the organism required a drive to explain it We take the position that the potential for action is inherent in the structures composing the psychic apparatus and do not require a separate source of drive energy to account for their functional activity. If drives are brought into the picture, they would be required to account for some aspect of the activity other than merely the action itself.
Aggression is not conceived as a drive in the traditional Freudian sense of a continually active, biologically determined force that impinges on the psychic apparatus. Rather we would regard aggression as a psychic capacity that can be called into action by appropriate stimulus conditions and motivational contexts.
We distinguish between aggression and affects Certain affect states can and do accompany arousal of aggression, but they are not synonymous with it Thus anger can be—and often is—aroused in contexts in which aggression is called for, but it may
Page 1
also be aroused in contexts in which aggression is not so motivated. Or there can be aggressive states that do not involve anger—they may involve other affective components or no particular affective modality at all. The extraordinary effort put out by the hard-driving fullback to overcome the obstacles in his path may not be accompanied by anger at all, but may resonate with feelings of self-enhancement a