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Historically the concept of Sublimation has passed through two phases of development. Up to the year 1923 interest in sublimation was largely phenomenological in order. A few generalizations had been advanced concerning the mechanism of sublimation, but pronouncements on dynamic aspects were practically restricted to the relation of sublimation to the 'return of the repressed', ultimately to symptom formation. From 1923 onwards interest became concentrated on the energies involved and the nature of their modification. It is generally agreed that prior to 1923 a good deal of confusion existed regarding the exact nature of sublimation. Since then it has increased rather than diminished. And there appears to be no doubt that this is due in part to the stress recently laid on dynamic factors. In other words, we are confused because in dealing with dynamic factors we are compelled to loosen our hold on the more familiar (and therefore psychologically more comfortable) descriptive aspects. To avoid this source of confusion, I propose treating the two phases separately.
Definitions. —Up to the year 1923 a brief definition of sublimation would run as follows: Sublimation is an unconscious psychic process whereby the aim of a sexual impulse is modified before gratification on an object.
In order to comprehend more fully the difficulties before us, compare this with a definition of wider scope: Sublimation (1) is the term applied to a group of unconscious processes which have this in common, that as the result of inner or outer deprivation, the aim of object-libido undergoes a more or less complete deflection, modification or