On the Disease-Entity Boredom ('Alyosis') and its Psychopathology: E. Bergler. Psychiatric Quarterly, XIX, 1945, pp. 38–57.

Bergler discusses the papers of Winterstein, Fenichel and Spitz on the problem of boredom and then proceeds to give his own interpretation. He considers boredom the result of three disturbances: (1) weakness of sublimations, (2) inhibition of voyeurism, (3) defense against masochistic pleasure. He refers to his concept of sublimation, a complicated five-layer structure, a defense against a defense covering an inner conflict. Failure to gain social approval may shatter a sublimation; masochistic enjoyment of the failure or escape into fantasy ease this painful frustration. But if these escape roads are blocked, boredom is likely to result.

Bergler distinguishes with Fenichel between the fidgety and the impassive type of boredom. He assumes that the fidgety type guards himself against libidinal impulses by defensive aggression, the impassive type against aggressive impulses by reactive libidinization. Besides being a transitory symptom, boredom may appear as a disease entity on a level with erythrophobia and depersonalization. The disease may result in suicide and demands psychoanalytic treatment.