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Gillespie in this interesting paper discusses certain dynamic mechanisms in perversions. He rightly emphasizes the role of the castration complex and the consequent regression to oral sadistic and early anal levels. The regression to the earlier levels reveals a splitting of the object and of the ego, the latter of the kind referred to by Freud in his paper, Splitting of the Ego in the Defensive Process. One part of the ego remains in good contact with reality, while the other part employing denial is virtually psychotic. The fact that the first part acts as a sort of liaison officer with reality prevents clinical psychosis. This special way of exploiting the mechanism of splitting of the ego distinguishes perversions from neurosis and psychosis. The pervert operates on two levels at once: the oral sadistic level corresponding to psychosis, and the phallic level resembling a neurosis.
The anxiety of the castration complex is not only aroused by the shock of finding no penis and the danger implied by this, but is contributed to also by the regressive activation of the latent pregenital sadistic factors.
Four cases from the author's experience are cited.