Referring to two case examples and to a tribal ritual of the Yatmul of New Guinea, Morgenthaler develops a metapsychological interpretation of the perversions which is relevant for psychoanalytic technique. He regards them chiefly as compensatory acts of the ego. Perverse drive satisfaction is subject to change

of function. It fills—somewhat like a dental filling—a cavity in the regulation of self-esteem acquired in childhood. A defective distinction between self and others results in an unresolvable contradiction between reality and fantasy. The perverse gratification 'resolves' this contradiction periodically. The goal of therapy is not the disappearance of the perversion but the substitution of a narcissistic for a sexualized transference. Restructuring of the transference dynamic can enable the patient to build up a genuine love relationship within the perverse structure.