Discussion of Bernhard Berliner's Article, Psychodynamics of the Depressive Character

Dr. Berliner published a series of papers on masochism between 1942 and 1958 in which he maintained Freud's distinction between erotic masochism, feminine masochism and moral masochism. According to Freud's early instinct theory, erotic masochism, particularly in the male, is a sexual perversion due to the sadomasochistic component of the sexual drive. After the introduction of Eros and Thanatos, erotic masochism was understood to result from a preponderance of aggressive over libidinal drives, the erotic masochist seeking a sadistic partner who fulfills his sexual wishes only under the condition of more or less painful or humiliating punishment, while in the moral masochist the erotic gratification may be missing. The image of frustrating parents is internalized in the superego whose punishing functions are in later life projected on a partner who is provoked and manipulated into acting out the punishing functions in the hope for reconciliation.

In his present paper Dr. Berliner considers “moral masochism” a misnomer and replaces it with “depressive character” a form of character widespread in our culture and an ingredient of many psychoneurotic conditions. The libidinal goal is not missing in the life of the depressive character, but gratification cannot be reached because of the compulsion to repeat an original traumatic situation of childhood frustrations. Dr. Berliner sees the original trauma in a lack of oral and skin erotic gratifications in the early phase of childhood, but this lack of gratification is only a partial aspect of the original trauma; the depressive character seems to be insatiable in his demands for nutriment.

The voracious eater and the addicted patient are depressive characters who never reach the point of satiation. The depressive character who refuses food, in extreme cases reaching the state of anorexia nervosa, suffers from such despair that no intake of food will squelch his sense of deprivation.

He is equally insatiable in demands for rea