Early Capacity for Orgastic Discharge and Character Formation

One occasionally encounters, in analysis, character types more commonly seen socially or described in literature. Among them are personalities characterized by driving restlessness and seemingly boundless energy. Uneasy when alone, though not always aware of it, they sleep little, constantly seek companionship, and are clamorous and obtrusive in their social relationships and work habits. Impulsive and unrestrained in most areas of their lives, they eat and drink rapidly and excessively, often gamble and engage in risky enterprises, and always undertake more than one thing at a time. They also take unnecessary physical risks, often to the point of serious danger to life. For instance, they usually drive recklessly and insist on braving adverse conditions in their sport activities such as flying or sailing in stormy weather. Obviously patience is not one of their virtues, and their apparent endurance and tirelessness are forced and artificial. This becomes evident when they suffer a break, either mentally, or, at first, physically, and are referred to the analyst by the discerning medical practitioner.

I have had occasion to examine analytically two such individuals. The factors underlying the character structure sketched above seem noteworthy enough to be reported.

The first patient, the youngest of a long line of siblings, was constantly subjected to highly stimulating impressions of sexual activities between his older siblings and their playmates. The cramped living quarters of the family further enhanced the opportunities for the impressionable and intensely curious child to observe the sexual activities of his elders, some of whom were in their early teens, others in their early twenties, when he was a child between three and six. The boy's awkward attempts to participate in the sexual activities of the older children were brusquely rejected by them, and he naturally sought recourse in