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A servant's bargain: perversion as survival.

Svetlana Bonner1

  • 1sbonnermd@comcast.net

The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|November 30, 2006
PubMed
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Psychological perversion is viewed as a defense mechanism to manage emotional pain by altering reality. This adaptation, rooted in early childhood experiences, serves as a survival strategy against psychological breakdown.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Psychological perversion is often seen as a defense mechanism.
  • Early childhood experiences, particularly parental relationships, influence its development.
  • The concept of 'nameless dread' and its impact on infant development is explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reframe psychological perversion as a survival mechanism.
  • To explore the role of perversion in managing unbearable emotional pain.
  • To analyze the challenges in treating patients with perversion using clinical examples.

Main Methods:

  • Psychoanalytic case study of patients A and B.
  • Application of Bion's concept of reversible perspective.
  • Analysis of defense mechanisms in the context of interpersonal relationships.

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Main Results:

  • Perversion serves to protect individuals from psychological breakdown by creating an artificial container for emotions.
  • Patients with perversion exhibit a rigid commitment to deforming interpersonal connections.
  • Excitement in perversion acts as a smokescreen for underlying terror.

Conclusions:

  • Psychological perversion is a complex survival strategy, not merely a malicious act.
  • The refusal of healthier relationships in perversion is an imperative survival tactic.
  • Understanding perversion as a defense mechanism is crucial for effective clinical intervention.