Freud's Three Essays on Sexual Theory

As I discussed in my video entitled "The Case Study of Dora and the Oedipus Complex" on Youtube, Freud did not limit himself early on in his career to just the study of dreams. His second major work after "The Interpretation of Dreams" was his book "Three Essays on Sexual Theory". In this large work he explained his views on human sexuality from a psychosexual point of view. I will attempt to summarize his thoughts as they are revealed in this work, and how modern Human Sexuality and Sexology views these topics today in light of modern understanding of the human condition. Do modern Sexologists still hold Freud's ideas as valid? Or have the altered and reformed his views in light of new theories and ideas? These two questions will be answered in this article, but first let us see what Freud thought concerning human sexuality.

In the first essay Freud examines each type of sexual perversion that can appear in human beings. He defines two concepts early on: one-sexual object, "the person exuding the sexual attraction" and two-sexual goal, "the action towards which the drive urges". Freud was of the opinion that normal sexual activity was between a man and a woman, usually limited to sexual intercourse. Anything beyond this is considered to be a deviation or a perversion and not normal to the human sexual activity. Freud listed the following as common perversions:

Sexual Deviation:
A) Inversion-Absolutely Inverted-The sexual object can only be found in the same sex.
Amphigenically Inverted(psychosexually hermaphorditic)-the sexual object can be found equally in both genders.
Occasionally Inverted-Under certain circumstances, the sexual object can be taken from the same gender.
The reason for inversion is due to the failed attempt of the Libido(sex drive) to successfully connect of be fulfilled in the normal sexual object. This energy does not go away, so through repression, it is projected onto another sexual object. Freud was also of the opinion that not all inverts goals are uniform, whereas one may have the need of anal intercourse, another may be just fine with masturbation and oral sexual acts.

Sexual Perversion
B) Sexual Immarture People and Animals as Sexual Objects:
The following were considered by Freud to be beyond the normal scope of our species. He admitted that although Inversion is is a deviation from the species norm, they were to be considered normal humans. However these perversions were not to be considered normal in any sense of the term.

(Sexual use of Mucous Membrane of the Lips and Mouth)-Is a sexual perversion wherein the sexual object is focused solely on the mouth and lips and no other area of a partners body.

(Sexual Use of the Anal Orifice)-Sexual object is that of the anus.

(Fetishism)-The Sexual Object is that of of random objects or specific parts of the human body.

Fixations of Temporary Sexual Goals:
(Touching and Looking)-Wherein the sexual goal is confined to the looking and touching of another person.

(Sadism and Masochism)- Sadism is when the Libido energy attempts to dominate the ego and is projected onto a sexual object instead, with which to control and dominate in a sexual fashion. Masochism is the opposite, wherein the ego is sought to be mastered by the Libido energy and is therefore projected onto a sexual object so that in a sexual act, the person can have the sense of domination.

While Freud did not go into detail into each and every kind of perversion, they are all summarized by the Libido being projected onto an object that is not normal for our species.

In the second essay Freud discusses the psychosexual stages of development in detail, which I will summarize here.

The Oral Stage-Sexual pleasure is first experienced when one is just an infant. The activity of sucking, chewing, licking and teething consumes the largest part of the infants life. The combination of food and pleasure makes this a very important part of the infants growing sexuality. If the Libido energy is catheixed or fixated on this stage, we will notice a grown person teething, biting or sucking on objects, hands etc. even in adult life. After the initial infancy, a young child continues to suck its thumb to achieve the same sexual gratification. The Aggressive Drive is manifested at this stage in the context of an infat biting its mother's breast.

The Anal Stage: This stage unfolds during the 2-4 year of age. It is marked by the child's partents directing them to what becomes their first source of independence. This is the stage inwhich the child learns to use the toliet on its own, and the idea of holding in or letting go of feaces. The idea of using the toliet also exposes the child to the concept of being dirty. Depending on the child's fixation this can lead them to accept the dirtyness of useing the toliet or become frightned by such an idea. Later in life an adult who is obessessed with control and cleaning is one who is fixated on this stage. One can also be dirty in a nerutoic fashion can also be fixated on this stage. Money is a conscious and unconscious symbol that represents this stage due to it being dirty and an object to be held onto or given away.

The Phallic Stage: At age 3 a child, both male and female, realize their own unique sexual organs and their lack of having the oppisite gender's. This is the time of the formation of the Oedipus Complex(in boys) and the Electra Complex(in girls). See my video, link provided below, for a detailed discussion on these complexes. It is at this stage that a boy fears castration, due to realizing that a girl lacks a penis. Similarly a girl developes Penis Envy, when she realizes that she lacks a penis of her own.

The Latency Period: During the ages 5 and 6 the child's Libido energy goes from the parents, after successfully conquring the two complexes listed above, and shifts that energy to skills, education, friends and hobbies. It is at this stage that the sexual desires of the phallic stage are repressed by the SuperEgo.

In the third essay Freud discusses The Gential Stage and the beginning of puberty. It is at this stage that the Libido enegry returns to the sex organs and both girls and boys realize their own individual sexuality and seek to express it on members of the opposite sex. Homosexuality was viewed by Freud as being a sign of underdeveloped Libido energy. Normal sexual behavior and perversions can begin to manifest themselves at this point in a person's life.

Modern Sexology:
I cannot fully comment on the stages of Psychosexual development of childhood, but I will discuss here modern human sexology's views on why we act the way we do due to our various manifestations of sexuality.

Modern Sexology splits human sexuality into two camps:
1. Normal Oreintation: this camp has been established by Alfred Kinsey and his data he obtained during the 1950's and 60's. He, through data obtained through individual interviews, and analyzing human condition discovered that there was no such thing as "normal hetersexual" oreintation as outlined by Freud. He established what became "The Kinsey Scale" which goes from stricrtly Heterosexual, to Bi-Curious, to Bisexuality, back to Bi-Curious and then to strictly Homosexulity. Sexologist today do not have the definate answer to why anyone is a particular orientation, but they do suppose a combination of enviormental, genetic and early sexual experiences. It is known now by Sexologists that oreintation is normal for a species and is not something that takes a person out of the realm of the normal psychosexual condition. There are just variances, but not a perversion as viewed by Freud.

2. Paraphilia-Everything outside of these orientations, such as Necrophilia, Bestality and Fetishes are all considered to fall under this camp. These are not normal in psychosexual origin and can almost always be traced to a purely negative psychological expereince that was attached to a sexual concept. No one is born with a Paraphillia but one is firmly established with an Orientaiton and it has a permanent existence for a person.

Even sexual acts outside of the usual sexual intercourse, coitus between two hetersexuals, is considered normal but the studies of modern Sexologists.

This concludes my amature attempt at summarizing Freud's theory of human sexulity coupled with the views of modern human sexuality. We have come a long way from Freud's narrow views and a lot has ceratainly changed in light of modern sexology.

Youtube video mentioned in this article can be seen by this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l3cWkuC-5I