ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Perversion

/ structure or organization?
ANDRE

A LUCENA DE SOUZA PIRES, ANGELA LUCENA DE SOUZA PIRES,

CLOVIS FIGUEIREDO SETTE BICALHO, ELIANA MONTEIRO DE MOURA
VERGARA, MARIA CAROLINA BELLICO FONSECA, & NADJA RIBEIRO LAENDER
C rculo Psicanal tico de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Abstract
This paper aims to discuss perversion, its implications in the clinical setting, and some of the key concepts around it. First,
the etymology of the words perversion, structure, and organization is analyzed. Next follows a discussion on the
sexual organization of instincts / from the Unconscious to the Oedipus complex in Freud and Lacan / setting the ground
for a disavowal-based theory of perversion. An instructive approach has been chosen so as better to organize the various
points presented.
Key words: perversion, structure, organization, instinct, unconscious, Oedipus complex, phallus, disavowal
Perversion is a controversial subject, often drenched
with morality. The purpose of this paper is to
understand perversion and its implications in the
clinical setting, and to describe the key concepts
surrounding it. In examining this subject, we have
tried to integrate theory with clinical practice but
have also paid attention to changes in contemporary
society, i.e. social perversion. By examining this
subject, we wish to clarify whether perversion is
structure or organization.
Definitions
Before answering the question of whether perversion
is structure or organization, it is necessary to
consider its lexical and psychoanalytical definitions.
The word perversion derives from the Latin verb
pervertere / to pervert, corrupt, demoralize or
deprave. And psychoanalysis is certainly not its sole
proprietor. Its use with the meaning of returning and
reversing dates back to 1444, but sooner than later it
began to take on the shade of acts of a deplorable,
despicable nature. Sexology adopted the term in the
nineteenth century to circumscribe sexual devia-
tions. French psychiatry crystallized it as a synonym
for anomaly and aberration, a concept that prevailed
into the twentieth century to illustrate certain sexual
behaviors.
Freud studied perversion in the sense of sexual
aberration and reversal in the first essay found in
Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality from 1905 (1).
The concept of perversion then appears again in the
following publications:
. 1917: Introductory Lectures to Psychoanalysis,
Lecture 21 (2);
. 1919: A Child Is Being Beaten: A Contribution to
the Study of the Origin of Sexual Perversions (3);
. 1923: The Infantile Genital Organization of the
Libido: An Interpolation into the Theory of Sexu-
ality (4).;
. 1924: The Dissolution of the Oedipus Complex (5);
. 1927 Fetishism, in which the disavowal (Ver-
leugnung) in the face of castration materializes
(6);
. 1940: Splitting of the Ego in the process of Defense
(7).
Structure
Structure is, by definition, the disposition, group-
ing, standardization, or articulation of parts of
permanent character, in a way to form a relatively
Correspondence: Nadja Ribiero Laender, Rua Athos Moreira da Silva, 120. CEP 30320-480 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. E-mail: rlaender.bh@terra.com.br
International Forum of Psychoanalysis. 2005; 14: 138/143
ISSN 0803-706X print/ISSN 1651-2324 online # 2005 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/08037060510044741
stable system or whole, i.e. it is a system that sets its
parts to form a whole (8:1318).
Structuralism delineates structure as a system of
relationships whose elements are diacritical units, i.e.
negative, relational or oppositional. The parts are
inserted into the whole according to order and value
criteria, as defined by the fundamental law of the set:
the element are interdependent and can only be what
they are when related to each other (9).
Structure / from the standpoint of psychoanalysis
/ originates in the Oedipus complex, its elements
and mechanisms: castration, the resulting anxiety
and the identifications with the phallic signifier.
In all the works of Freud, according to Joel Dor
(10/12), structural dynamics relates to metapsy-
chology in its topical, dynamic, and economic
dimensions: a fundamental psychical structure
from which the effects of internal regulation indicate
various structural profiles. The structuring of a
psychical organization is updated under the auspices
of Oedipal love in the development of the relation-
ship maintained by the subject in phallic function. In
order to understand such dynamics, we will depart
from the theory of libido and the notion of psy-
chosexual development.
This theory focuses on the development of
infantile sexual organization as guided by the prime
role of erotogenic zones and the notions of fixation
and regression, favoring a chronologic apprehension
of psychical reality. In The Infantile Genital Organiza-
tion of the Libido (4), Freud presents the pre-genital
stages: oral, anal, and phallic-genital. The phallic-
genital stage is characterized by the imaginary
dominance of the phallic attribute up until puberty,
when the last stage of psychosexual development is
organized / the genital stage itself / to align the
instinctual currents, thus enabling the subject to
love.
In the 1950s, Lacan adopted a critical stance in
relation to Freuds evolutional approach and the
notion of development in psychoanalysis, casting
aside the idea of mature relationship and object /
i.e. genital relationship / pointing to the utter
disregard for desire and its key role. To Lacan, the
final synthesis of sexuality does not exist and is
impossible to achieve once the subject is irrevocably
split and the metonymy of desire cannot be stopped.
Lacan proposed a reinterpretation of Freuds
theories of autoeroticism, constitution of the ego,
and Oedipus complex and its passing, albeit not
granting absolute traits to their chronologic and
evolutional characteristics:
the facts show us the amount of each previous
phase that persists in subsequent configurations
and after them, and these phases obtain a perma-
nent representation in the libidinal economy and
in the persons character. (13:88)
Lacan has shown that it is possible to understand the
Freudian discourse, ridding it of its biologic bias,
understanding the stages or phases as complex
timeless structures organized from the relationship
with the Other in the dialectics of the demand for
love and the experience of desire (14:407). From his
theory on symbolic inscription, Lacan states that the
body is ordered by the Other, as masterfully de-
scribed by Jerusalinsky (in Oscar Cirino):
what marks the rhythm of development is the
desire of the Other that operates on the child
through the speech, symbolic marks that affect the
child. Therefore, the maturation simply remains as
limit, but not as cause. (9:109)
Lacan is also interested in the way in which language
places the subject in a symbolic order. According to
him, children apprehend the symbolism of lan-
guage long before they are able to talk, thus
allowing them to enter the realm of signifiers.
The human maturation process includes a sub-
ject, someone to subjectify him/her, thus giving
meaning to experience and making it possible for
one and the same objective fact to signify different
things. What matters most is not the cascade of
events, but the existence of the apre`s-coup, not as
factual matter, chronologically placed before the
genital stage, but as demands relocated from the
castration complex.
The articulating element in this complex is the
phallus in its imaginary function. On libido devel-
opment, one of the infantile theories states that all
beings have penises / the universal assumption of
the phallus: the belief in the male genital. According
to Lacan (14), the phallus as articulator of the
Oedipus complex is experienced in three sequential
phases.
First phase: The dialectics of desire
In the first experiences of the Other, the child
experiences the primordial object with its mother.
The child relates to what is assumed to be the object
of the mothers desire, the entity that fills in for the
absent Other / the phallus. The mother, on the other
hand, can only be satisfied by the phallus / hence the
imaginary relationship the children establish, con-
densing the possession of a unit and the potency of
being it.
The childs desire remains radically subdued by
the mothers desire. The very dimension of the
phallic identification eludes the mediation of castra-
Perversion / structure or organization? 139
tion, placing the child in a dialectic oscillation
between being or not being the phallus, announcing
the onset of the second phase of the Oedipus
complex.
Second phase: The dialectics of being
(inauguration of symbolization)
The child is introduced to castration by the fathers
intrusion, which deprives the mother of the object of
her desire: the phallic object. Such intrusion is
experienced under a regime of interruption and
frustration. As the mothers object of desire is cursed
with the fathers prohibition, the loop does not close
for the child: he/she is not purely and simply the
mothers object of desire. The child is then forced by
the fatherly function to accept that he/she, like the
mother, is not and does not have the phallus, and
that the mother longs for it where it is supposed to
exist and where it can be had.
The mother, as she recognizes the law of the
father, leads the child into a displacement of the
phallic object: the father is the one supposed to have
it or not / the dialectics of having. The father is thus
elevated to the position of symbolic father.
The childs development may for some time
revolve around the question of being or not being
the phallus. Lacan stresses, in the suspension of this
question, an anchoring point that favors perverse
identification. Ambiguity sustained at this level will
mobilize the child into a defensive strategy so as to
avoid castration.
Third phase: The dialectics of having (decline
of the Oedipus complex)
In this stage, the father has the phallus and can thus
fulfill the mothers desires. The child leaves the
dialectics of being to plunge into the realm of
having. The dialectics of having calls for the game
of identification set in motion by the phallic game:
the boy gives up being his mothers phallus, and as a
result of this engages in the dialectics of having /
thus relating to his father, who supposedly has it /
and thereby initiates the passing of the Oedipus
complex. The girl removes herself from the position
of being her mothers object of desire, thereby
entering the dialectics of having in the form of not
having. She relates to her mother and learns to
know where it is, where they can have it: from their
fathers, the ones who have it (11:88).
Placing the phallus in its proper position is a
structuring event for both the boy and the girl. The
father, supposed owner of the phallus, has prefer-
ence before the mother, thus attesting to the passage
from the register of being into that of having /
illustrating the fulfillment of the fatherly metaphor.
The structures in psychoanalysis are thus deter-
mined by the defense systems that are a result of the
subjects reactions to castration:
1. Verwerfung, foreclosure: the subject does not
accept castration, neglects the differences be-
tween the sexes, and disregards the law of the
father, the consequence being a psychotic
structure.
2. Verdrangung, repression: after recognizing the
differences between the sexes, the subject
understands the lack as something intrinsic to
human nature and accepts it: the law of the
father. The outcome is a neurotic structure.
3. Verleugnung, disavowal: a mechanism that sus-
tains the perverse structure in which the subject
knows the law but could not care less. The
subject disavows the lack of the penis in the
woman-mother, in some cases by choosing an
object to replace it / the fetish: the subject at
the same time hides and elicits the existing lack.
The fetish / a warrant against anxiety / may be
represented not only by a whip but also by a
commanders rod / in social perversion, dis-
cussed ahead. Disavowal, according to Bleich-
mar (15), is a denial of perception and belief in
existence. Perverse subjects disavow the fact
and believe, however, that they see a penis. The
disavowal of a given event does not take place as
it is perceived but as it is recalled from memory.
The product of perception is understood as a
firm belief and not a mirage. The presence of
one belief implies the disavowal of another or its
replacement.
By using disavowal as a basic mechanism in their
structures, perverse subjects shut the doors to
symbolic castration and to the name-of-the-father.
The castration of the mother is disavowed, and
consequently so is her desire for the father. Thus
the difference between the sexes, although recog-
nized, is disavowed.
On the other hand, as perverse subjects are cut
short in their initiatives by the figure of the father,
they respond with defiance and violation / both
traits of perversion. The castration brought forth by
the paternal prohibition is challenged and, if possi-
ble, utterly transgressed by the perverse subject. It is,
however, relevant to point out that, in order to
transgress, one must know the law, leading us to
conclude that, in this case, the Oedipus complex is
ineffective and the fatherly metaphor has partially
worked.
140 A. L. de Souza Pires et al.
As the perverse subject defies the law of the father
and attempts to impose his/her own law, the mother
presents herself as a necessary accomplice, a seduc-
tive/seducing entity who maintains the child in the
phallic position. According to Jean Clavreul (16), the
mother is the childs spectator in the historical,
decisive discovery of the absence of the penis in the
mother. She will allow herself to be seduced by the
charms and gifts of the child, pretending to ignore
what is happening to the childs sexuality. If the
mother fails in this role, another woman will lend the
child the same support.
Perversion remains a challenge in terms of its
definition, diagnosis, and practice. While studying
the evolution of the definitions of perversion, from
Freud to our days, several possible approaches are
found: autonomy of partial instincts in the face of the
rule of the phallus, regression with the consequent
fixation, failure of identification in the Oedipal
situation, violation subsequent to defiance of the
law, splitting of the ego, and disavowal of differences
between the sexes. It should be noted that none of
these ideas is specific to perversion and may be
connected as well to hysteria, obsessional neurosis,
and psychosis.
Organization
Organization is the operation of gathering the parts
of a device, mechanism, or any complex object, in
such a way that it may work or fulfill its purpose
(8:1156).
According to Calligaris (17) and Aulagnier (18),
the perverse organization takes place between two
subjects: either two neurotics or one neurotic and
one perverse, both joined in one and the same
fantasy to achieve the same sort of enjoyment.
In the paper Anxiety and Identification, Piera
Aulagnier (18) discusses perversion and emphasizes
the relevance of social bonds in the development of
psychical mechanisms in perverse subjects. Accord-
ing to Aulagnier, it is impossible to define perversion
in general when only the sexual arena is taken into
account. Such an approach would be merely an
anatomic analysis of sexuality with hints of morality.
Perverse subjects are frequently considered to be
people who need a specific enactment in order to
enjoy. Enactments may appear in a non-sexual
context / in the setting of social bonds, for instance.
The latter case, however, is difficult to identify as it
leads to the collapse of such bonds.
According to Calligaris (17), the specificity of
perversions relates to the putting at stake of the
partial object. Today, however, it is known that
sexuality uses partial objects, i.e. there is no genital
love as described by Freud (1) in Three Essays on the
Theory of Sexuality.
The introduction of the partial object in the
phantasy is an absolutely universal rule. . . .and
the neurotic does not truly show this object. In
spite of everything, it is quite easy, in analysis, to
perceive that the neurotic phantasy is founded on
a partial object. What I mean is that what makes
somebody have a sexual life is the existence of
look, voice, sperm etc. (17:11)
In the neurotic fantasy, the subject assumes that the
other is aware of his/her enjoyment and desire, and
ultimately of him/her.
In the perverse fantasy, there are two roles before
the Other who demands: firstly, that the object
becomes an instrument taking the place of the
father, and secondly, that the object becomes the
holder of knowledge / more specifically the knowl-
edge on the mastering of the enjoyment of the Other
held by the father. This makes it possible for at least
two to share one and the same fantasy. Thus
perversion is a semblant of a possible relationship,
which in its turn determines the way in which the
perverse subjects present themselves in the transfer-
ence: as compliant to the analyst (in either of the
roles as instrument and holder of knowledge, as if
the analyst were with them in the same fantasy), or
demanding compliancy of the analyst (as if the
analyst were the Other and the perverse subject
knew how to make him/her enjoy).
According to Calligaris, however, the perverse
structure is seldom found in the clinical setting.
Usually, what is seen is two subjects / two
neurotics together in the same fantasy, in a per-
verse organization / willing to sacrifice their
uniqueness to achieve full enjoyment. The neurotic
position is not satisfactory as enjoyment itself is
impossible and represents the entity against which
neurotics seek to defend themselves.
In the same text, the author analyzes organization
and social bonds in the context of unlimited obedi-
ence to rules and laws, often leading to senseless
inhumane acts. That was the case of Hitlers
Germany, where those responsible for the deaths of
millions of Jews felt no guilt as, for them, they were
merely performing a duty for the State / the ultimate
perverse organization.
Clavreul, when discussing perverse couples, ad-
mits to the possibility of relationships between
neurotic and perverse subjects. Those are fre-
quently long-lasting unions that operate under a
sort of contractual regimen in which the limits of
authorized perverse abuse are set and agreed upon
between the two parties. In these relationships, the
Perversion / structure or organization? 141
goal of the other is neglected, and, for the couple to
work, the parties do not have to know each other
deeply / it suffices to know the signifier to which
the other is prisoner: it will be sufficient to know
enough of what he is not able to free himself from,
what can be used in order to make him reach the
picks of anxiety and of enjoyment [Bastara
conhecer o suficiente aquilo de que nao consegue
libertar-se, aquilo que se presta para ser manejado a
fim de faze-lo atingir os picos da angu stia e do
gozo] (17:122).
As it is impossible for them to deal with a desire
that points to both lack and castration, the couple
engage instead in a seductive relationship that brings
the illusion of completeness and supreme enjoyment.
But for this to happen, both in the organization of
the social setting and for perverse couples, there
must be the roles of dominator and dominated, the
subjectivity of the latter being erased, obliterated,
ostracized. Clavreul wrote:
In any perverse act there is something similar to
rape, in the sense that it is important that the other
is dragged, against his will, into an experience that
turns out to be false in relation to context.
(17:134)
Conclusion
In a globalized world, haunted by the threat of
acculturation and the consequent loss of the specific
traits of ethnic groups and peoples, discussing
perversion is of utmost importance, be it seen as
structure or organization.
In spite of the scarce attendance of perverse
patients in our clinics, these subjects are frequently
found in politics, in police forces, in the arts, and
wherever the shimmering, fetishized scepter of
power is found. It may be said that power is the
supreme fetish to buffer the unbearable emptiness
left behind by castration in perverse subjects.
On the other hand, organizations and relation-
ships held between perverse couples are thought to
be the ramifications of a structure in which it is
possible for neurotic subjects to give in a little to the
enjoyment that is denied to them structurally. In
these relationships, they escape the responsibility for
their perverse acts by transferring the burden to their
counterparts: they are exemplary workers, careful
parents, or even victims searching for suffering in
different relationships. They are left with remainders
of enjoyment.
Finally, we are left with the perversion of our
daily lives / the perverse-polymorph sexuality. We
live in an era in which sex is the topic of
workshops, seminars, and articles in magazines.
Everyone has a recipe to extract maximum sexual
enjoyment out of a relationship. Exeunt morality
and Victorian discipline, enter the exploration of
erotogenic zones in a manner that Freud would not
hesitate to consider perverse. In practical terms,
this expanded perspective on sexuality / as focus is
given to the pleasure zones of infancy / enriches
adult sex life, as long as there is agreement among
the parties and the desires of the other are taken
into account. Only under these conditions can a
number of conducts, the aim of which is pleasure,
be deemed acceptable.
Are these other manifestations perverse organiza-
tion? A thin line sets the boundary between what is
seen as normal and as pathologic.
Everyone knows something about perversion, but
even so. . .
References
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142 A. L. de Souza Pires et al.
Summaries in German and Spanish
Laender NR et al. Perversion / Struktur oder Organisa-
tion?
Der Aufsatz diskutiert die Perversion, ihre Auswirkungen
im klinischen Setting und einige Schlu sselkonzepte. Zuerst
wird die Herkunft der Wo rter Perversion, Struktur und
Organisation analysiert. Dann folgt eine Diskussion u ber
die Organisation der Sexualitat bzw. der Instinkte / vom
Unbewussten bis zum O

dipuskomplex bei Freud und

Lacan / wodurch eine Theorie der Perversion auf der
Basis von Ablehnung begru ndet wird. Ein instruktiver
Zugang, bei dem die verschiedenen Punkte von Interesse
gut strukturiert sind, wurde gewahlt.
Laender NR et al. Perversion / organizacio n o estructura?
Este trabajo intenta discutir la perversio n, sus implica-
ciones en la cl nica y algunos de los conceptos clave
alrededor de la perversio n.
Primero, es analizada la etimolog a de las palabras
Perversio n, Estructura y Organizacio n. Despu es sigue
una discusio n sobre la organizacio n sexual de los instintos-
desde lo Inconsciente hasta el complejo de Edipo en Freud
y Lacan- planteando las bases para una teor a de la
negacio n-desaprobacio n de la perversio n.
Para organizar mejor los varios aspectos presentados se
escogio una aproximacio n instructiva.
Perversion / structure or organization? 143