Volume 1

Sadism and masochism : the psychology of hatred and cruelty / by Wilhelm Stekel, M.D. Authorized English version by Louise Brink.

  • Wilhelm Stekel
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Sadism and masochism : the psychology of hatred and cruelty / by Wilhelm Stekel, M.D. Authorized English version by Louise Brink. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    So I take the plunge in fear and anxiety, and all goes well; but still I am full of anxiety lest my understanding should be at fault and there should be a catastrophe and the whole concert end in chaos and unbearable humiliation for me. So it is left, and I either forget the dream or wake with a feel- ing of anxiety and relief at having escaped the great responsibility. This remarkable dream may be considered from different points of view. Let us first take it functionally. The orchestra is the symbol of his psyche. He has to conduct the symphony of his life and his psyche. We discover first an uncertainty of himself, as well as an insecurity before life's tasks. He does not know how to guide and control himself. The conscious ego is symbolized as the conductor. He stands puzzled and helpless before the whole number of voices. He has to lead, and yet he is only the one led. He devotes himself to one single voice and does not know whether this voice is at the right or the left of him. As I have explained in Sprache des Traumes [Language of the Dream], right in the dream denotes the way of the normal and right, left that which is forbidden and sinful. At the right lies heterosexuality, at the left homosexuality. A voice, the all-powerful upper voice, aids him in preserving the appearance of leadership and strong will. But he feels that in a short time everything may change. He fears the chaos, the catastrophe, the unbearable humiliation. His seat is narrow, and he may not make himself comfortable. He must always be on his guard, always keep watch, always hold the reins of his instincts firmly in his hand. It appears from the dream how much he considers public opinion. He feels himself observed; the eyes of all are directed upon him. We see a cleft between his will and his ability to do. He is no conductor. Indeed—he has no score; that is, he has no proper life plan. His ambition drives him to the role of leader, while his feeling of inferiority makes itself effective in warning him not to enter into situations that may end in disgrace. If we inquire after his striving, his great historical mission, we find that he suffers from a Christ parapathy. He has the aspiration to be a second Christ, to save the world, to give it a new religion. If not a Christ, yet in any case a leader.