Page:Psychology of the Unconscious (1916).djvu/53

II.—THE CONCEPTION AND THE GENETIC THEORY OF
LIBIDO 139

A widening of the conception of libido—New light from the
study of paranoia—The impossibility of restricting the conception
of libido to the sexual—A genetic definition—The
function of reality only partly sexual—Yet this, and other
functions, originally derivations from procreative impulse—The
process of transformation—Libido, and the conception
of will in general—Examples in mythology—The stages of
the libido: its desexualized derivatives and differentiations—Sublimation
vs. repression—Splittings off of the primal
libido—Application of genetic theory of libido to introversion
psychoses—Replacing reality by archaic surrogates—Desexualizing
libido by means of phantastic analogy
formations—Possibly human consciousness brought to present
state in this manner—The importance of the little phrase:
"Even as."


III.—THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LIBIDO. A POSSIBLE
SOURCE OF PRIMITIVE HUMAN DISCOVERIES 157

An example of transition of the libido—Act of boring with
forefinger: an infantile presexual activity—Similar activities
in patient's early childhood—Outcome in dementia præcox—Its
phantasies related to mythological products: a reproduction
of the creations of antiquity—The freeing of libido
from the nutritive to enter the sexual function—The epoch
of suckling and the epoch of displaced rhythmic activity—These
followed by the beginnings of onanistic attempts—An
obstacle in the sexual zone produces regression to a
previous mode—These regressions easier in earlier stages of
humanity than now—The ethnological phantasy of boring—Examples—The
production of fire—Its sexual significance—A
substitute for coitus—The invention of fire-making then
due to the need of supplying a symbol for the sexual act—The
psychological compulsion for such transitions of the
libido based on an original division of the will—Regression
to incestuous—Prohibition here sends incestuous component
of libido back to pre-sexual—Character of its application
here—The substitution of Mother-Earth for the
parent—Also of infantile boring—Leading then to discovery
of fire—An example in Hindoo literature—The sexual
significance of the mouth—Its other function: the mating call—The
regression which produced fire through boring also
elaborated the mating call—The beginnings of speech—Example
from the Hindoo—Speech and fire the firstfruits
of transformation of libido—The fire-preparation regarded
as forbidden, as robbery—The forbidden thing onanism—Onanism
a cheating of sexuality of its purpose—The ceremonial
fire-production a substitute for the possibility of
onanistic regression—Thus a transformation of libido
ensues.