Sublimation (psychology) Wikipedia

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November 17, 2019

Sublimation is...
Its essence in simple words
Theories of sublimation
Why is sublimation useful?
How to do it effectively
Conclusion

Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. The term sublimation is very versatile and is used in various areas of human life, from chemistry to psychology.

It is in the latter area that this word gained the greatest popularity. Well-known psychologists have come to the conclusion that it is useful and even vital for a person to sublimate.

Today we will look at this concept from all sides and will especially focus on the psychological aspect, because the ability to correctly sublimate a necessary step towards happiness.

Sublimation is...

The term "sublimation" translated from the Latin "sublimare" literally means "replace", "replace" .

In simple words, sublimation is the replacement of one thing with another.

The concept is used in different spheres of life:

Sublimation in chemistry is the transition of a substance from a solid state directly to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state;
In the food industry, this is the extraction of ice from frozen products (and in the army there are also freeze-dried potatoes, i.e. dehydrated);
In printing, sublimation is the movement of an image from one place to another.

However, most often, the term is attributed to psychology - its psychoanalytic trend, since the well-known S. Freud first spoke about it. In 1900, he described sublimation as the transformation of biological energy into social energy.

From his point of view, sublimation is a protective mechanism of the psyche, which consists in ridding the body of excessive stress, which the individual is not able to realize and implement for various reasons.

At that time, we were talking about libido (what is it?): undischarged sexual tension “finds itself” in the creative activity of the individual. Simply put, experiencing a strong sexual desire, but not being able to realize it, a person sits down to draw, sew, dance, etc.

That is, to sublimate is , in essence, to replace the way of realizing one’s needs.

In modern interpretation, the term has a broader definition.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that with the help of the mechanism of sublimation, the psyche satisfies not only forbidden sexual desires, but also any others.

This happens when a person subconsciously wants something unacceptable, condemned by society, shameful, contrary to morality, God’s and state laws.

The essence of the method

So, what does the sublimation method mean? In psychology, in simple words, this action can be explained as follows. Psychoanalysis interprets the method as a transformation of human drives. Today this interpretation has expanded somewhat.

The explanation of the method depends on the situation. But at the same time, the definition means the redirection of impulses that are unacceptable in society into socially useful work. Analyzing works of art, studying a person’s leading activity, one can often discern the hidden erotic motives of the work, which are carefully hidden by the individual.

The essence of sublimation in simple words

To better understand what sublimation is, it is necessary to look inside its mechanism.

A mentally healthy person is not aware of his “bad” desires, otherwise, this could threaten, at best, a confrontation (what is this?) with his unconscious desires, contrary to his own values and meanings, which would inevitably lead to a violation of the integrity of the individual. At worst - irreversible mental disorders and insanity.

Our psyche “saves” the health of the individual by suppressing “abnormal” attraction and closing its passage into the area of consciousness. But the need does not go away: its strength grows and requires an outlet.

Then sublimation comes into play - redirecting accumulated energy outward, into activities that are approved by society.

Thus, the affect is discharged, and the person remains good without violating personal and social rules. For example :

an individual with sadistic tendencies, the desire to cause pain to others, becomes a surgeon, redirecting the “ugly” desire into a useful direction;
people with high sexual energy express themselves through art, usually art. Dancing classes with erotic elements also allow you to express the energy of a raging libido through the body (striptease, belly dancing, tango, bochata and others).

Sublimation takes place in our everyday life : through sports activity we can get rid of aggressiveness and lust. Often women, with strong negative feelings raging inside them, begin to frantically wash their homes, cook food, diligently wielding a knife.

Thus, to sublimate means to give vent to one’s repressed emotions through various activities.

Instead of output

Any sublimation can develop into a way to make money, because any problem is given for something. Maybe just to discover new talents in yourself. You must force yourself to take a step towards life, share your experiences, and not carry them inside yourself.

You can give an example with a cake. For example, you have a cake. It’s huge, with a lot of rich cream, three tiers. But you don’t want to share it with him; you carry it with you everywhere. You think that others will not like this cake. And you need to eat it yourself, you have to eat only it, but it doesn’t end there.

And now it makes you sick, it’s no longer possible to eat it on your own, your arms and back hurt because you carry it around with you, you want to give it to someone. It is very important to share this cake with friends, relatives, and just passers-by to make it easier.

The same thing happens with your negative experiences and thoughts. To make it easier, you need to share them with the world.

Was there anything you didn’t like about this article, do you have anything to add, or did you find an error? Be sure to write about it in the comments. Not a single comment will be left unattended!

Psychoanalytic theories of sublimation

The most striking, interesting theories of sublimation are considered to be the works of contradictory psychoanalysts - Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung:

Z. Freud considered sublimation as the most useful of the protective mechanisms of the psyche: a person remains safe and balanced even if it is impossible to openly satisfy his sexual needs, redirecting them in another direction. The psychologist believed that civilization itself and the products of its activities arose thanks to this protection.
As an example, he described the person of Leonardo Da Vinci, who made a huge contribution to various scientific movements: he was a genius in absolutely everything he undertook. At the same time, Da Vinci was not at all interested in sex and everything connected with it. Freud argued that the energy of the genius's sexual libido was completely transformed.
C. Jung criticized his colleague for his scientific approach and had a different point of view: he endowed this phenomenon with a mystical character, connecting it with alchemy. In his opinion, sublimation is the secret of the process of making gold using fire and primordial matter.

A lot has been written about sublimation, seemingly in detail, in various books on psychoanalysis, but it all seems more confusing the more detailed it is described.

Here's what the Dictionary of Psychoanalysis says:

“Sublimation is an attraction that is, to one degree or another, switched to a non-sexual goal and directed towards socially significant objects. …Throughout his entire career, Freud called sublimation—in an economic and dynamic sense—certain activities prompted by desire that is not clearly directed toward a sexual goal: for example, artistic creativity, intellectual research, and generally socially valuable activities. Freud saw the motivating reason for this kind of behavior in the transformation of sexual desires: ... Sublimation is a concept often used in psychoanalytic literature; it so corresponds to the deep tasks of Freudian teaching that it is difficult to even understand how one can do without it. However, we do not have a coherent theory of sublimation, which remains a significant gap in psychoanalytic thought." ...In general, Freud is accused of pansexualism not only because he derived EVERYTHING from sexual desire (after all, this is one of the most striking examples of the work of the human unconscious), but largely also because he promoted this theory of sublimation: they say , any creativity is the realization of unclaimed sexual energy (libido). And perhaps such an “energetic-sexual” approach pushed many people away from the REASONABLE foundations of Freudian psychoanalysis... Therefore, I will risk talking about sublimation in a slightly “different way”: not from the point of view of sexuality (at least immediately), but to begin with, from the point of view biology. And oddly enough, we will begin our conversation about sublimation with a conversation about amoeba.

Let's take a closer look at the movement of the amoeba (which is otherwise called taxis). In particular, to such a variety as chemotaxis - the directional movement of an amoeba caused by the presence of a particular chemical irritant at a certain point in the environment. If you create such an uneven concentration - say, drop a little acid “on the edge” of the observed container - the amoeba will “run away” from this place (so-called negative chemotaxis). If instead of acid we drop a certain protein substance (which is food for the amoeba), we will get an approach to this place (or positive chemotaxis). So, let me suggest that even at the level of the amoeba there is a certain “ “intermediate link”, forcing a living organism at the most “primitive level” to avoid “unpleasant” influences and “resort” to pleasant ones. And at least there is a certain “center” that determines this “pleasant and unpleasant” and forces you to achieve the first and move away from the second. Thus, it is very likely that all living things (including humans) are endowed with certain “centers of pleasure and displeasure”, which precisely determine the behavior of an individual - to avoid displeasure and move towards pleasure (more precisely, to avoid the FEELINGS of displeasure and move towards FEELINGS pleasure).

It is clear that when the biological organization becomes more complex than that of an amoeba :), then these “hunger is not an aunt”: he enjoys the very process of active movement when getting food! At the very least, an individual, in order to survive, simply must enjoy the process of spontaneous running through the forest, including on an empty stomach... And unpleasant actions are any actions leading to a deterioration in “personal safety”, increasing the risk of death of an individual (or species) and suffering in one form or another. Such actions in themselves cause “internal displeasure” and “stimulate” one to move away from such actions and avoid them. Moreover, this is all at the unconscious, instinctive, “animal-biological” level, when the notorious “social unconscious and social environment” are not yet involved. This is also why animals, as we know, do not drink alcohol or smoke.

And we can say that it is precisely “at the animal level” that all processes (and the processes themselves, and not just their results), the results of which lead to the survival and preservation of the species, should be pleasant. Thus, mating in itself is pleasant, precisely as a “means of reproduction.” And this “pleasantness” is simply necessary for the survival of the species, for the reason that during reproduction the result is separated from the “process” by some time distance (in humans this is nine months), and it would be biologically difficult to develop a “do this” response pattern this is only because THEN something that pleases you will appear from this.” But a different scheme arises: “Do it because it pleases you in itself.” Just like it’s pleasant for a wolf to run for food in principle, although it’s separately pleasant to once at the end of the running get the food itself... And feeding cubs, as a rule, is pleasant (not only from the breast) - also an example of how pleasant the PROCESS ITSELF is, and not the expectation that something will grow out of this baby in 20 years - that it will be, they say, then it will be pleasant!

And it must be said that such a connection “the mating process - pleasure” was formed over the course of... let’s not be mistaken... the last two or three BILLION years. That is, to Homo sapiens, let’s say, sexuality “reached” as a stimulus of pleasure. But at the same time, and based on the same mechanism, a movement began in the opposite direction, a kind of exploitation of the “unconditionally pleasant sensation” associated with the process of human mating for non-reproductive purposes. This was especially facilitated by the fact that man, unlike animals, turned out to be ready to carry out the mating process from puberty to old age, and all the time. As a result, fertilization as a result, for the sake of which, in fact, three billion years ago the process of copulation itself was made pleasant, has somewhat lost its relevance (in humans, ovulation ultimately does not have external manifestations, like in animals), and sexual intercourse has become, as it were, an independent process “ pleasure for the sake of pleasure” and even to some extent an unconscious symbol of pleasure!.. And in particular, a set of rhythmic movements - frictions - could already be regarded as a separate pleasure. That is, in the end - rhythmic movements as such.

Here's another example. A primitive man, in order to sharpen a stone axe, must make quite a lot of rhythmic movements - striking the stone. The fact that these movements will result in a convenient tool can be pleasant in itself (literally, a pleasant surprise ). But again: it is not very reliable to “force an unpleasant process for the sake of a pleasant result”: it is much “more reliable biologically” to make the PROCESS ITSELF pleasant at the level of associative connections. Namely, rhythmic movements, perceived at a deep level as part of an a priori pleasant process of copulation. And if, as a result of these pleasant movements, primitive man does not succeed in anything, then okay, he will repeat these movements, pleasant to him in themselves, one more time. And when one day he ends up with a useful stone axe, the action will eventually become established as educational and developing not only the intellect, but also the technical equipment of homo sapiens.

In the same way, the monotonous rhythmic swings of a stone hoe were pleasant not “for the sake of the future harvest” (which our ancestors might not have known about at all, because they had not yet looked that far), but again on their own. And the “unexpected appearance of the harvest” gradually reinforced that it was necessary to wave right here and exactly then... And so on, and so on. Here there is the pleasure of rhythmically swinging swings (including cribs and cradles), and folk dances (which for the most part are quite rhythmic), and even some labor processes: swinging, bending... And the famous Greek “sirtaki” - it openly symbolizes the process of pressing grapes onto wine with your feet. And in general, it can be noted that at a “deep level” a person enjoys everything rhythmic: ornaments, music, even “beautiful formulas.” We can generally say that “love and pleasure are mating.” It is clear that as intelligence developed, the exploitation of the pleasure center became more and more diverse. But in any case, these are, let’s say, “sexually-like actions.” From rhythmic movements and some degree of muscle load (“the joy of movement”) to work and creativity - precisely as SOCIALLY USEFUL activities. That is, the pleasure center begins to reward a person for actions not directly related to reproduction, not leading to direct reproduction - but leading to the development of the species, to strengthening its stability in all respects! And as a result of such an “evolution of non-sexual” activity - labor and / or creative. And not so much from the result, but from the process!

Yes, it is known that “creative people” often do not get stuck on the results of creativity - as they say, “they write on the table.” It is clear that a lot here also depends on personal accentuations and motivations (this is understandable - more than one pleasure center is at work here, because, again, a person is not an amoeba); but still, often it is the PROCESS of creativity that becomes pleasant, and in this process, one or another person can “get” with the help of the same creativity or other “socially approved” (that is, encouraged by his modern, highly organized center of pleasure) processes: housekeeping, earning money money, etc. And vice versa: if a person’s center of pleasure gives a signal “everything is fine and nothing more is needed” (that case about which Pushkin sarcastically said “he is always happy with himself, his dinner and his wife”), then there can be an incentive for creativity or, for example, business not to be. And libido, by the way, may also not be very expressed... ...However, we have forgotten about “too much is good is also not good,” or in scientific words, there must be homeostasis, or balance, in this area. Because if a person “everything feels good,” he can either degrade intellectually (when he himself has no incentive to maintain this “good” of his, at least to think about how to ensure it), or begin to “look for his own head of all sorts of adventures." In particular, according to the principle “often we did not notice happiness, it was usually like the sky.”

But then it turns out that in order to “not become dull and get into history,” you need to take displeasure from somewhere? As a rule, there is no need to take them anywhere specially. Aggressive factors of the EXTERNAL environment are quite enough for a modern personality. Moreover, the more diverse the contact with this environment, the more such factors there are. Accordingly, it turns out that the person who, for one reason or another, lives “under a glass bell” has every chance of degenerating intellectually, who is protected from ANY contact with the external environment and is told and shown “how everything works for him in his limited life.” really good." Likewise, a person fed only cakes runs the risk of developing diabetes. But those people who are forced to face “aggressive environmental factors” face to face - from natural disasters to the whole problem of megacities with their stress, overcrowding and the like - thus definitely need to “put something on the cup of pleasure” in order to achieve homeostasis . And if we take sexuality for this purpose as an “unconditionally pleasant process”, it would be possible to “balance the impressions”, if only the difficulties had not arisen due to the “complication of the work patterns of the pleasure center of the modern personality”...

First of all, for a pleasant mating process a person needs a partner, and in the modern world with its multi-layered social interactions, the search for a partner and the process of communicating with him can cause not pleasant sensations at all, but, on the contrary, difficulties. And they will become additional weights on the cup of displeasure - plus what is already there. Even buying a partner for money is in itself unpleasant and unacceptable for many. Let’s not forget that human sexuality itself has become a very complex process psychologically, and has begun to perform many other “non-sexual” functions (in general, designed to bring the same pleasure). But a separate problem may arise when two partners do not have the same “purpose of the process”... And the result is also more likely to be displeasure. In such situations, a person who has many “potential displeasures” in these areas replaces the “paired sexual function” with a single one - the same labor or creative one, which will bring him in general “the same pleasure, produced by the same grief.” from the mind,” it turns out that homeostasis requires more and more “pleasure factors.” And along with sex (as a generally productive process), a person begins to attract other, already unproductive “factors of potential pleasure or, more precisely, the FEELINGS of pleasure” - the same alcohol, nicotine, drugs. Yes, as mentioned above, “at the animal level” the use of such substances is dangerous to health and therefore unpleasant, but a person is more complex, and he begins to ENJOY the “anesthetic intellect” effect (even if temporary) that alcohol has, or those social benefits or the feeling of “triggering the sucking reflex” that smoking (even if temporarily) provides. Here, at the biological level, a destructive process of reducing sensitivity to dangerous consequences may occur, and therefore a less pronounced biological displeasure will appear.

But if we return again to sublimation as “an alternative source of pleasure besides sex as such,” then essentially there is nothing wrong with it, because in fact, as they say, “it’s not just sex.” And it would be stupid to say about a successful creator or businessman that “he works so productively because nothing works out in bed.” This is a fairly “simple” and therefore tempting explanation. It’s another matter when “other types of activities that bring pleasure” COMPLETELY replace sex and at the same time a person SUFFERS from this. Then we can talk about the PROBLEM. But not before. Because many people, as they say, “have enough” for both sex and creativity (business, household, etc.). These are simply different sources of “the same pleasure,” of which a person may require a lot, and his life is more interesting the more diverse sources he draws these pleasures from. Because pleasure of “one origin”, even the most pleasant, can very soon become boring and cease to fulfill its function in ensuring homeostasis!

...In principle, the topic of sublimation is very large. Some psychoanalysts talk about types of sublimation (that is, receiving alternative pleasure) “according to male and female types” - that is, from the result and from the process. It seems like a man likes “the process itself” when it comes to sex, while a woman “is definitely focused on the result, that is, on the child.” Excuse me, this is nonsense: a woman can also love “the process itself” (and at the same time protect herself, that is, do not regard sex only as a way to get a child), and a man can also enjoy the birth of a baby (moreover, some men and they often engage in sex as such only for the sake of conception). And other psychoanalysts are inclined, on the contrary, to believe that for men, it is the result that often becomes the stimulus for creativity - supposedly because “a woman gives birth to a child, and a man has a complex in this place, and in order to eliminate the feeling of such a defect, he “gives birth” to different ideas , projects, business plans, etc.” But again, there are as many men as you like who “put ideas on the table,” and enough women (especially where there is no pressure of double standards) who want not just to work, but to make a career!

And speaking of the process and the result: when a person is forced to do some kind of unloved, disgusting work solely for the sake of the big money he needs, this is not sublimation. Or, if we don’t take it to extremes, but to put it mildly, we can recall the words of one famous satirist, who they asked where he, so “prolific” in his creativity, gets this “constant inspiration” from? To which he replied: “Where, from where... There is no money - that’s inspiration.” So such prolific work is no longer “sublimation in its pure form,” although such “overload for the sake of money” can also negatively affect libido - but this already more from work overwork.

...But in general I must tell you that the separation of sexual pleasure from the process of reproduction is indeed not yet complete (which is why psychoanalysts have similar associations with childbirth and children). After all, the process of associating pleasure with the process of copulation itself, and not just with fertilization and reproduction as a result, lasted again 3 billion years, and the reverse process - the separation of sexual pleasure itself from the fact of reproduction - lasts only about 300 thousand years (if to be completely precise - it began somewhere from 500 to 300 thousand years ago, and it seems that the maximum of its development is right now, in the era of scientific and technological revolution). So we are now able to observe the development of this process with our own eyes. By the way, the paths of this separation can be quite variable (one of the destructive examples is receiving “sublimated pleasure” from murder, for example). Thus, the “evolution of sublimation” is in full swing and is not at all finished. Perhaps this is why it is still difficult for psychoanalysts to formulate “coherent theories” in relation to it; Actually, this article does not pretend to be a theory, but rather a hypothesis!

The T. Adorno effect - why is it useful to sublimate

Theodor Adorno - musicologist, philosopher, sociologist in the 50s of the last century made an interesting conclusion:

the sublimation effect is capable of destroying the manipulation of human consciousness.

For example, that when choosing a TV show to watch, a person is mainly guided by subconscious drives , which are prohibited. If in reality an individual is a fierce opponent of cruelty and violence, then on TV he will more often choose content that has similar content.

A sexually complex person will secretly watch “adult films.” A person with a high level of anxiety, afraid of everything around him, prefers movies about zombies, vampires, etc. This is sublimation.

Thus, when viewing forbidden scenes, the psyche is freed from the accumulated tension of feelings and emotions. Suppressed needs are satisfied, making the person feel content and happy.

Modern psychoanalysts argue that if people prone to crime watched more programs on crime topics, sublimating their “bad” inclinations, then the number of their offenses would decrease significantly.

but on the other hand

No matter what anyone says, not everyone can sublimate. A person whose sexual energy is overflowing may not engage in creative activities or devote himself to work. On the contrary, when their desires are suppressed, such people become aggressive and even go as far as assault and violence.

Attention! A striking example of this behavior is demonstrated by serial killers and rapists when they commit sexual crimes.

What is sublimation, we study

Sublimation as a way of psychological protection

How to sublimate effectively

Now you are familiar with the term sublimation - what it is and “what it is eaten with.” The position that this mechanism is desirable and useful for mental stability gives rise to a logical conclusion:

you need to learn to sublimate purposefully.

How to do it:

First thing need to relax: get rid of mental and physical tightness, the “inner fist”.
Try to go with the flow of life, positively perceive the people and events you meet along the way.
Even an unpleasant experience is, first of all, an experience. It is you who give him a bad rating. To do this, you can use meditation, relaxation techniques, and auto-training.
Dream! Dreams help develop imagination and expand the boundaries of consciousness. Thanks to this ability, people make incredible discoveries, and stereotypical thinking makes life boring, gray and monotonous.
Take 10 minutes before bed to think about something unrealistic and you will soon see how variable your thoughts and actions will become.
Read also: Structure and significance of the cerebral hemispheres
Trust your intuition - this is the voice from your unconscious part of your personality, in which you know absolutely everything.
Practice black hole exercise. Lock yourself in a room with curtains drawn and keep it quiet.
The point is that sensory deprivation (depriving oneself of hearing, sight, taste, smell, sensations) relieves the brain of information load, it rests, and at this time the unconscious opens its doors to us.
You can catch interesting images and thoughts, see your situation from an unexpected angle, and get answers to nagging questions.
Be there more often in a state of emotional upsurge. It can be caused by willpower, of course, after a series of trainings.
Close your eyes and remember the happiest moment of your life: it is important to clearly see the situation, the people who are nearby, remember the smells, sounds, your feelings, and most importantly, your bodily sensations.
Observe your body during these memories: your chest will probably open, your shoulders will straighten, your back will stretch, and a trembling will appear in your chest. What else?
By doing this exercise at least once a day, a person remembers the corresponding body position and the sensations present at that moment.
Further, there will be no need to turn to past experience; it is enough to take a “happy” pose and your mood will change according to it.