Freud's Views on the Sexual Instinct and Politics

This essay explores the nexus between the development of the sexual instinct as theorized by Freud and my own observations of the symbiotic relationship between politicians and the voting public.

I will include development concerning the three main erogenous zones of the body as outlined by Freud. When these areas experience tension, pleasure can be derived by sucking or stroking the area where the tension originates. The voting public can often be seen to respond in an analogous manner responding favorably to the stroking and doubling their pleasure by sucking it all in.

There are other regions of the body which, when relieved of tension, cause the individual to experience pleasure. That is why finally booting the NDP out of Ontario was like getting to the john at the last minute with an explosive case of diarrhea.

For an example of tension, consider an itch. When the person scratches the annoying area he or she experiences pleasure. The same can certainly be said of voting a lot of politicians out of office.

According to Freud the three main erogenous zones of the body are the mouth, the anus and the sexual organs. Pleasure experienced in the mouth is induced by eating, and pleasure in the anus comes from execution of a bowel movement, though with politicians it is often difficult to tell exactly which pleasure it is they experience while moving their jaws.

Usually these pleasures are experienced when the person is doing something useful but pleasures can also be derived from actions like thumb-sucking - which doesn't relieve hunger, and fellatio, which doesn't serve for reproduction (though some Democrats might claim other useful effects - pointing to the robust performance of the U.S. economy during Clinton's tenure as president).

The erogenous zones are quite important factors in development of one's personality because they are the first sources of pleasure.

Two kinds of pleasure are found with the mouth: One is from putting things in, the other is from biting. Obviously the pleasure from putting things in the mouth is the first to be experienced since a baby isn't born with teeth. Though it must be said that pleasure does not always accompany putting things in one's mouth, as when a politician does this with his foot.

The way a person eats can have an effect on his personality when he gets older. For example, one who keeps his jaws tightly shut when eating or enjoying food is likely to become what is known as a "tight-wad" when he grows up. If he grows up, since keeping his jaws tightly shut would make chewing exceptionally difficult hence increasing the possibility of premature death by choking.

The next topic in our discussion is the anal zone. When a person needs to excrete, the waste exerts pressure on the walls of the intestines creating tension. Relief is obtained by expulsion of the material causing the discomfort. I have heard that taking a bowel movement is the most pleasurable sensation in existence. This may be true for some and certainly would explain why politicians try so hard to get elected.

As politicians, especially liberal politicians, tend to instantly prescribe "more government funding" as the solution to all problems, a baby excretes instantly when he needs to. This makes the process of "toilet training" necessary. How to "toilet train" liberals is a topic best left for a separate discussion.

Sometimes parents are too strict in the field of toilet training. In many cases the child will retaliate by being messy, wasteful and extravagant. On the other hand, the child could become extremely neat and orderly. This sort of person could develop a fear of dirt. Politically, this individual is equally likely to vote liberal or conservative.

When the mother praises the child for having a bowel movement the child might regard the product as a work of art. According to Freud, this type of individual could grow up to be an artist, creating things to please others. In my view, this type of individual is more likely to grow up to be a politician promoting things that they like, but which are in fact a pile of crap.... consider the Government of Canada's coercive support of Canadian "culture" through the CRTC and various subsidies.

On the other hand, this individual might grow up to be a thrifty and economical person. Well, somebody has to pay taxes!

Last, but not least, is the sexual area. As the child becomes more mature he enters the phallic stage. In this stage the male and female differ in development.

Before progressing to the phallic stage the boy loves his mother and takes on certain desirable characteristics of his father. Then his sexual love for his mother increases and he becomes jealous of his father. This is what Freud called the "Oedipus Complex".

In the female, the "Elektra Complex" is alleged to occur when she notices that her father has an organ which she doesn't have. She feels castrated and experiences what is known as "penis envy". She then loves her father and is jealous of her mother. The voting public, especially of the leftist persuasion, exhibit signs of a similar complex. Seeing wealth around them which they do not know how to produce they feel expropriated and experience what is known as "envy".

The onset of maturity and the impossibility of possessing her father weakens the "Elektra Complex". In the male the "Oedipus Complex" disappears when the boy thinks his father will castrate him. This is called "Castration Anxiety". "Expropriation Anxiety" on the other hand, almost never occurs amongst the majority of the voting public.

Disappointment from the mother, maturation and the impossibility of possessing the mother are also factors which cause the "Oedipus Complex" to become extinct.

Freud's theories concerning the Oedipus complex and the Elektra complex aptly demonstrate that he interviewed only whackos and politicians before articulating his theories.

The boy and girl then go through a latency period which exists between the age of five and twelve years of age. The individual's sexual interests are revived with the onset of puberty. This is the final stage in the development of the sexual instinct. Age weakens these instincts but does not change them.

Proper development of the sexual instinct in the growing individual is an important factor in the development of a stable personality. So if your own psycho-sexual history appears to be normal in the Freudian sense you have two available courses of action:

1. see a shrink - fast.
2. try and get your name on the ballot.

Further Links and Reading available at Amazon.com

• Primer of Jungian Psychology
• Anxious Intellects : Academic Professionals, Public Intellectuals, and Enlightenment Values
• Atlas of Practical Proctology
• Key Concepts in Cultural Theory
• Envy : A Theory of Social Behaviour
• The Politics of Ecstasy
• The Complete Monty Python's Flying CircusAll the Words, Volume 2
• An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis
• The Three Stooges : A Plumbing We Will Go
• The Three Stooges : Dizzy Doctors
• What the Stars Tell Us Today.

last modified:Wednesday,March 19, 2008 at 04:40