barriers of culture. Extraordinarily frequent are suspicions of
incest,[18] of homosexuality, of masturbation, and zoöphily. Women
accuse their husbands of relations with their daughter; or they accuse
the man of homosexual relations with a friend. Men bring similar
accusations against their wives. All such accusations are projections of
subjective sexual tendencies upon the object of their jealousy.
_Beaussart_ (_La Jalousie; Annales Psychiques_, vol. LXXI, 1913), who
maintains erroneously that morbid jealousy is more frequent among men
than among women, brings out very strongly this peculiarity of jealousy
and bases it on the absence of true motivation. But the motivation is
transparent enough. Among the cases reported by him I note that of a
75-year-old woman who tortured her husband to death with her groundless
jealousy and who, in a rage, one day, attacked him with a razor.
Jealousy is clearly a rationalization of hatred, it harks back to the
primary egoistic attitude of the aboriginal man. The phyletic raw
sexuality and criminality corresponds to man’s primary ontogenetic
attitude towards his environment.
Other jealous persons see their criminal tendencies reflected in the
surroundings. A jealous person has the hallucination that the supposed
lover of his wife intends to knife him. In this manner the killing of
the lover looms up as a logical necessity. Whereas men make use of
swords, revolvers, whips, tortures and shackles, woman’s criminality
breaks out in such jealousy acts as anonymous letters, libel, poisoning,
castration and throwing of acid (_Beaussart_).
In many cases the barrier between jealousy and insanity, between
neurosis and psychosis, is hardly to be distinguished. Often jealousy is
the first symptom of paranoia.
The next two cases have also pronounced paranoiac features. We are
indebted to _Freud_ for his significant contributions to our
understanding of the nature of paranoia, or _paraphrenia_, as _Freud_
terms the condition. In his fundamental contribution, _Psychoanalytische
Bemerkungen über einen autobiographisch beschriebenen Fall von Paranoia_
(_Sammlung kleiner Schriften zur Neurosenlehre_, 3rd ed., Franz
Deuticke, Leipzig and Vienna, 1913), he has shown that paranoiac
insanity is traceable back to the repressed homosexual components of the
sexual instinct. The persecution ideas of paranoiacs (by men) is the
projection outward of their own thoughts. The subject is pursued by his
own homosexual phantasies and out of those fancies he constructs his
notion of a pursuer. Love is transmuted by the subject into its bipolar
opposite, hatred. _Freud_ states on this point:
“‘I do not love him, in fact I hate him.’ This contrary attitude, which
cannot mean anything else in the unconscious does not assume that form
in the paranoiac’s consciousness. The mechanism governing the formation
of symptoms in paranoia requires that the inner apperception,—the
feeling of subjection,—should be replaced by some perception from
without. The proposition: ‘in fact I hate him,’ is thus changed through
projection into another: ‘he hates (pursues) me which consequently
justifies me in hating him.’ The unconscious feeling-motive thus appears
as though it were an objective perception, a deduction:
“‘_I do not love him, in fact I hate him, because he pursues me._’”
Observation leaves no doubt that the pursuer is none other than the
formerly beloved person.
_Freud_ here overlooks entirely the relations of paranoia to
criminality. Having persistently overlooked thus far the tremendous
significance of latent criminality in the psychogenesis of neurosis and
having emphasized only the sexual factors underlying all psychotic and
nervous manifestations, he neglects here also the important rôle of
criminality in the dynamics of paranoia. That is the reason why his
explanation does not fit all cases. For there is also a paranoia which
stands for a flight from criminality, even representing a
rationalization of criminal tendencies without any homosexuality. Such
cases are exceptional but they do occur. The fear of insanity which
oppresses so many neurotics, involves as a polar component the wish to
lose one’s mind. For the insane is responsible neither to himself nor
before the law. “He cannot help it.” That is why paranoiac conditions
break out so often with the commission of some crime. On the other hand
the paranoiac turns insane as a defence against committing a crime. We
shall yet find that isolation in an asylum for the insane corresponds
with many a victim’s hidden wish, because there they find peace of mind
and security.
The jealousy of paranoia like every other form of jealousy is an
expression of rage. But _it serves to rationalize the anger and lends
force as well as a measure of emotional justification to the criminal
impulse_. Many crimes of passion, so-called, are caused by the passion
for crime. We have as yet penetrated but little through the mask which
covers the inner criminal. We are still too anxiously concerned with the
superficial motivations which bring about sadism to find the path
leading towards the fundamental fact. The best measure of culture is the
manner in which the man’s primordial character manifests itself in us,
our conscious conduct. That is why the advancement of culture is bound
to lead to an increase of insanity in the proportion that the jails are
emptied.
I must again point out that _Juliusburger_ was the first to recognize
and describe clearly these relations. In fact the credit of having
discovered the relations between homosexuality and paranoia belongs to
him. In his work entitled, “_Die Homosexualität im Vorentwurf zu einem
deutschen Strafgesetzbuch_” (_Allgemeine Zeitschrift f. Psychiatrie_,
1911), he already stated:
“Furthermore we find in the insane the well-known delusion of
persecution and its motive is often derived from homosexuality inasmuch
as the patients complain that they are pursued with homosexual intent,
of which they themselves disclaim any guilt. Or, in their morbid state
of mind, they believe themselves victims of persecution because it is
proposed that they should be driven into the alleged ranks of
homosexuals, something they resent most scornfully. In both cases we see
a peculiar psychic process which must be conceived as a projection to
the surroundings, to the world of external reality, of unconscious
subjective notions. When an individual breaks down mentally complaining
to be a victim of watchfulness and persecution for alleged homosexual
purposes, the condition may be explained only in the sense that the
individual in question actually harbors within himself a powerful
homosexual tendency and the latter is projected unto the world of
external reality through a peculiar mental mechanism. The old
proposition: _ex nihilo nihil fit_ holds true also of the mental sphere
and it would be utterly unscientific to fail to recognize in this sphere
as well the law of strict causality or motivation. A careful examination
of the mental life of our insane man’s unconscious shows that
homosexuality is a powerful motive force much more frequently than is
ordinarily recognized and this attempt to turn the unconscious
subjective feeling of homosexuality into an objective reality,
constitutes a pathway for the release of inner psychic tension, so a
means for the individual to escape the feeling of guilt roused by his
erroneous perception of facts and to pass the responsibility onto other
shoulders. Many of the insane notions of our patients become
intelligible and we grasp their meaning only when we recognize the
powerful rôle which homosexuality plays in man’s unconscious.”
_Juliusburger_ also recognizes the significance of sadism and its
tremendous rôle in the psychogenesis of the delusion of jealousy. In his
contribution referred to previously, “_Zur Psychologie des
Alkoholismus_” (_Zentralblatt f. Psychoanalyse_, Vol. III, 1913), he
makes the following relevant observations:
“I agree with _Freud_ that the homosexual or homopsychic component of
man and woman finds one of its outlets, as sublimation, in the form of
companionship and social drinking. But thus far I remain unconvinced
that homosexuality or its psychic substitute plays also a similar rôle
in the pathogenesis of the delusion of jealousy. Therefore I still
adhere to the view expressed by my colleague, _Hans Oppenheim_, in his
contribution, “_Zur Frage der Genese des Eifersuchtswahns_” (published
in: _Zentralblatt f. Psychoanalyse_, 1911). As formerly I still regard
the sadistic-masochistic instinctive cravings as the strongest root of
the delusion of jealousy. I found particularly instructive a certain
case in which sadism broke forth in a jealous drinker more quickly than
I had ever seen that happen before. This man’s sadism manifested itself
concurrently in an incredible cruelty to dogs which could be only
explained by his sadism. The oft-recorded fact that the jealous drinker
is not satisfied and does not release his victim even after the latter,
in an attempt to quiet him, submits to some disgusting act, the
continual repetition by him of tortures and cruelties, may be explained
only as due to a deeply rooted sadistic impulse everlastingly craving
gratification. The delusion of jealousy is rooted in sadism, the
overstressed images accompanying the morbid feeling of jealousy are
generated by the sadistic tendency. Sadism is the fertile soil giving
rise to the delusions of persecution of the jealous alcoholics, and
intimately linked with sadism stands masochism, upon which the feeling
of jealousy feeds and grows.”
“Besides the sadistic-masochistic components the pathogenesis of the
delusion of jealousy displays also the transposition of a certain
feeling of guilt. In my cases at least it was easy to prove that the
jealous drinker who forces his wife to commit some punishable offence,
is himself inclined to carry out the incriminating acts and controls
himself only with difficulty. I found a similar situation in the case of
women, victims of delusions of jealousy. The more or less conscious
projection of their feeling of guilt upon the partner brings on mental
release and a certain sense of freedom, and at the same time furnishes
new fuel for the sadistic impulse. Finally for the explanation of the
delusion of jealousy we must take into consideration also another factor
which may be explained on the basis of atavism. We shall see later that
certain atavistic reminiscences play a great rôle in the psychology of
alcoholism. The will to power, the yearning to dominate and subdue woman
still lies dormant in man’s soul,—a remnant from old. The soul of the
alcoholic is particularly prolific in atavistic remnants which show
themselves upon close analysis and, besides, the chronic intoxication
rouses the _dormant atavistic trends_ which lie dormant at the bottom of
the soul and brings them to surface. The aboriginal tyrannical self
awakens in the drinker and flays a controlling whip over the cowering
woman; in the case of female victims of the delusion of jealousy the
reverse happens and the primordial matriarchal instinct becomes
manifest. We learn progressively to see and appreciate how atavistic
remnants break to the surface in the psyche of the insane.”
That conception of jealousy as the “projection upon the surroundings of
a subjective feeling of inadequacy” was at one time my starting point in
my characterological investigations of jealousy. But I soon learned that
the problem is much more complicated. When I found that the neurotics
represent regressive stages of development, I conceived jealousy to be a
primitive feeling of hatred, characteristic of man in his primordial
state. Paranoia discloses the primary tendencies which are glossed over
by our cultural development. One’s true character betrays itself in
one’s emotions. Jealousy shows us the true inner man in all his
passionate cravings and his hidden desires.
The next case illustrates all the characteristic features: the delusion
of persecution, the morbid jealousy and the brutal sadism. There is no
insight into the condition. The feeling of jealousy is adjudged as
justified. Ridiculous incidents are held forth as grounds for suspicion
in order to remove from self the sense of guilt. All the alleged
“persecutions,” which are looked upon as dangerous, lack any objective
grounds. Often sadism breaks through, though under the guise of
emotional paralogisms.
77. Mr. A. W., a manufacturer, 29 years of age, consults me for anxiety,
a condition which has already plunged him into very unpleasant
situations. His anxiety broke out in Tyrol the first time. He wanted to
meet a certain party and asked his landlord for directions. The latter
conducted him personally over the road, which was a very rough and badly
neglected one. Suddenly the man saw in front of him some
suspicious-looking persons. But he controlled himself, although he
surmised they were tramps if not a gang of highwaymen. Next he saw a
number of men on the hill hurrying in his direction. At that he broke
into a run, and kept running as fast as he could. A shot rang out in the
distance, intended for him.... He reached the valley, out of breath, and
reported the occurrence to the officer. The latter shook his head and
did not even care to question the landlord, who explained that he had
merely conducted the gentleman through a short cut in the road which is
also used by hunters. That short cut leads to the next broad highway.
But A. insisted that all was not well and that an attempt had been made
to hold him up. The officer said that in his 30-year experience such a
thing had never happened in that locality. But A. remained unconvinced
and to this day he believes that he had narrowly escaped a hold-up. That
might be thought possibly true if the occurrence stood alone. But he had
very many such experiences. During a journey through Sweden he saw the
hotel proprietor talk in subdued tones in Swedish with a number of
guests who thereupon stared at him queerly. There was no key to his room
and the room could not be locked. He could not sleep and kept peering
through the window. Then he saw a number of queer fellows foregathering
in the hall. He could not stay longer in that house. The owner told him
that as he had engaged the room he would have to keep it. They could not
come to an understanding. He saw an officer passing by and called upon
the representative of law to help him extricate himself. The officer
knew a few German words, he stepped in, and they went to the police
station together, and there a record was made of his remarkable
adventures. He left his lodgings a third time on similar grounds. On his
excursions he always carries a revolver and that gives him a certain
sense of security.
It is easy to diagnose this as a case of paranoia. The absence of
insight after the emotional episodes shows the psychotic character of
the trouble. A victim of anxiety neurosis may have similar experiences.
But afterwards, perhaps only a few hours after the occurrence, he says
to himself: “It was nonsense,” and is ashamed to speak of it later. But
this man dwells on his adventures trying to convince me of the dangers
he has gone through.
The notion of being watched and pursued is a product of his homosexual
leaning which he is unable to control. We inquire into his personal
habits and past life and find that his mother died when he was very
young and his father assumed also the place of a mother to him. With his
father he maintained a sort of “spiritual marriage” relationship up to a
few months ago. They always went out together, never one without the
other, and they slept in one room. The latter habit was but seldom
broken by the presence of friends.
A remarkable episode is brought to memory such as is always found among
the homosexuals. He once fell in love with a girl, an employee’s
sweetheart. That passion soon blew over. Another love affair, however,
almost turned him away from his customary leaning. There was another
girl employed in the office, a slim, diminutive figure, rather
plain-looking, and underdeveloped (a type resembling the male). That
girl was engaged and her young man was in the habit of calling to take
her home. Everybody in the store knew that the young man was waiting
outside at the closing hour (he claims she was cordial also with some
other men in the store). He fell in love with the girl and soon showed
that uncontrollable passion which is characteristic of homosexuals when
they attempt to save themselves from man,—when they try to fly from
homosexuality. He soon succeeded in winning her favor against his rival,
who was but a poor employee. The poor girl was supremely happy and proud
that the wealthy manufacturer’s son had his eye on her. He promptly
showed the girl that his intentions were honorable. He withdrew entirely
from his father who was bitterly opposed to the affair. He lived with
his thoughts exclusively on and for the girl. She had to leave the
office. The father requested it and, besides, the other employees
gossiped and spread rumors which were unpleasant to him. He received
anonymous communications pointing out to him that the girl was flighty.
Another employee told him that he had kissed the girl and she was not at
all a prude. These persons naturally did not know that their tales only
increased his passion for the girl. For it was precisely the thought
that she had been kissed by another man that made her so irresistible in
his sight. It made him angry and raging mad but his excitation reacted
upon his homosexual component. The more he was roused against the girl
the more closely he was enmeshed with her. He met her three times daily.
He called for her in the morning, at noon they took a walk together, and
the evenings, often the nights, belonged to the girl who proved with a
physician’s certificate that she was still _virgo intacta_. His
relations with her were of such a nature that her virginity was not
endangered. This attitude, this fearsome withholding from the task of
defloration under the excuse of ethical considerations, is typical of
the neurotic’s feeling of uncertainty and lack of confidence in himself,
fear of binding himself, and fear of consequences, and shows an
insufficient _libido_. The passion was something rather spiritual, a
transference, something unreal. For they passed some nights together and
he was satisfied merely to be in the same room (they never slept in one
bed). Her presence had chiefly a quieting effect on him. Through her he
felt himself protected against his homosexual thoughts. He also needed a
love affair to show the whole world that he was not homosexual and that
he was capable of loving a woman.
But during the very first days of this love affair his jealousy began to
assert itself, a peculiarity characteristic of these subjects,
permitting them to concentrate their mind perpetually on the subject of
men. First he began to investigate her past. She had to confess
everything to him. Then there followed endless torture over endless
days. In the morning he began to look questioningly at her. If she
showed blue dark streaks under her eyes, or looked pale, he felt sure
that she had been untrue to him that night. Although he conducted her
home late at night and called for her early next morning he still
thought that she slipped out of the house to meet some strange lover
somewhere. Often he stood on watch all night in the front of her home.
He saw curious shadows moving across her window blind and was sure that
it must be a man. He endured hellish torments over it. He engaged a
detective to watch the girl and caught her in an innocent lie. His
persistent questionings had cowed her and sometimes she had to lie in
order to pacify him. An innocent fib of that character was the starting
point of a quarrel which kept up for many weeks. She saw him patrol up
and down in front of her house. He looked badly run down as he did not
sleep nights and he neglected his affairs at the factory. She made him
promise that he would go home nights. He promised and immediately
afterwards felt uneasy over it. For he was certain that she made him
give that promise so as to be able to deceive him more easily.
Then terrible thoughts of revenge flashed through his mind. He wanted to
shoot the unknown lover and strangle the girl. Perhaps he sought a proof
of unfaithfulness so as to get rid of the girl and justify his own
disloyalty towards her.
He naturally pretended once to go on a journey only to return
unexpectedly to the girl. He thought he smelled cigar smoke, dragged her
by the hair, and wanted to force a confession from her. He also accused
her of intimacy with her 70-year-old guardian.
Such cases are not favorable for analysis and rather hopeless. I am not
as lucky as _Bjerre_[19] to be able to report a complete cure of a case
of paranoia. Usually these patients abandon the psychoanalysis, finding
some pretext to turn from the consultant. It is useless to explain to
them the mechanism of transference. From the moment when they perceive a
leaning towards their consultant that sympathetic feeling is changed
into anxiety and distrust. They are unwilling to recognize their
homosexuality. Their psychic disturbance is too deep and a correction is
no longer possible. Often the subjects stay away after only a few
visits. This sudden abandonment stands in sharp contrast to their
initial enthusiasm for the new method of treatment. Others stay on with
the analysis for a few weeks but make little or no progress. So long as
their homosexual tendencies are not touched upon, it is possible to keep
up the psychoanalysis a little longer but the psychoanalysis is
superficial under the circumstances, as they cannot be induced to apply
candor, always keep secrets from the consultant, and cover under silence
whatever comes into their mind bearing on their attitude towards their
physician.
He carried his revolver whenever he called at my office, always ready to
shoot down the alleged enemy. I tried to make him understand that he was
tortured by his own homosexual and criminal thoughts. He listened
incredulously but was not so averse as I have seen most paranoiacs.
This patient also stayed away after three weeks of analysis because the
analysis produced in him a tremendous excitement. He thought I was in
league with his father[20] to part him from his girl. The real object of
his love was the father who seems to me to play an important rôle in the
psychogenesis of male paranoia.
I saw him two years later during the war. He had joined the army as
volunteer, had made an excellent record for himself and had been
slightly wounded. Since the war he felt better. He had given up the
engagement shortly after the treatment. His ideas of persecution had
subsided to a great extent, he claimed.
The next case shows us a paranoiac jealousy with insane notions based on
proofs ferreted out and scrutinized with remarkable ingenuity. Such
cases form the borderline towards the class of querrulants who clamor
always for their “rights,” precisely because an inner voice clamoring
for “injustice” must be drowned.
78. Mr. S. D. is referred to me by his family physician from a distance.
I am asked to determine whether his jealousy is justified or the result
of a morbid state of mind.