Perversion: A Lacanian Psychoanalytic Approach to the Subject

by Stephanie S. Swales

Lacan's psychoanalytic take on what makes a pervert perverse is not the fact of habitually engaging in specific "abnormal" or transgressive sexual acts, but of occupying a particular structural position in relation to the Other. Perversion is one of Lacan's three main ontological diagnostic structures, structures that indicate fundamentally different ways of solving the problems of alienation, separation from the primary caregiver, and castration, or having limits set by the law on one's jouissance. The perverse subject has undergone alienation but disavowed castration, suffering from excessive jouissance and a core belief that the law and social norms are fraudulent at worst and weak at best. In Perversion , Stephanie Swales provides a close reading (a qualitative hermeneutic reading) of what Lacan said about perversion and its substructures (i.e., fetishism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sadism, and masochism). Lacanian theory is carefully explained in accessible language, and perversion is elucidated in terms of its etiology, characteristics, symptoms, and fundamental fantasy. Referring to sex offenders as a sample, she offers clinicians a guide to making differential diagnoses between psychotic, neurotic, and perverse patients, and provides a treatment model for working with perversion versus neurosis. Two detailed qualitative clinical case studies are presented―one of a neurotic sex offender and the other of a perverse sex offender―highlighting crucial differences in the transference relation and subsequent treatment recommendations for both forensic and private practice contexts. Perversion offers a fresh psychoanalytic approach to the subject and will be of great interest to scholars and clinicians in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychology, forensic science, cultural studies, and philosophy.

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Philosophy

280 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2012

Reviews

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book for literary critics or philosophers. Swales's analysis is, at moments, useful for the liberal arts. But to read this book for such a task requires selective reading. Swales, trained by Bruce Fink, is a gifted reader of Lacan and at moments reveals a will-to-hermeneutics but in a way that ultimately calls into question the methodology of this particular text. While this text might have far greater utility for a clinician, I can only read from my subject position.

Swales is interested in differentiating between the diagnostic categories of perversion, neruosis, and psychosis. As indicated, the titular perversion is the primary concern. Swales offers case studies and clinical evidence to support her arguments about the form of perversion and the treatment possibilities for, as she terms them, "perverse analysands." The early chapters offer familiar, if always-welcome, explications of Lacan in the tradition of Fink. Swales's focus on the process of disavowal in relation to perversion is a helpful marker of how doubt and subjective reality relates to the constitution of the subject. Swales is economical in her readings of Lacan, choosing to key in on the aspects of object a, fantasy, jouissance, and desire that are crucial to her argument. Swales's explication of fantasy in the fourth chapter is particularly strong.

However, there are failings beyond criticisms leveled from the point of view of a more philosophical Lacanian perspective. First, Swales's infrequent pepperings of pop-culture are methodologically questionable in the context of a clinical text. When Swales introduces her reading of No Country for Old Men, she finds herself in the position of having to justify the inclusion of such a reading to her audience of clinicians rather than simply assuming her readers would have a background of cultural criticism. For all the to-do about its inclusion in Swales's own text, it does not serve as any more efficient or effective of an example than her case studies. She also slips a brief analysis of Nolan's The Dark Knight with a concluding sentence about sadists fascinations with B-movies and horror films that goes nowhere. While these moments in Swales text are some of the most interesting, they are promises that go woefully unfulfilled. Instead, case study after case study spills onto the page and recur throughout the text. Swales herself seems to have an issue with a kind of symptomatic repetition, as she uses the same quotes from Lacan and retells anecdotes and recounts therapeutic experiences with little rhyme or reason. Why am I reading about Little Hans for the third time in the text? Why do we keep talking about Fink's analysand, W, and Swales's analysand, Chris? Perversion itself exhibits some of the excessive jouissance that evinces a perverse analysand.

For all my critique of the repetition, perhaps I could praise the book for being structured in such a way that each chapter could be read on its own without having to constantly refer to fundamental accounts of Hans, W, Chris, and Lacan. Still, when thinking about jouissance, this structure makes the experience of reading the text cover to cover far less enjoyable. Swales does provide extremely strong analysis of the masochistic and sadistic structures, too. There is little to criticize in these accounts and they are explications of immense value. Swales's recurring use of the Lacan quote, "the sadist himself occupies the place of the object, but without knowing it, to the benefit of another for whose jouissance he exercises his action as sadistic pervert," is self-evidently wonderful.

Swales seems, at first, to be interested in clearing the relationship between the mOther, Name-of-the-Father, and child of gendered detritus. Her initial explanation of the schema explicitly states that there is no need for any particularly gendered person to occupy any of these psychic positions. However, Swales lets other concepts go uninterrogated in her text. The confluence of clinical and colloquial language (this becomes particularly at issue in her colloquial use of 'consent') weakens the utility of her argument in certain moments. Swales seems to take consent to be self-evident from the perspective of the perverse analysand who transgresses the consent of their (Swales's term) "victim." But what is the nature of consent at the level of the unconscious? There is a theater of masochism that Swales gives an account of that remains unconnected from her basic notion of consent.

Ultimately, I found this to be an engaging and useful text at its best. Still, that "best" also includes moments where I was engaged precisely by the work Swales leaves undone that could have strengthened her argument. While I am unsure what the reaction of practicing clinicians might be to this text, I can say for cultural critics it is a text that demands to be read counter-intuitively for the greatest utility.

[Jorge Rodighiero · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok as an introduction but very repetitive and leave crucial things unexplained. Use it as part of your references to study the subject but not the main one.

[Allanah Freddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so fascinating, comprehensive and delicious, loved this book.

[Tasnia Disha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stopped just over half way through.