Hysteria

by Christopher Bollas

Hysteria has disappeared from contemporary culture only insofar as it has been subjected to a repression through the popular diagnosis of 'borderline personality disorder'.
In Hysteria the distinguished psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas offers an original and illuminating theory of hysteria that weaves its well-known features - repressed sexual ideas; indifference to conversion; over-identification with the other - into the hysteric form.
Through a rereading of Freud, Bollas argues that sexuality in itself is traumatic to all children, as it 'destroys' the relation to the mother, transfiguring her from 'mamma', the infant's caregiver, to 'mother', the child's and father's sex object. For the hysteric this recognition is endlessly traumatic and the hysterical personality forms itself into an organised opposition to this knowledge.
True to his earlier writings, Bollas' vision is thought provoking and mind expanding. Hysteria brings new perspectives to long-standing ideas, making enlightening reading for students and professionals involved in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy alike, as well as the lay reader who takes an interest in the formation of personality in western culture.

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Christopher Bollas, Ph.D. is a Member of the International Psychoanalytical Association and has been practicing for over fifty years. Former Director of Education at the Austen Riggs Center he was Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis at the Institute of Child Neuropsychiatry of the University of Rome. He is a prolific author and international lecturer.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a casual reader having moderate familiarity with the jargon of this field, and I was mostly able to read and understand this book. One helpful feature is that Bollas revisits topics and ideas a couple of times, relating them in differing ways to clinical cases and other material. It is organized very well and I didn't feel that the book was just repeating itself.

The primary topic of this book is hysteria. Hysterics are presented as masters of identifying the object of the other's desire, and then fulfilling it. They are also adept at drawing others in to their character plays, causing others to unconsciously choose to become, in the real life, the version of oneself that mirrors the hysteric's internal object.

There are some comparisons to perverts, borderline, and schizoid character types, and mostly these comparisons are referred to as useful and reliable when considering differential diagnosis. There is some talk about group therapy and the unconscious manifestations on the group and their reactions to hysterics, perverts, and others. However, the vast majority of the subject matter and writing is sexual. There is erotic language. Perhaps there are some pages that are not well-suited to reading while on the bus.

This book is about sexuality of the infant and adolescent, and how drastic sexual repression leads to conversion of erotic desire in to other forms of desire, expressed by the hysteric as theater. I found that it was easy to follow the material from sexuality and repression to the adult's solution of seeking "excitement" (veiled desire and release) through storytelling, fantasy, theater, and events. These are also linked to the "death drive" of the anorectic, and the "good patient" that presents compelling illnesses to their healthcare providers in order to fulfill the desires of the doctor, psychiatrist, or counselor. If you shy away from sexuality, then it may be uncomfortable to read so much about sexuality.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I objected to Bollas's apparent suggestion that clients' recollections of childhood sexual abuse are largely fantasies and his frequent references to media hype around paedophiles. In the 100 pages of the book that I read, this was nowhere balanced by recognition that child sexual abuse is a reality and much more common than the psychoanalytic community was willing to acknowledge for a very long time. Otherwise I found it a useful analysis of the mechanisms of hysteria, albeit in often painfully obscure language.

[Alessandra Bucca · Rating 4 out of 5]

saggio scritto da uno dei più importanti teorici della psicoanalisi contemporanea, cristhopher Bollas.
Viene trattato il tema dell'isterico, disturbo di personalità che, dopo l'ampia diffusione nel corso dell'ottocento e novecento con freud, viene messo in secondo piano con l'introduzione di una nuova diagnosi, quella di Borderline.
I punti fondamentali del libro, che traccia le caratteristiche salienti del paziente isterico, sono:
- la repulsione della madre per i genitali del figlio, con lo spostamento del potenziale erotico su altri superficie corporee dello stesso. Per compensare il mancato eros verso il figlio, la madre cerca di elogiarlo attraverso la parola o concentrandosi sulle prestazioni del bambino piuttosto che sul corpo
- il bambino tenta di conquistare l'amore materno cercando di rappresentare l'ideale di figlio che la madre verbalizza; dunque dato che la sessualità viene repressa e trattata con disgusto dalla madre, anche il bambino rifiuterà questo aspetto della vita.
- dato che la sessualità è considerata in maniera negativa, l'isterico si rivolgerà verso l'autoerotismo. Anche quando avrà un rapporto sessuale con 'altra persona, tenderà a viverlo come un autoerotismo di coppia, dissociandosi nel corso dell'atto o perdendosi nelle sue fantasticherie, che lo alieneranno dal partner.
- l'isterisco ha grande capacità di empatizzare e di capire qual è il desiderio dell'altro, riuscendo ad impersonarlo. L'isterico ha grande capacità di impersonare le caratteristiche che l'altro desidera.
- isterico è fermo in uno stadio della vita pre-edipico, quindi piuttosto che verbalizzare i propri stati interni, preferisce mostrarli con l'azione e in acting out.
- il controtransfert dello psicoanalista è di interesse, fascino, mentre verso il perverso lo psicoanalista prova meno connessione mentale ed empatia.

libro complesso per il linguaggio psicoanalitico e perchè viene data per scontato la conoscenza delle teorie alla base di questa psicoterapia. Superati i primi due capitoli, il libro risulta più scorrevole e chiaro. Molto istruttivo e completo nella trattazione del tema.
Consiglio a chi ha almeno una conoscenza base della psicoanalisi.

[Rodrigo Sanesc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book... Is a great book that drives you into the center of the hysteric drama. I really love this book, it changed the perspective I had of hysteria and placed it in a more common type of personality in contemporary age. Is important to point out that is not an easy one, and for you to enjoy it you would need to have previous knowledge of psychoanalytic terms.