"People fall into such or such madness, complain
about this or that, because their bodies are stiff, because they are
unable to give love or to enjoy it."
Wilhelm Reich, in Listen, little man!
Sexual repression is one of the main pillars of exploitation. Neuroses and fascistic tendencies are consequences of this same sexual repression.
That's what the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich has showed.
According to him, the body produces a sexual energy
which circulates along the longitudinal axis of the body, from the
brain towards the sex. The function of the orgasm is to
dissipate this energy. However within the individuals victims of
sexual repression, obstacles are formed
at various levels along
this axis, and prevent the effective circulation of this energy.
These individuals, unable to completely dissipate their
energy in a fully carried out orgasm, are known as "orgastic impotent".
These obstacles are called
"character armors", they appear both on the body level, as muscular rigidities,
and on the psychic
level, as neurotic character features.
Not being able to be completely dissipated by the means of a
fully satisfactory sexual activity, sexual energy is then dissipated
via derivatives, in particular mysticism ("the mystical ecstasy") or sexual perversions (propensity to take pleasure in
dirty jokes is a
symptom of orgastic impotence) or sadistic perversions. The disturbance of
the circulation of this energy can also lead to cancer.
Seen in another way, one can consider the center of the individual as being the seat of his vital (sexual) energy, allowing him to feel all the emotions associated with psychic features such as generosity, love, exchange with other individuals. This center is enclosed by layers of character armors which were gradually formed during the development of the individual, as his emotions and his sexual instincts have been repressed, by traumas or a continuous repression. These neurotic layers are the seat of feelings of frustration, violence, fear and rejection of the others, of irrational beliefs. Finally, over this one finds a varnish of sociability which makes it possible for the individual to live in society. However when this varnish cracks, in crisis situations, the subjacent impulses are expressed. Thus, for example, in times of war generalized murders, rapes and plunders are being witnessed.
"The suppression of the sexual activity of children and teenagers is the basic mechanism which produces the characterial structures adapted to political, ideological, economic control [... ] The repression of natural sexuality in the child, particularly of the genitality, makes the child apprehensive, timid, obeying, apprehensive in front of the authority, 'nice', 'quiet'; it paralyses its rebellious tendencies, because the rebellion is associated with anguish; by inhibiting the sexual curiosity of the child, it causes a general confusion of its critical sense and of its mental faculties." Wilhelm Reich.
Sexual repression, the essential cause of neuroses, produces armored individuals, generally poorly suited for autonomy and thus supports the submission, the handling and the exploitation of these individuals. Etienne de La Boétie had already noticed this propensity so what he called "voluntary servitude", without being able to explain its origin. It is this characteristic which allows capitalism, a system based on the exploitation of man by man, to thrive.
Sexual repression also involves the development of non respectful sexual behaviors, of fascistic behaviors (the need to yield to a chief), irrational behaviors as well as mystical tendencies.
Thus, capitalism and Fascism having the same root, can not be separated.
It is essentially within the middle-class patriarchal family unit that the process of sexual repression and the learning to obedience to the authority are reproduced.
We invite you to read works of Wilhelm Reich. In accordance to his will to inform the largest audience, the drafting in is easily comprehensible and does not require prior knowledge in psychoanalysis. Discovering this work will change your vision of the world!