by Sabrina Ginesi

Created on: December 30, 2009   Last Updated: March 19, 2010

The psychical conflict typical in obsessional neurosis is expressed in various forms of symptoms. I will attempt to discuss the symptoms produced referring to Freud’s case history, the Rat Man. I will also mention Lacan’s structure of the obsessional briefly.

Ernst Lanzer alias the ‘Rat Man’ was an educated man who presented to Freud in October 1907, with a whole serious of obsessional symptoms. These obsessions dated back to his childhood but four years prior were increasing in intensity and inhibiting his present life, and just two months previous he was unable to work due to an acute neurotic attack. His sexual life was irregular, he described it as stunted; masturbation only played a small part in it, in his sixteenth or seventeenth year. His potency was normal; he had first had intercourse at the age of twenty-six (Freud, 1909, p159). Appearing clear headed and shrewd, Freud questioned the urgency in telling him about his sexual life, to which the Rat Man explained he knew about his theories from a book he flicked through and came across an explanation of his own ‘efforts of thought’, he then decided to put himself in Freud’s hands .

The psychical conflict evident in the Rat Man case produced many symptoms, his great obsession was an irrational fear his beloved father, and a lady he held in great admiration would be inflicted with anal rat torture. However, at the time of analysis the Rat Mans father was already dead, so the fear predates his death. Another was a fear that he may fall victim to a compulsive impulse to cut his own throat with a razor. More absurd prohibitions were invading his mind to an extent which completely paralysed his thoughts and actions. Freud agreed to treat him and asserted the need for the Rat Man to follow the fundamental rule of free association namely, to say everything that came into his head, even if it was unpleasant to him, or seems unimportant or irrelevant or senseless (Ibid, p159).

He began analysis speaking about a friend who he had an extraordinarily high opinion of, who he would visit and receive moral support when he was tormented by a criminal impulse. This friend assured him of his irreproachable conduct stating he probably had a dark view of himself since childhood. He spoke of another friend he knew at fourteen who had taking a liking to him; a fellow student four years his senior raised his self esteem to such a degree he seen himself as a genius, however, this friend

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next Page >>