A short study of the development of the libido, viewed in the light of mental disorders (1924)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Sigmund Freud approached psychoanalysis from the dynamic perspective and based his theories on structural models. This perfectly complemented Karl Abraham who worked on the relationship of the subject with its environment, object-love, regression, and the genetic dimension. This chapter considers the subject of the development of the libido. Fixation serves as both a guide and an obstacle to development: The fixation points that have been formed in the course of the development of the libido will determine to what level of organization the libido of the individual will advance, and to what level it will retreat in the event of a neurotic illness. With respect to treating melancholia, Abraham proposes the elimination of regressive libidinal impulses and the promotion of a progression of the libido until it reaches the genital stage and object-love, "the touchstone of real mental health". The individual's relationship with the outside world is also determined by early fixations.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: