We will see what sublimation is, For Freud, sublimation would be a way to transform a drive into something socially accepted. For example, when we work, we are transforming our libido or our sexual or life drive into something "productive".

It would be as if we converted one energy (interesting to the person) into another (interesting to society). But there are other ways to know the meaning of Sublimation So, read on with our post!

Conceptualizing Sublimation

Sublimation is the mechanism that transforms some unconscious desire or energy into certain impulses that are well regarded by society. In other words, they generate attitudes that are accepted and useful by society. They are means that our unconscious uses to soften:

• pain;
• anguish;
• frustration;
• mental conflicts.

In addition to what we have talked about, these are ways of dealing with what leads to distress. That is, thoughts or feelings provoked by unwanted impulses and transformed into something less harmful. In short, what can be constructive pieces of work.

We can understand Sublimation as either:

• one of ego defense mechanisms From this perspective, sublimation transforms unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable and productive behavior.
• an normal", non-pathological and universal form (all human beings) that we use to transform our psychic energy and to dose and direct most of our impulses and aggressiveness in favor of art, work, sports, etc.

We will look at these two aspects of sublimation next in this article.

The etymology or origin of the word comes from the Latin word "sublimare", meaning "to elevate" or "to refine". In studies of the mind, Freud is credited with introducing the concept of sublimation to psychoanalysis at the beginning of the 20th century.

Some authors may use as synonyms: channeling, transformation, elevation, transmutation, redirection, transposition, metamorphosis, and transubstantiation.

An opposite to the idea of sublimation would be the indulgence Sublimation channels impulses in a constructive way in the eyes of society, while indulgence gives in to uncontrolled desires.

It is important to remember that the following spellings are incorrect there are no words : sublimassão, sublimasão, sublimacão (without cedilla) and sublemação.

How does Sublimation work and what are the stages?

Sublimation can be understood as a direction of the pulsional energy that is without representation (that is, without being linked to another evident use) to be directed to a psychic investment considered productive for life in society, such as work, arts and sports .

Basically, the stages of sublimation are:

• There is a psychic energy of nature pulsional and unconscious .
• This energy is sheer desire for immediate fulfillment It cannot be put into words, it does not distinguish between right and wrong, and it does not take "no" for an answer.
• However, if this energy is manifested in the form of pure desire, it will probably revert to unbridled aggression After all, it would not be possible to live in a social context in which everyone fulfilled his or her desires all the time. For example, it would be enough to have a simple disagreement with a person and this could result in murder, or to sexually desire a person and this could result in rape.
• Because of the impossibility of pure fulfillment of all desires, there arises the civilization Even in Freud's Civilization and its Discontents if society as a pact in which individualities need to give up parts of most of their desires and impulses, this would be a source of the "necessary" uneasiness.
• By giving it up, the energy does not cease to exist (represented, for example, in the physical and mental disposition we have) and is sublimated (directed) toward something socially "useful", accepted and productive, such as work and the arts.

Normal and pathological in psychic and social life

Sublimation is usually understood as a defense mechanism that allocates pulsional energy to tasks such as art and work. Sublimation for Freud is not necessarily pathological (but it can also the being), is the basis of civilization: instead of acting aggressively, one uses this energy for an idea of collectivity.

It is the excess of sublimation that can be pathological, for example a overly rigid superego that only tells the person to work (as a form of "escape" or defense not to deal with himself), without granting anything for his pleasure or for his "id".

So, in Freud, the boundary between normal and pathological is blurred.

From an individual point of view sublimation can have:

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• both the normality aspect : sublimation is constitutive of the psyche, it relates especially to the ego (the way the subject identifies himself in his profession or family life, for example, "I am a mother and a physical therapist") and the superego (the ideals and obligations that the person has to live in society and "make a living");
• the pathological aspect : if we think that sublimation can also be understood as a defense mechanism as in the case of a person who feels bad about being workaholic (working in a compulsive way).

From a social point of view sublimation can also have:

• both the aspect of normality: sublimation is one of the founding elements of collective life, because work and art serve (at least in part) a division of labor that is also beneficial to the individual;
• the pathological aspect : if we think that the subject can give up too much of his id, his aggressiveness and what gives him pleasure, generating in him what Freud calls " (individual) malaise in (life in) civilization ".

Can Sublimation become something pathological?

Yes, when the hyperrigid superego does not allow any instinctive or pulsional form of pleasure (or satisfaction). For example: gratifying work, in the right doses, allows satisfaction, but its excess (workaholic) becomes an obsession and can generate psychic disorders, such as burnout syndrome.

Individually (that is, without thinking about the positive social aspect of sublimation), sublimation can be an ego defense mechanism So, the ego defends itself to continue being what it is, avoiding the "pain" of experiencing other views of itself.

When the superego (which is the social and moral dimension of the ego) forces a situation so as not to admit any pleasure, sublimation extrapolates its role and ends up becoming pathological, because it does not allow the libido to be at least partly pleasurable to the subject.

A Sublimation It redirects potential destructive acts into something socially creative. It is a creativity that becomes effective, and has the function of promoting the forgetting of painful memories. It is directed toward our fulfillment and also toward the normality of the person, in the sense of diverting from sexual goals to new ones.

As such, it serves for the construction of character, in the building of human virtues, it is the defense that seeks satisfaction But when used in large quantities, it becomes something pathological, and the sexual or aggressive desire has to be transformed into something productive.

In other words, shifted focus to something artistic, cultural or intellectual. It also transforms the emotions that are causing conflict into something good and creative. Without hurting anyone, it channels the desire into something accepted and satisfying.

The Unconscious and the Ego

The religious discharges the impulse with the cultural or intellectual substitution in a desirable way, without leaving the person suffering. By diverting the unconscious, the ego satisfies the id and the superego pressure, and the unconscious accepts reality and eliminates the tension.

But sublimated energy is for people very useful. It transforms the pleasure principle into benefit, liberation and construction For this reason, you can leave them free of uncomfortable thoughts.

The unconscious, the ego with coded aspiration, manifests itself through something that reduces the previous desire. The libido, which is the basis of life and which makes life reproduce through sexual means, is a fundamental and vital force. If it were not so, it would return to animal life and there would be no belief in the afterlife and no religion.

Controlling Pleasure

Play is the channeled energy that is sublimation. It gives the deviation to work, painting, because they are deviated acts. It is a force that dominates the pleasure principle In addition, it gives way to civility, to segments of society listed in the topics below:

• work;
• culture and art;
• social/political action;
• leisure and fun.

Some movies, music, and books bring this experience of characters who have sublimated. Let's highlight a few:

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• Film "Frida" (2002) : artist Frida Kahlo uses sublimation to transform her pain into art.
• Music "A Novidade" (Gilberto Gil and Herbert Vianna) : the transformation of the sexual impulse into art and food.
• Book "The Wolf of the Steppe" (Herman Hesse, 1927) sublimation is seen as a way to deal with internal conflicts.
• Film "Dead Poets Society" (1989) : sublimation is shown through the characters' love for poetry and theater.
• Film "Whiplash" (2014) : illustrates the sublimation of ambition and obsession for perfection in music.
• Book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (Oscar Wilde, 1890) : explores the search for sublimation through art and aesthetics.
• Music "Lose Yourself" (Eminem, 2002) : portrays the sublimation of anger and suffering into music and success.

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The pursuit of satisfaction

Sublimation leans towards the common good of society, through sexual activity, reduced pleasure with the goal of reproduction. It makes men feel useful as reproducers and women are free from psychosocial hysteria .

Living means to work on formal competition, to control and transform it into something good and useful. In other words, it is an element present in the life of any human being, in the search for satisfaction intertwined with the recalcitrant, the social norm.

By creating cultural forces, you will have a decrease in the sickness of neurotic patients. Therefore, you will have a better presence of pulsional satisfaction.

Final considerations on sublimation

Thus, we must transform our repressed desires into useful energy, without harming anyone. With sublimation We can use our demands to be successful in business, beyond the possibility of becoming an artist. We have to transform our aggressive energies into life-saving acts, that is, into acts and attitudes worthy of recognition.

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