Friday 4 July 2008

Fugitives from guilt

glove-hand

Glove paralysis, a psychosomatic immobility of the hand, was 'about as common in Freud's time as bulimia in ours' (McWilliams 1999:69).

Hysterical in origin, due to the fact that is almost impossible to have a paralysis of the hand without the arm being implicated, it was believed by Freud to be linked to the suppression of female sexual desire and self-gratification.

The patient stops herself from masturbating due to social/religious strictures, but instead of allowing this notion to surface into consciousness where it would be seen as shameful, she develops a hysterical paralysis of the sinful hand, thus resolving the conflict as well as giving her "a certain amount of TLC that might partially meet the emotional needs that sexual gratification would more satisfactorily address" (ibid p70).

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Talk to the hand.

Anonymous said...

Is there anything that isn't about sex?

Steve said...

Rape.

Anonymous said...

excellent point, mr p.

does your statcounter reflect fully the amount of times i pop in during a given day?

i like this comic but sadly it seems this attitude about sex was always bandied about around here. my children will be so glad i'm their mother one day

baggelboy said...

Ahh the sinful hand.
the sinful hand.

If no one sees me wank in the woods do I make a sound?

only the sinful hand can tell.

Debra Kay said...

Blame the Hand!
Women have evolved-I get hysterical now when my vibrator batteries run out.

Steve said...

If prizes were given on Prozacville for Wittiest Comment of The Week, this week's prize would go to you DK.

Steve said...

It's all swings and roundabouts Ms Frute with your popping in and out.

Statcounter tells me I have over 100 unique visitors visiting everyday. The truth of the matter is, it's probably just us P-ville diehards (five? six?) returning twenty times.

Quality AND quantity merging in this respect.