“I agree with Freud that the homosexual or homopsychic component of man and woman finds one of its outlets, as sublimation, in the form of companionship and social drinking. But thus far I remain unconvinced that homosexuality or its psychic substitute plays also a similar rôle in the pathogenesis of the delusion of jealousy. Therefore I still adhere to the view expressed by my colleague, Hans Oppenheim, in his contribution, “Zur Frage der Genese des Eifersuchtswahns” (published in: Zentralblatt f. Psychoanalyse, 1911). As formerly I still regard the sadistic-masochistic instinctive cravings as the strongest root of the delusion of jealousy. I found particularly instructive a certain case in which sadism broke forth in a jealous drinker more quickly than I had ever seen that happen before. This man’s sadism manifested itself concurrently in an incredible cruelty to dogs which could be only explained by his sadism. The oft-recorded fact that the jealous drinker is not satisfied and does not release his victim even after the latter, in an attempt to quiet him, submits to some disgusting act, the continual repetition by him of tortures and cruelties, may be explained only as due to a deeply rooted sadistic impulse everlastingly craving gratification. The delusion of jealousy is rooted in sadism, the overstressed images accompanying the morbid feeling of jealousy are generated by the sadistic tendency. Sadism is the fertile soil giving rise to the delusions of persecution of the jealous alcoholics, and intimately linked with sadism stands masochism, upon which the feeling of jealousy feeds and grows.”
“Besides the sadistic-masochistic components the pathogenesis of the delusion of jealousy displays also the transposition of a certain feeling of guilt. In my cases at least it was easy to prove that the jealous drinker who forces his wife to commit some punishable offence, is himself inclined to carry out the incriminating acts and controls himself only with difficulty. I found a similar situation in the case of women, victims of delusions of jealousy. The more or less conscious projection of their feeling of guilt upon the partner brings on mental release and a certain sense of freedom, and at the same time furnishes new fuel for the sadistic impulse. Finally for the explanation of the delusion of jealousy we must take into consideration also another factor which may be explained on the basis of atavism. We shall see later that certain atavistic reminiscences play a great rôle in the psychology of alcoholism. The will to power, the yearning to dominate and subdue woman still lies dormant in man’s soul,—a remnant from old. The soul of the alcoholic is particularly prolific in atavistic remnants which show themselves upon close analysis and, besides, the chronic intoxication rouses the dormant atavistic trends which lie dormant at the bottom of the soul and brings them to surface. The aboriginal tyrannical self awakens in the drinker and flays a controlling whip over the cowering woman; in the case of female victims of the delusion of jealousy the reverse happens and the primordial matriarchal instinct becomes manifest. We learn progressively to see and appreciate how atavistic remnants break to the surface in the psyche of the insane.”
That conception of jealousy as the “projection upon the surroundings of a subjective feeling of inadequacy” was at one time my starting point in my characterological investigations of jealousy. But I soon learned that the problem is much more complicated. When I found that the neurotics represent regressive stages of development, I conceived jealousy to be a primitive feeling of hatred, characteristic of man in his primordial state. Paranoia discloses the primary tendencies which are glossed over by our cultural development. One’s true character betrays itself in one’s emotions. Jealousy shows us the true inner man in all his passionate cravings and his hidden desires.
The next case illustrates all the characteristic features: the delusion of persecution, the morbid jealousy and the brutal sadism. There is no insight into the condition. The feeling of jealousy is adjudged as justified. Ridiculous incidents are held forth as grounds for suspicion in order to remove from self the sense of guilt. All the alleged “persecutions,” which are looked upon as dangerous, lack any objective grounds. Often sadism breaks through, though under the guise of emotional paralogisms.
77. Mr. A. W., a manufacturer, 29 years of age, consults me for anxiety, a condition which has already plunged him into very unpleasant situations. His anxiety broke out in Tyrol the first time. He wanted to meet a certain party and asked his landlord for directions. The latter conducted him personally over the road, which was a very rough and badly neglected one. Suddenly the man saw in front of him some suspicious-looking persons. But he controlled himself, although he surmised they were tramps if not a gang of highwaymen. Next he saw a number of men on the hill hurrying in his direction. At that he broke into a run, and kept running as fast as he could. A shot rang out in the distance, intended for him.... He reached the valley, out of breath, and reported the occurrence to the officer. The latter shook his head and did not even care to question the landlord, who explained that he had merely conducted the gentleman through a short cut in the road which is also used by hunters. That short cut leads to the next broad highway. But A. insisted that all was not well and that an attempt had been made to hold him up. The officer said that in his 30-year experience such a thing had never happened in that locality. But A. remained unconvinced and to this day he believes that he had narrowly escaped a hold-up. That might be thought possibly true if the occurrence stood alone. But he had very many such experiences. During a journey through Sweden he saw the hotel proprietor talk in subdued tones in Swedish with a number of guests who thereupon stared at him queerly. There was no key to his room and the room could not be locked. He could not sleep and kept peering through the window. Then he saw a number of queer fellows foregathering in the hall. He could not stay longer in that house. The owner told him that as he had engaged the room he would have to keep it. They could not come to an understanding. He saw an officer passing by and called upon the representative of law to help him extricate himself. The officer knew a few German words, he stepped in, and they went to the police station together, and there a record was made of his remarkable adventures. He left his lodgings a third time on similar grounds. On his excursions he always carries a revolver and that gives him a certain sense of security.
It is easy to diagnose this as a case of paranoia. The absence of insight after the emotional episodes shows the psychotic character of the trouble. A victim of anxiety neurosis may have similar experiences. But afterwards, perhaps only a few hours after the occurrence, he says to himself: “It was nonsense,” and is ashamed to speak of it later. But this man dwells on his adventures trying to convince me of the dangers he has gone through.
The notion of being watched and pursued is a product of his homosexual leaning which he is unable to control. We inquire into his personal habits and past life and find that his mother died when he was very young and his father assumed also the place of a mother to him. With his father he maintained a sort of “spiritual marriage” relationship up to a few months ago. They always went out together, never one without the other, and they slept in one room. The latter habit was but seldom broken by the presence of friends.
A remarkable episode is brought to memory such as is always found among the homosexuals. He once fell in love with a girl, an employee’s sweetheart. That passion soon blew over. Another love affair, however, almost turned him away from his customary leaning. There was another girl employed in the office, a slim, diminutive figure, rather plain-looking, and underdeveloped (a type resembling the male). That girl was engaged and her young man was in the habit of calling to take her home. Everybody in the store knew that the young man was waiting outside at the closing hour (he claims she was cordial also with some other men in the store). He fell in love with the girl and soon showed that uncontrollable passion which is characteristic of homosexuals when they attempt to save themselves from man,—when they try to fly from homosexuality. He soon succeeded in winning her favor against his rival, who was but a poor employee. The poor girl was supremely happy and proud that the wealthy manufacturer’s son had his eye on her. He promptly showed the girl that his intentions were honorable. He withdrew entirely from his father who was bitterly opposed to the affair. He lived with his thoughts exclusively on and for the girl. She had to leave the office. The father requested it and, besides, the other employees gossiped and spread rumors which were unpleasant to him. He received anonymous communications pointing out to him that the girl was flighty. Another employee told him that he had kissed the girl and she was not at all a prude. These persons naturally did not know that their tales only increased his passion for the girl. For it was precisely the thought that she had been kissed by another man that made her so irresistible in his sight. It made him angry and raging mad but his excitation reacted upon his homosexual component. The more he was roused against the girl the more closely he was enmeshed with her. He met her three times daily. He called for her in the morning, at noon they took a walk together, and the evenings, often the nights, belonged to the girl who proved with a physician’s certificate that she was still virgo intacta. His relations with her were of such a nature that her virginity was not endangered. This attitude, this fearsome withholding from the task of defloration under the excuse of ethical considerations, is typical of the neurotic’s feeling of uncertainty and lack of confidence in himself, fear of binding himself, and fear of consequences, and shows an insufficient libido. The passion was something rather spiritual, a transference, something unreal. For they passed some nights together and he was satisfied merely to be in the same room (they never slept in one bed). Her presence had chiefly a quieting effect on him. Through her he felt himself protected against his homosexual thoughts. He also needed a love affair to show the whole world that he was not homosexual and that he was capable of loving a woman.
But during the very first days of this love affair his jealousy began to assert itself, a peculiarity characteristic of these subjects, permitting them to concentrate their mind perpetually on the subject of men. First he began to investigate her past. She had to confess everything to him. Then there followed endless torture over endless days. In the morning he began to look questioningly at her. If she showed blue dark streaks under her eyes, or looked pale, he felt sure that she had been untrue to him that night. Although he conducted her home late at night and called for her early next morning he still thought that she slipped out of the house to meet some strange lover somewhere. Often he stood on watch all night in the front of her home. He saw curious shadows moving across her window blind and was sure that it must be a man. He endured hellish torments over it. He engaged a detective to watch the girl and caught her in an innocent lie. His persistent questionings had cowed her and sometimes she had to lie in order to pacify him. An innocent fib of that character was the starting point of a quarrel which kept up for many weeks. She saw him patrol up and down in front of her house. He looked badly run down as he did not sleep nights and he neglected his affairs at the factory. She made him promise that he would go home nights. He promised and immediately afterwards felt uneasy over it. For he was certain that she made him give that promise so as to be able to deceive him more easily.
Then terrible thoughts of revenge flashed through his mind. He wanted to shoot the unknown lover and strangle the girl. Perhaps he sought a proof of unfaithfulness so as to get rid of the girl and justify his own disloyalty towards her.