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Libido
Libido
is the term that the noted founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud,
used to label the sexual drive or sexual instinct. He noted that the
sexual drive is characterized by a gradual buildup to a peak of
intensity, followed by a sudden decrease of excitement. As he studied
this process in his patients, Freud concluded that various activities
like eating and drinking, as well as urination and defecation share this
common pattern. Consequently, he regarded these behaviors as sexual or
libidinous as well. Freud also became interested in the development of
the libido, which he saw as the basic and most powerful human drive. He
believed that the development of the libido involved several distinct
and identifiable stages. During infancy, he noted, sexual drive is
focused on the mouth, primarily manifested in sucking. He labeled this
the oral stage of libidinous development. During the second and third
years of a child's life, as the child is undergoing toilet training,
focus and erotically tinged pleasure shifts to rectal functions. Freud
labeled this the anal stage. Later, during puberty, focus shifts again
to the sex organs, a period of development he labeled the phallic stage
in the maturation of the libido. During the later stage of development,
libidinal drives focus at first on the parent of the opposite sex and
add an erotic coloring to the child's experience of his/her parents.
Parental disapproval of uncontrolled libidinal drive, Freud believed,
leads to the development of a human psyche that is composed of three
components; the id, the ego and the superego. He concluded that the id,
or basic set of instincts and drives (including the libido but also
other drives like aggression), provides the psychic energy needed to
initiate activities. The ego, an executive function, directs the
day-to-day fulfillment of libidinous and other desires in socially
acceptable and achievable ways. The superego labels the learned and
internalized social standards of behavior, including an awareness of
banned or punishable behaviors. During wakeful periods, strong
boundaries separate these three arenas, but during sleep and fantasy the
boundaries weaken, giving rise to open expression of otherwise
controlled libidinous desires. Conscious awareness of these unrestrained
desires and fantasies can cause the person to feel sexual guilt or
shame. Freud believed that an individual's personality is established
early on in life and is determined by the ways in which basic drives and
impulses such as libido are satisfied. Failure to satisfy libidinal and
other drives leads to their repression with resulting consequences for
the development of an individual's personality and psychological health.
Subsequent generations of
psychoanalysts questioned Freud's work on the libido. Several stressed
the point that Freud had overemphasized biological development and
underemphasized the impact of cultural and social factors on sexual
attitudes and practices. Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and
psychoanalyst, broke with Freud's view of the libido by rejecting the
idea that sexual experiences during infancy are the principal
determinants of adult emotional problems. Jung developed an alternative
theory of the libido that viewed the will to live rather than sexual
desire as the strongest drive. Jung emphasized the distinction between
introverted and extroverted personality types. Extroversion typifies
individuals whose attention is strongly directed (but not exclusively)
outward from themselves to other people and to the world around them.
Extroverts tend to feel comfortable in social situations and tend to be
gregarious. Introversion labels the opposite characteristics, including
directing attention inward toward internal processes and thoughts.
Introverts tend to be self-reliant, introspective, thoughtful and
comparatively uncomfortable in large social groups. Jung used the term
libido to label the mental energy responsible for creating and
sustaining introversion/extroversion. He did not believe individuals
were strictly introverted or extroverted, but tended to mix these
qualities in varying amounts.
Many contemporary
psychologists view libido as a basic human potential that, while rooted
in human biology (e.g., hormones), is shaped largely by culture and
experience. In other words, the basic human drive to reproduce and the
biologically based potential to derive pleasure from behaviors
associated with physical contact (e.g., nerve endings in the skin and
mucous membranes) are given shape and form by one's experiences growing
up in a particular family within a particular society. How sexual
motivations are structured, and through which acts sexual drives are
fulfilled, as well as whether certain behaviors are labeled and avoided
as inappropriate, are determined primarily by these social influences.
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Sex
