THREE ESSAYS ON SEXUAL THEORY
Sigmund Freud (1905)
Summary:
I. SEXUAL ABERRATIONS
The existence of sexual needs in man and animals is expressed in biology through the concept of "sexual drive". This resemble s
the concept of hunger in the field of nutrition. Common language lacks a term equivalent to "hunger"; Science uses "libido" for
this. Popular opinion has specific ideas about the nature and properties of this sexual drive. It is believed to be absent in childhood,
emerges during puberty along with maturation processes, manifests itself in uncontrollable attractions between the sexes, and
has as its goal sexual union or actions that promote it. However, these notions are considered erroneous reflections of reali ty upon
close examination, riddled with errors, inaccuracies, and hasty conclusions.
Let us introduce two terms: we call the person who arouses sexual attraction a "sexual object", and a "sexual goal" the actio n
towards which the drive is directed. Scientific experience shows numerous deviations in both the sexual object and the sexual goal,
deviations that require a thorough investigation into their relationship to the supposed norms.
1. DEVIATIONS FROM THE SEXUAL OBJECT
The poetic fable that divides the human being into two halves, male and female, seeking to be reunited in love, coincides notably
with the popular theory of the sexual drive. However, it is surprising to discover that there are men whose sexual object is not
women, but other men, and women whose sexual object is not men, but other women. These people are called the opposite sex
or, more precisely, inverted; and the phenomenon itself, inversion. Although the number of these people is significant, it is difficult
to determine with certainty.
A. The Investment
Conduct of the inverted. Flipped people display a variety of distinct behaviors in relation to their sexual orientation:
a. Absolute inverts have individuals of the same sex exclusively as their sexual object. The opposite sex does not arouse any sexual
interest in them and, in fact, may cause them repugnance, which sometimes prevents them from performing the normal sexual
act or experiencing pleasure in doing so.
b. Amphigenous inverts, or psychosexual hermaphrodites, can have as their sexual object both individuals of the same sex and of
the opposite sex. In this case, the investment is not exclusive, and they may feel sexual attraction to both sexes.
c. Occasional inverts show a sexual orientation that varies under specific conditions, such as inaccessibility of the normal sexual
object or imitation. In such circumstances, they may direct their sexual interest toward people of the same sex and experien ce
satisfaction in the sexual act with them.
In addition to these variations in sexual object, inverts also differ in their perception and acceptance of their sexual orientation.
Some regard investing as a matter of course, vehemently defending their equal rights compared to normal individuals. Others, on
the other hand, perceive their reversal as a pathological compulsion against which they rebel.
The temporal differences are also remarkably varied. Some individuals experience the reversal from an early age and maintain it
throughout their lives, while in other cases it may arise after adverse experiences with the normal sexual object. In additio n,
periodic fluctuations have been observed between the normal and inverted sex object.
In short, these various variations coexist independently of each other. Although some authors prefer to highlight the differences
between these groups, the existence of numerous intermediate grades suggests the need to recognize and study these variations
in series.
Conception of investment. The first interpretation of the inversion considered it as an innate sign of nervous degeneration, initially
observed in nervous patients or individuals who gave that impression. Some studies suggest that inverts' autobiographies abou t
the timing of the onset of their tendency may be unreliable due to the repression of memories of heterosexual sensitivity.
1
Made by MatyBuda
,Degeneration. The notion of degeneration faces criticism for its indiscriminate use in the attribution of pathological manifestations
that do not have a traumatic or infectious origin. According to Magnan's classification, even people with generally adequate
nervous activity could be considered degenerate, which calls into question the relevance of the term in these cases. This raises the
question of how useful the concept of degeneration is and what updated content it can bring to clinical judgment in general.
On the other hand, inverted ones do not meet the criteria for degeneration in the strictest sense of the term. There are cases of
investment in individuals who do not present other serious deviations from the norm and who even show a remarkably high
intellectual and ethical development. Moreover, inversion is not unique to modern cultures, as it is frequently observed in ancient
societies and primitive peoples, thus challenging the traditional conception of degeneration as a pathological sign.
Innate character. It seems logical to affirm the innate nature of inversion only in the most extreme cases, the absolute inverts, who
claim never to have experienced another sexual orientation throughout their lives. However, the existence of the other two
categories, especially the "occasional" inverted ones, hinders this innate conception. This has led some to separate the group of
absolutes from the rest, thus renouncing a universal conception of investment. According to this perspective, in some cases the
investment could be innate, while in others it could arise from external circumstances.
Contrary to the idea of innateness, there is the conception that considers inversion as an acquired character of the sexual d rive.
This stance is based on several considerations: first, many inverted, even absolute, can trace an early sexual experience that
influenced their homosexual orientation. Second, external influences can be identified that favored or inhibited the fixation of the
investment at contrasting times in life (such as exclusive contact with the same sex or adverse circumstances in heterosexual
relationships). And third, the inversion can sometimes be eliminated by hypnotic suggestion, which would be unlikely if it were
innate.
In this context, the very existence of an innate inversion is questioned, suggesting that many cases could be rather frequent
variations of the sexual drive determined by external life circumstances. However, this certainty is challenged by the observ ation
that many people are exposed to the same sexual influences without becoming invested or remaining as such in a lasting way. This
leads to the conjecture that the innate-acquired dichotomy could be incomplete and not encompass all the situations that the
investment presents.
Explanation of the investment. The hypothesis that the investment is innate does not fully explain its nature, as does the hypothesis
that it is acquired. In the first case, it would be necessary to specify which aspect is exactly innate, otherwise one would fall into a
simplistic explanation: that a person carries with him from birth the connection of the sexual drive with a specific sexual object. In
the second case, the question arises whether the various accidental influences can fully explain how the investment is acquired
without the necessary predisposition that would exist in the individual. Based on our previous observations, we cannot rule o ut
the latter factor.
The resource of bisexuality. Since Lydston [1889], Kiernan [1888], and Chevalier [1893], a number of ideas have been used to
explain the possibility of sexual reversal, challenging popular opinion that holds that a human being is male or female. Science has
shown that there are cases in which sexual characteristics are ambiguous, especially at the anatomical level, where the genitals
can show both male and female characteristics, and even in some rare cases both structures can coexist in a fully developed way.
These anatomical anomalies suggest an originally bisexual disposition that is modified during development until it reaches
monosexuality with minimal remnants of the opposite sex. However, the relationship between anatomical hermaphroditism and
sexual inversion is not as direct as expected. Inverts often show a decrease in sexual drive in general and slight anatomical
atrophies, but this relationship is not dominant or regular.
In addition, secondary and tertiary sexual characteristics, which are often present in inverts, are not definitive indication s of
inversion, as they also frequently appear in the opposite sex. The hypothesis of a psychic hermaphroditism, although suggesti ve,
does not fully hold up since there is no clear parallel between the inversion of the sexual object and the character traits associated
with each sex.
Thus, sexual inversion seems to imply some degree of bisexual disposition, but we still do not fully understand its nature beyond
anatomy, and disturbances that affect the development of the sexual drive are also involved.
Sexual object of the inverted. The theory of psychic hermaphroditism posits that inverts tend to be attracted to individuals of the
opposite sex to the conventional sex. This implies that inverted men may feel themselves as women and seek out men who posses s
feminine physical and emotional properties. However, this description is not universal for all inverted men, as many retain virile
2
Made by MatyBuda
, psychic characteristics and look for feminine traits in their sexual object. This diversity is reflected in male prostitution , which often
mimics aspects of the female style, suggesting a mix of characteristics of both sexes.
In ancient Greece, where the most virile men were known to be inverted, the attraction to ephebes was not limited to their ph ysical
virility, but also to their feminine psychic characteristics such as shyness and the need for help. However, once the ephebe reached
adulthood and lost those characteristics, it ceased to be a sexual object for inverted men. This suggests that the sexual object is
not strictly limited to the opposite sex but can encompass a combination of characteristics of both sexes, as long as the body
maintains essential virility.
In the case of inverted women, it is more common for them to seek femininity in their sexual object, although they may also h ave
virile somatic and psychic characteristics. A more detailed study could reveal greater variety in the patterns of attraction and sexual
preferences of reversed women, showing that the diversity within this group is wider than a simple dichotomy between male and
female suggests.
Sexual goal of the inverted. In the case of sexual investing, it is crucial to understand that there is no single sexual goal. In inverted
men, anal intercourse and inversion are not always coincidental; Masturbation is often the exclusive goal, and restrictions o n the
sexual goal, which can go as far as simple emotional release, are even more frequent than in heterosexual relationships. Among
the inverted women, multiple sexual goals are also observed, with contact with the oral mucosa being one of the mos t prominent.
Conclusions. The analysis up to this point does not give us a complete understanding of how sexual reversal plays out. However,
we have come to a revelation that may be more significant than solving the initial problem. We have noticed that our understanding
of the link between the sexual drive and the sexual object was too narrow. The observation of abnormal cases shows us that this
bond is more flexible than we thought, since in the norm it seems that the drive carries the object with it. This indicates the need
to make our conception of the link between the drive and the sexual object more flexible. It is possible that at first the sexual drive
is independent of its object and that its origin is not necessarily linked to the attractiveness of the latter.
B. Genetically Immature People and Animals as Sex Objects
People whose sex objects do not belong to the normal sex, i.e., inverted ones, can be perceived as valuable individuals in al l other
respects. However, cases in which genetically immature people, such as children, are chosen as sex objects, appear to be mo stly
individual aberrations. This happens when someone cowardly and powerless seeks this type of substitute or when an urgent driv e
cannot find another object at the right time. This fact illustrates the nature of the sexual drive, for it allows for such a wide variation
and such a drastic reduction of its object, something that hunger, for example, would only accept in extreme cases. The same goes
for the animal sex trade, which shows how sexual attraction can cross the species barrier.
Although for aesthetic reasons one might wish to attribute these serious deviations of the sexual drive to madness, this is n ot
correct. Experience shows that disorders of the sexual drive in the mentally ill do not differ from those found in healthy people, in
various races, and in entire social groups. For example, sexual abuse against children is prevalent among teachers and caregivers
simply because they have the opportunity to do so. The mentally ill show this deviation only increased or, more importan tly, as an
exclusive practice in place of normal sexual satisfaction.
This surprising distribution of sexual variations on the spectrum from health to mental illness suggests that the impulses of sex life
are less controlled by higher mental activities, even in normal people. In my experience, those who are abnormal in some other
way, such as socially or ethically, are also regularly abnormal in their sex life. However, there are many who are abnormal i n their
sex life despite being normal in all other respects and having reached an elevated level of cultural development, suggesting that
sexuality remains the weakest point in human development.
2. DEVIATIONS FROM THE SEXUAL GOAL
In the sexual act, the goal considered normal is the union of the genitals, which provides relief from sexual tension and temporarily
extinguishes the sexual drive, comparable to satiety in the case of hunger. However, even in the most typical sexual act, the first
indications of what, if fully developed, lead to sexual perversions, can be observed. For example, certain preliminary ways o f
interacting with the sex object, such as touching and looking at it, are recognized as preliminary sexual goals that in crease arousal
and may be pleasurable in themselves.
Among these preliminary practices, the contact of the labial mucous membranes has been sexually valued in many cultural
contexts, despite not belonging to the sexual apparatus but being part of the entrance to the digestive tract. This reveals aspects
that connect perversions with normal sex life and are applicable even to their classification. Sexual perversions can be seen as
3
Made by MatyBuda
Sigmund Freud (1905)
Summary:
I. SEXUAL ABERRATIONS
The existence of sexual needs in man and animals is expressed in biology through the concept of "sexual drive". This resemble s
the concept of hunger in the field of nutrition. Common language lacks a term equivalent to "hunger"; Science uses "libido" for
this. Popular opinion has specific ideas about the nature and properties of this sexual drive. It is believed to be absent in childhood,
emerges during puberty along with maturation processes, manifests itself in uncontrollable attractions between the sexes, and
has as its goal sexual union or actions that promote it. However, these notions are considered erroneous reflections of reali ty upon
close examination, riddled with errors, inaccuracies, and hasty conclusions.
Let us introduce two terms: we call the person who arouses sexual attraction a "sexual object", and a "sexual goal" the actio n
towards which the drive is directed. Scientific experience shows numerous deviations in both the sexual object and the sexual goal,
deviations that require a thorough investigation into their relationship to the supposed norms.
1. DEVIATIONS FROM THE SEXUAL OBJECT
The poetic fable that divides the human being into two halves, male and female, seeking to be reunited in love, coincides notably
with the popular theory of the sexual drive. However, it is surprising to discover that there are men whose sexual object is not
women, but other men, and women whose sexual object is not men, but other women. These people are called the opposite sex
or, more precisely, inverted; and the phenomenon itself, inversion. Although the number of these people is significant, it is difficult
to determine with certainty.
A. The Investment
Conduct of the inverted. Flipped people display a variety of distinct behaviors in relation to their sexual orientation:
a. Absolute inverts have individuals of the same sex exclusively as their sexual object. The opposite sex does not arouse any sexual
interest in them and, in fact, may cause them repugnance, which sometimes prevents them from performing the normal sexual
act or experiencing pleasure in doing so.
b. Amphigenous inverts, or psychosexual hermaphrodites, can have as their sexual object both individuals of the same sex and of
the opposite sex. In this case, the investment is not exclusive, and they may feel sexual attraction to both sexes.
c. Occasional inverts show a sexual orientation that varies under specific conditions, such as inaccessibility of the normal sexual
object or imitation. In such circumstances, they may direct their sexual interest toward people of the same sex and experien ce
satisfaction in the sexual act with them.
In addition to these variations in sexual object, inverts also differ in their perception and acceptance of their sexual orientation.
Some regard investing as a matter of course, vehemently defending their equal rights compared to normal individuals. Others, on
the other hand, perceive their reversal as a pathological compulsion against which they rebel.
The temporal differences are also remarkably varied. Some individuals experience the reversal from an early age and maintain it
throughout their lives, while in other cases it may arise after adverse experiences with the normal sexual object. In additio n,
periodic fluctuations have been observed between the normal and inverted sex object.
In short, these various variations coexist independently of each other. Although some authors prefer to highlight the differences
between these groups, the existence of numerous intermediate grades suggests the need to recognize and study these variations
in series.
Conception of investment. The first interpretation of the inversion considered it as an innate sign of nervous degeneration, initially
observed in nervous patients or individuals who gave that impression. Some studies suggest that inverts' autobiographies abou t
the timing of the onset of their tendency may be unreliable due to the repression of memories of heterosexual sensitivity.
1
Made by MatyBuda
,Degeneration. The notion of degeneration faces criticism for its indiscriminate use in the attribution of pathological manifestations
that do not have a traumatic or infectious origin. According to Magnan's classification, even people with generally adequate
nervous activity could be considered degenerate, which calls into question the relevance of the term in these cases. This raises the
question of how useful the concept of degeneration is and what updated content it can bring to clinical judgment in general.
On the other hand, inverted ones do not meet the criteria for degeneration in the strictest sense of the term. There are cases of
investment in individuals who do not present other serious deviations from the norm and who even show a remarkably high
intellectual and ethical development. Moreover, inversion is not unique to modern cultures, as it is frequently observed in ancient
societies and primitive peoples, thus challenging the traditional conception of degeneration as a pathological sign.
Innate character. It seems logical to affirm the innate nature of inversion only in the most extreme cases, the absolute inverts, who
claim never to have experienced another sexual orientation throughout their lives. However, the existence of the other two
categories, especially the "occasional" inverted ones, hinders this innate conception. This has led some to separate the group of
absolutes from the rest, thus renouncing a universal conception of investment. According to this perspective, in some cases the
investment could be innate, while in others it could arise from external circumstances.
Contrary to the idea of innateness, there is the conception that considers inversion as an acquired character of the sexual d rive.
This stance is based on several considerations: first, many inverted, even absolute, can trace an early sexual experience that
influenced their homosexual orientation. Second, external influences can be identified that favored or inhibited the fixation of the
investment at contrasting times in life (such as exclusive contact with the same sex or adverse circumstances in heterosexual
relationships). And third, the inversion can sometimes be eliminated by hypnotic suggestion, which would be unlikely if it were
innate.
In this context, the very existence of an innate inversion is questioned, suggesting that many cases could be rather frequent
variations of the sexual drive determined by external life circumstances. However, this certainty is challenged by the observ ation
that many people are exposed to the same sexual influences without becoming invested or remaining as such in a lasting way. This
leads to the conjecture that the innate-acquired dichotomy could be incomplete and not encompass all the situations that the
investment presents.
Explanation of the investment. The hypothesis that the investment is innate does not fully explain its nature, as does the hypothesis
that it is acquired. In the first case, it would be necessary to specify which aspect is exactly innate, otherwise one would fall into a
simplistic explanation: that a person carries with him from birth the connection of the sexual drive with a specific sexual object. In
the second case, the question arises whether the various accidental influences can fully explain how the investment is acquired
without the necessary predisposition that would exist in the individual. Based on our previous observations, we cannot rule o ut
the latter factor.
The resource of bisexuality. Since Lydston [1889], Kiernan [1888], and Chevalier [1893], a number of ideas have been used to
explain the possibility of sexual reversal, challenging popular opinion that holds that a human being is male or female. Science has
shown that there are cases in which sexual characteristics are ambiguous, especially at the anatomical level, where the genitals
can show both male and female characteristics, and even in some rare cases both structures can coexist in a fully developed way.
These anatomical anomalies suggest an originally bisexual disposition that is modified during development until it reaches
monosexuality with minimal remnants of the opposite sex. However, the relationship between anatomical hermaphroditism and
sexual inversion is not as direct as expected. Inverts often show a decrease in sexual drive in general and slight anatomical
atrophies, but this relationship is not dominant or regular.
In addition, secondary and tertiary sexual characteristics, which are often present in inverts, are not definitive indication s of
inversion, as they also frequently appear in the opposite sex. The hypothesis of a psychic hermaphroditism, although suggesti ve,
does not fully hold up since there is no clear parallel between the inversion of the sexual object and the character traits associated
with each sex.
Thus, sexual inversion seems to imply some degree of bisexual disposition, but we still do not fully understand its nature beyond
anatomy, and disturbances that affect the development of the sexual drive are also involved.
Sexual object of the inverted. The theory of psychic hermaphroditism posits that inverts tend to be attracted to individuals of the
opposite sex to the conventional sex. This implies that inverted men may feel themselves as women and seek out men who posses s
feminine physical and emotional properties. However, this description is not universal for all inverted men, as many retain virile
2
Made by MatyBuda
, psychic characteristics and look for feminine traits in their sexual object. This diversity is reflected in male prostitution , which often
mimics aspects of the female style, suggesting a mix of characteristics of both sexes.
In ancient Greece, where the most virile men were known to be inverted, the attraction to ephebes was not limited to their ph ysical
virility, but also to their feminine psychic characteristics such as shyness and the need for help. However, once the ephebe reached
adulthood and lost those characteristics, it ceased to be a sexual object for inverted men. This suggests that the sexual object is
not strictly limited to the opposite sex but can encompass a combination of characteristics of both sexes, as long as the body
maintains essential virility.
In the case of inverted women, it is more common for them to seek femininity in their sexual object, although they may also h ave
virile somatic and psychic characteristics. A more detailed study could reveal greater variety in the patterns of attraction and sexual
preferences of reversed women, showing that the diversity within this group is wider than a simple dichotomy between male and
female suggests.
Sexual goal of the inverted. In the case of sexual investing, it is crucial to understand that there is no single sexual goal. In inverted
men, anal intercourse and inversion are not always coincidental; Masturbation is often the exclusive goal, and restrictions o n the
sexual goal, which can go as far as simple emotional release, are even more frequent than in heterosexual relationships. Among
the inverted women, multiple sexual goals are also observed, with contact with the oral mucosa being one of the mos t prominent.
Conclusions. The analysis up to this point does not give us a complete understanding of how sexual reversal plays out. However,
we have come to a revelation that may be more significant than solving the initial problem. We have noticed that our understanding
of the link between the sexual drive and the sexual object was too narrow. The observation of abnormal cases shows us that this
bond is more flexible than we thought, since in the norm it seems that the drive carries the object with it. This indicates the need
to make our conception of the link between the drive and the sexual object more flexible. It is possible that at first the sexual drive
is independent of its object and that its origin is not necessarily linked to the attractiveness of the latter.
B. Genetically Immature People and Animals as Sex Objects
People whose sex objects do not belong to the normal sex, i.e., inverted ones, can be perceived as valuable individuals in al l other
respects. However, cases in which genetically immature people, such as children, are chosen as sex objects, appear to be mo stly
individual aberrations. This happens when someone cowardly and powerless seeks this type of substitute or when an urgent driv e
cannot find another object at the right time. This fact illustrates the nature of the sexual drive, for it allows for such a wide variation
and such a drastic reduction of its object, something that hunger, for example, would only accept in extreme cases. The same goes
for the animal sex trade, which shows how sexual attraction can cross the species barrier.
Although for aesthetic reasons one might wish to attribute these serious deviations of the sexual drive to madness, this is n ot
correct. Experience shows that disorders of the sexual drive in the mentally ill do not differ from those found in healthy people, in
various races, and in entire social groups. For example, sexual abuse against children is prevalent among teachers and caregivers
simply because they have the opportunity to do so. The mentally ill show this deviation only increased or, more importan tly, as an
exclusive practice in place of normal sexual satisfaction.
This surprising distribution of sexual variations on the spectrum from health to mental illness suggests that the impulses of sex life
are less controlled by higher mental activities, even in normal people. In my experience, those who are abnormal in some other
way, such as socially or ethically, are also regularly abnormal in their sex life. However, there are many who are abnormal i n their
sex life despite being normal in all other respects and having reached an elevated level of cultural development, suggesting that
sexuality remains the weakest point in human development.
2. DEVIATIONS FROM THE SEXUAL GOAL
In the sexual act, the goal considered normal is the union of the genitals, which provides relief from sexual tension and temporarily
extinguishes the sexual drive, comparable to satiety in the case of hunger. However, even in the most typical sexual act, the first
indications of what, if fully developed, lead to sexual perversions, can be observed. For example, certain preliminary ways o f
interacting with the sex object, such as touching and looking at it, are recognized as preliminary sexual goals that in crease arousal
and may be pleasurable in themselves.
Among these preliminary practices, the contact of the labial mucous membranes has been sexually valued in many cultural
contexts, despite not belonging to the sexual apparatus but being part of the entrance to the digestive tract. This reveals aspects
that connect perversions with normal sex life and are applicable even to their classification. Sexual perversions can be seen as
3
Made by MatyBuda
