Jouissance: Sexuality, Suffering and Satisfaction

Jouissance is a psychoanalytic concept that describes a fusion of sexuality, suffering, and satisfaction, but has fallen into a purely descriptive use that closes down more questions than it opens up. This book aims to stimulate a debate around the relations of pleasure to pain, autoerotism, the links of satisfaction to arousal, the effects of repression, and the place of the body in psychoanalytic theory.

Format: Hardback
Length: 138 pages
Publication date: 09 July 2021
Publisher: Polity Press

While the term "jouissance" holds currency in contemporary psychoanalysis, its true meaning remains somewhat enigmatic. Often interpreted as a fusion of sexuality, suffering, and satisfaction, the term has devolved into a mere descriptive label that fails to address the complex interplay of these elements. Despite its presumed role in explaining the convergence of pleasure and pain, it tends to encompass a wide range of diverse issues that warrant distinction rather than amalgamation. By delving into the origins of the concept in Freud's writings and its subsequent elaborations in Lacan's work, this book seeks to ignite a spirited debate concerning the intricate relationships between pleasure, pain, autoerotism, the connections between satisfaction and arousal, the consequences of repression, and the significance of the body in psychoanalytic theory. Its primary objective is to provide a framework for understanding Lacan's contributions and fostering dialogue with other analytic traditions.

Weight: 298g
Dimension: 223 x 161 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509548835