About what is sublimation, argues in his works on psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. The concept of "sublim" literally translates as "offer." The definition was introduced by Z. Freud in 1900.
Speaking about what is sublimation, the thinker characterizes this concept as one of the protective mechanisms. This mechanism consists in switching and transforming the energy of psychic attraction to an elevated goal with replacing the form of its satisfaction. Z. Freud sublimation was considered as a conversion of the energy of attraction, the opposite of crowding out. In this regard, the philosopher considered this mechanism the most desirable method of mastering the emerging sexual desire.
The plasticity of the components of libido, which is expressed in their ability to sublimation, in the social sense, determines the formation of opportunities to achieve a certain level of culture in society itself. This culture will be based on the transformation of attraction energy.
Explaining what sublimation is, they also explain the phenomena of scientific activity, philosophical knowledge, and artistic creation. Moreover, all these areas are based on mental functions, not breaking away from the foundations of psychoanalytic pansexuality.
Speaking about what is sublimation, we should give its main components:
- The transfer of energy from objects of instinctive attraction to objects of cultural significance.
- The transformation of emotions that accompany all human activities.
- The liberation of mental activity from the predominance of instincts.
- Transforming instinctive action into a form acceptable in society.
Freud sought to sublimate the significance of culture and society as a whole. Thus, with the help of the mechanism under consideration, affective attraction is transformed into a cultural phenomenon. So, for example, when contemplating works of art, the energy of the psychic impulse is withdrawn from the sexual object. As a result, satisfaction occurs as an aesthetic experience.
In general, psychoanalytic theory considers sublimation as one of the best methods for resolving conflicts of a psychological nature, which are a potential cause of neurosis. However, this mechanism may be noted in the process of carrying out analytical work. According to C. Jung, the atmosphere in which healing takes place and where the patient is pulled against his will is the cause of the "constrained" relationship. This, in turn, necessitates sublimation. Thus, in the process of applying the mechanism in question, proceeding from his own fantasies, the subject finds a different way out into the real world instead of supposedly leaving it. A person who opposes reality, but possesses artistic talent (the ability to express one’s own fantasies with artistic creations rather than symptoms of illness), under a favorable set of circumstances, avoids neurosis and returns to the real world. If, in a person who is opposed to reality, the indicated talent is absent or insufficiently expressed, then the libido (in accordance with the origin of fantasies) inevitably leads, by the principle of regression, to the resurrection of complexes (infantile desires), and therefore to neurosis.
The compensatory function of sublimation was noted by A. Adler. He used the term in psychoanalysis to mean the functional balancing of feelings of inferiority.
In the modern world, the concept of sublimation is used not only in psychoanalysis. So, this definition is used in industry. For example, sublimation printing on fabric is often used today. This process is the dyeing of the fibers of the product. Unlike others, this method allows you to get a high-quality image of bright colors, resistant to the influence of environmental factors.