Continuing the previous Post, the second stage of idealized projections happens with other bodies of the opposite sex and /or complementary energies. For Dias[1], in girls’ cases, the “first boyfriend” is an idealized boy, who triggers their sexual interest, but might not even know about his status (of being a boyfriend). It is a process of projection similar to the previous one, except for the fact that idealized traits come from idols of the opposite sex and will be projected in the “first boyfriend”. It is a relationship still marked by the distance between the intensity of feelings and true level of physical contact. However, from now on, erotic interaction with other bodies and the opposite sex is what is at stake. Being erotically in tune with another body and sex allows the girl to incorporate the boy’s idealized traits that, in turn, will merge with the introjected[2] infantile masculine model (the father’s one), completing her masculine idealized sexual identity. The boy goes through the same process. He projects traits of women’s idols onto the “first girlfriend”. The next step is to incorporate them giving body to his feminine idealized sexual identity, which will be merged with his infantile feminine identity to, finally, conclude his feminine sexual identity. It is a crucial stage because introjecting a feminine sexual identity will enable him to be in tune with how women feel in eroticized sexual contact. Such tuning enables boys to, gradually, know what it is like to have intimacy and complicity with female desire, and vice-versa. Completing this process is the condition for sexual interaction, last stage of sexual identity construal. Sexual interaction happens, for instance, when a masculine body feels excited in face of a feminine body, gets in tune with her excitement, increasing his own excitement, installing the interactive erotic cycle/dance, which we call sex. This excitement increasing circuit has its peak on simultaneous orgiastic discharge. Rephrasing Moreno[3], Dias calls it Encounter[4]. At this moment, mixed bodies reach the sensation of Completeness. It is unique, ephemeral and happens because boys and girls can be in tune with both masculine and feminine eroticization, which they have incorporated throughout sexual identity development.
To be continued in the next Post
[1] Dias, Sexual Identity Development. In Conjugal Bond In Psychodramatic Analysis. (2001). Agora. SP [2] I’m using to introject and to incorporate as synonyms. [3] Moreno, J.L. Impromptu Man: J.L Moreno and the Origins of Psychodrama, the Culture of Encounter and Social network. [4] Even though Dias considers that an Encounter happens between different bodies of different sex, I believe his aim is not to establish boundaries between normalcy and psychopathology in the diverse formats of sexual and loving encounters. Instead, his effort is to show the relevance of experimenting all forms of sexual/erotic discharge and tuning, which would allow individuals to fully enjoy sexual desire, leading them to achieve Completeness in a loving Encounter. My goal is to stress that it happens regardless sexual orientation. This topic will be discussed on further essays: 4- Sexual Identity development blocks and 8-Contemporary anguishes.
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