Metaphor: “the union of cruelty with the libido”
The above metaphor is used to illustrate the mechanism of conflation of opposing forces by which neurosis and paranoia occurs:
“The transformation of love into hatred, of tenderness into hostility, which is characteristic of a large number of neurotic cases and apparently of all cases of paranoia, takes place by means of the union of cruelty with the libido.”
“loathing, shame, and moral and aesthetic ideal demands”
The above are the “psychic forces” to which Freud is referring when he writes:
“psychic forces develop which later act as inhibitions on the sexual life, and narrow its direction like dams.”
The Bisexual Theory
Freud quotes another, but immediately dismisses it as a crude description, as defining the bisexual theory in direct metaphor terms:
"It is a female brain in a male body."
Is This a Pun?
Generally speaking, Freud is not the wittiest writer in history, but one metaphorical description in the book does have the earmark of a sly pun on what people do in the dark as well:
“Psychology is still groping in the dark when it concerns matters of pleasure and pain, and the most cautious assumption is therefore the most advisable.”
Childhood Sexuality
Freud insists that one must be willing to accept that children are sexual creatures with a natural curiosity about their bodies and that outdated codes of morality do little to further understanding:
“educators consider all sexual manifestations of the child as an "evil" in the face of which little can be accomplished.”
