Regression: What It Is According To Psychoanalysis (and Criticism)
The Freudian concept of regression is well known today, although it is in clear decline due to the theoretical and practical progress that has taken place in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis.
In this article We will analyze the concept of regression according to psychoanalysis and we will review the different nuances of this term. To finish we will review some of the most representative criticisms that have been made about regression.
According to Sigmund Freud, considered the founder of psychoanalysis, Regression is a defense mechanism that consists of the ego retreating to a previous stage development. This process would occur in response to unacceptable thoughts or impulses that the person cannot cope with adaptively, and could be transitory or chronic.
Freud stated that, throughout psychosexual development, young people run the risk of becoming psychologically stuck in one of the stages, without being able to advance completely through the subsequent ones. This is known as “fixation,” and the more intense it is, the greater the risk of reacting to psychosocial stress with regression.
In the original psychoanalytic approaches, regression in adulthood is presented as closely associated with neurosis. It has subsequently been proposed that this change is not always pathological or negative, but rather Sometimes temporary regressions could be beneficial to overcome discomfort or the promotion of creativity.
Michael Balint, Hungarian psychoanalyst who is considered a relevant member of the object relations school, proposed the existence of two types of regression. One of them would be benign (such as those of childhood or those of an artistic type), while the malignant or pathological variant would be related to neurosis and specifically to the Oedipus complex.
A very notable characteristic of this phenomenon is the emergence of typically infantile behaviors and attitudes However, depending on the psychosexual stages in which a fixation occurs, some regressive behaviors or others will appear; For example, Freud considered nail biting and smoking to be signs of fixation in the oral phase.
Oral regression would also manifest itself in behaviors related to eating and speaking. On the other hand, fixation on the anal stage could lead to a compulsive tendency towards order or disorder, accumulation and extreme stinginess, while conversion hysteria would be characteristic of regression to the phallic period.
Although it can occur in adulthood, regression is more common in childhood. Examples of regression would be if a girl begins to wet the bed after the birth of her little brother or if a preteen cries every time her classmates make fun of him.
It should be taken into account that, theoretically, fixation can occur simultaneously in several stages of psychosexual development In these cases, regressive behaviors characteristic of each of the phases in question would appear, although not always at the same time point.
Regression as a therapeutic method
Various followers of Freud’s proposals explored the potential of his concept of regression as a therapeutic tool in various disorders that they associated with neurosis. Sometimes Hypnosis was used as a means to try to achieve regression while in other cases the process had a more tangible character.
Sandor Ferenczi stated that regression could be a good method to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy. In this sense, Ferenczi defended the practice of pseudo-parental behaviors on the part of the therapist, such as giving verbal comfort and even hugging patients in order to help them overcome trauma or stressful situations.
In addition to Ferenczi, other authors such as Balint, Bowlby, Bettelheim, Winnicott or Laing also proposed the use of regression as an instrument that allowed a new “paternal reeducation” more satisfying than the original. These theorists believed that regression could be sufficient for the maturation of individuals, even in cases of autism.
From this point of view, regression is associated with the famous cathartic method, which consists of helping patients process traumatic events from the past through re-experiencing through imagination or suggestion, including hypnosis. Techniques similar to this are currently applied in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Criticisms of this Freudian concept
According to Inderbitzin and Levy (2000), the popularization of the term “regression” has caused its use to extend to a large number of signifiers, which has decimated the clarity of the concept. These authors highlight that the regression is framed in an obsolete development model (Freud’s stage theory) and that the concept itself can be harmful.
Rizzolo (2016) states that the concept of regression must be abandoned and replaced by the study of the person as a whole, instead of focusing on abstract impulses or needs, and that this is not possible if the relationship between a determined behavior and the circumstances that determine it in the present.
In his analysis of the therapeutic use of regression, Spurling (2008) concludes that this method has currently been surpassed even in the field of psychoanalysis. Nevertheless, The concept of regression as a defense mechanism continues to be used today from an explanatory point of view by many people related to this orientation.
Spurling, L. S. (2008). Is there still a place for the concept of therapeutic regression in psychoanalysis? The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 89(3): 523-540.
