Addiction, though a term more frequently associated with medicine, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences, holds a very particular theoretical and clinical place within psychoanalysis. From Freud to contemporary authors, the understanding of the addictive phenomenon goes beyond the idea of chemical or behavioral dependency, reaching the structural dimensions of the subject, ways of dealing with desire, with anxiety (angústia), and with the drive economy (economia pulsional). Psychoanalysis does not reduce addiction to a substance problem but understands it as a specific form of the subject's relationship with the object, the body, and jouissance (gozo).
At the same time, the concept of fixation, central to Freudian theory, offers a fundamental key to understanding why certain subjects become more vulnerable to addictive behaviors. Fixation, understood as a libidinal rooting in certain stages of development or specific modes of satisfaction, creates points of rigidity in the psychic economy that can serve as a basis for the formation of symptoms, including addictions.
The objective of this text is to explore, in depth, the meaning of addiction for psychoanalysis and its intimate relationship with fixations, articulating fundamental concepts, theoretical developments, and clinical implications.
Addiction as a Mode of Object Relation
In psychoanalysis, addiction is not understood merely as dependence on a substance or a behavior, but as a modality of the bond with the object. This object can be chemical (alcohol, drugs, medication), behavioral (gambling, sex, shopping, food), or even symbolic (relationships, ideals, patterns). What defines addiction is not the object itself, but the way the subject relates to it.
The object as a supplement to desire
For Freud, desire is structurally marked by lack (falta). The human subject is constituted by a fundamental incompleteness, and it is this lack that drives desire. However, the addict attempts to abolish this lack through an object that promises immediate, totalizing, and repetitive satisfaction. Addiction, therefore, functions as an attempt to "plug" the structural lack, offering the subject an illusion of completeness.
In this sense, the addictive object is not just something that provides pleasure, but something that occupies the place of a psychic operator: it regulates anxiety, organizes daily life, and structures time and the body. It becomes a kind of "subjective prosthesis."
Repetition as the hallmark of compulsion
Freud described the repetition compulsion (compulsão à repetição) as a phenomenon that goes beyond the pleasure principle. In addiction, this compulsion manifests clearly: the subject repeats the addictive act even when it no longer produces pleasure, even when it causes suffering, harm, or risk. Repetition, in this case, does not aim at pleasure, but at the maintenance of a psychic economy that depends on that object to avoid disorganization.
Jouissance as excess
Lacan introduces the concept of jouissance (gozo) to designate a type of satisfaction that exceeds pleasure and is often experienced as suffering. The addict seeks this jouissance, which is simultaneously alluring and destructive. The addictive object allows the subject to access a jouissance that bypasses the Symbolic, that is, it does not pass through the mediation of language, the law, or the Other.
For this reason, addiction is often described as a solitary relationship: the subject withdraws, breaks bonds, and avoids the Other. The addictive object is an absolute partner that demands nothing, does not speak, and does not frustrate, but charges a high price.
Fixations in Freudian Theory: Foundations and Implications
The concept of fixation is central to Freud's theory of psychosexual development. It refers to the rooting of the libido in specific erogenous zones, phases, or modes of satisfaction. Fixation occurs when the subject finds, at some point in development, a form of satisfaction so intense or problematic that they cannot fully abandon it.
Fixations and regressions Fixation is the point where the libido remains anchored. Regression is the movement of returning to that point when the subject faces conflicts or frustrations. In situations of anxiety, the subject may regress to more primitive modes of satisfaction that are more immediate and less mediated by the symbolic. Addiction can be understood as a form of regression: the subject returns to a mode of satisfaction that dispenses with the complexity of human relationships.
Fixations and drive organization
Freud described three main phases of psychosexual development: oral, anal, and phallic.
In the oral phase, the object is incorporated; satisfaction is linked to ingestion, fusion, and dependency.
In the anal phase, the object is expelled; satisfaction involves control, retention, and expulsion.
In the phallic phase, the object is symbolic; satisfaction involves identification, rivalry, and the law.
Fixations can occur in any of these phases, and each type can predispose the subject to specific forms of addiction:
Oral fixations may manifest in addictions related to ingestion (alcohol, food, drugs).
Anal fixations may manifest in addictions related to control (gambling, compulsive work).
Phallic fixations may manifest in addictions related to power, risk, or performance.
Contemporary Perspectives: Lacan, Winnicott, and Beyond
Lacan: Object a and Jouissance For Lacan, addiction is linked to the object petit a, the object-cause of desire. The addictive object functions as an object a that the subject tries to capture but which can never be fully seized. Moreover, the addict seeks a "dark" jouissance that bypasses the limitations of the law.
Winnicott: Environmental Failures and Object Use Winnicott highlights the role of the environment. Addiction may arise when the environment fails to offer adequate holding, containment, and mirroring. The addictive object then functions as a pathological transitional object: it offers an illusion of control and safety but prevents the development of true autonomy.
Clinical Implications
The clinic of addiction is challenging. The subject often presents resistance, acting out, ruptures in the transference, and difficulties in symbolization.
Transference: Must be managed carefully to avoid both "fusion" with the patient or abandonment.
Acting Out: The subject acts instead of speaking. The analyst must interpret the meaning of the act without moralizing.
The Setting (Enquadre): Fundamental to offering the subject an experience of stability and containment they lacked in the past.
Final Considerations
In psychoanalysis, addiction is an attempt to deal with lack, anxiety, and failures in symbolization. Fixations provide the "anchor points" for this regression. To understand addiction is to recognize that the addict is not just someone who has lost control, but someone who found, in the addiction, a precarious solution to deep psychic conflicts.
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