Voluntary Servitude. Masochism and Morality

By: Judith Le Soldat

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Synopsis: Le Soldat’s Voluntary Servitude. Masochism and Morality presents an extraordinary analysis of masochism, the subject, death drive and sexual discourse inspired by Freudian drive theory, philosophy, gender theory, political science and mythology.This book will certainly evoke the reader’s curiosity, but even more than that it will encourage readers critical reflection on the clandestine defensive formations between the psyche and reality that, in the author’s view, obscure pleasure principle by corrupting the death drive and the body. Le Soldat presents an unprecedented formulation in psychoanalytic literature to date, one of incomparable significance not only for our clinical work, but also for critical theoretical reflection on society and its vicissitudes. As a result of their defensive stances, we encounter ‘masochistic subjects of servitude’ enclosed in a world of wars, economical rivalries, regressive brutality of consumerism, religious dependency and political mania.Drawing on the work of Freud and Adorno, and balancing theoretical and clinical material, this is essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and anyone who seeks to understand the concept of voluntary servitude.