Perverse Spite: The Possessive Gleam in the Mother's Eye and the Struggle to Own One's Soul: Reply to Stern (2004).

In this response to Jeffrey Stern's (2004) (see record 2004-21113-016) commentary on my article, "Giving the Devil His Due: Spite and the Struggle for Individual Dignity" (P. Shabad, 2000) (see record 2000-00917-004), I suggest that in emphasizing the conscious vindictiveness of explicit spite, Stern minimizes the perverse aspects of "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face" as a means of avenging oneself against powerful others. The underlying impetus of perverse spite is to break free from the prison of subtle developmental contingencies and unconscious seductions surrounding maternal possessiveness. When the child's self-assertive strivings are blocked because of the shame and fear of premature separateness, the inward obsessional churning of resentment becomes a fertile ground for perverse spite. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Energy in the Soviet Union

A prominent commentator on Eastern European affairs takes up some points raised by J.H. Chesshire and Miss C. Huggett in their paper, ‘Primary Energy production in the Soviet Union’ which appeared in the September 1975 issue of Energy Policy.     

Fixation and the road not taken.

Discusses the psychic and existential impact that fixation has on an individual's life. It is suggested that a person may drift through years that are dictated by the circuitous path of a fixation. When such time is viewed through revelations gained later in psychotherapy, insight becomes a double-edged sword. The regret of not having used life opportunely is superimposed on the analyses of transference and infantile conflicts, thus prolonging treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)