Page:The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis II 1921 1.djvu/30

 22 S.FERENCZI

struggle for healing, the struggle to regain the lost ego-ideal. But the indifference with which every action, every form of speecli. is simply imitated, stamps these identification-displacements as a caricature of the normal search for an ideal ; they often operate in an ironical sense.'

Meige and Feindel describe cases where even complicated tic ceremonials have been assumed en bloc. They emphasise in particuhir that many Tiquers possess the nature of actors and display th<? inclination to copy every acquaintance. One of their patients assumed as a child the eye-winking of a policeman, who appeared to him as especially imposing. These people are as a matter of fact always on the watch to see how an imposing person "clears his throat and spits". As is generally known, with children tics tend to be contagious.

The antitheses that have been proved in the motor behaviour of patients suffering from Catatonia and Cataclonia are known not to be confined to muscular actions, they have a complete parallel in the speech of tliese patients. In schizophrenic Catatonia absolute mutism alternates with uncontrollable compulsion to talk and with Echolalia ; the first is the pendant to tonic muscular rigidity, the second to an uncontrollable motor tic, and the third to Echo- kinesis. So-called Coprolalia gives a particularly clear demon- stration of the close connection of disturbances of speech and movement Patients who suffer from it feel compelled to utter aloud without adequate reason words and sentences of erotic, principally anal-erotic, content (curses, obscene words, etc.). This symptom is particularly pronounced when the patient tries to suppress a motor tic* The "detached instinctive energy" mentioned above, finds an outlet to the "ideational motor", the action of speecli, when the discharge by mobility is denied it. I should like to connect the fact that it is just speech of an erotic, and above all "organ-erotic" (perverse), nature that finds expression with the so-called "organ- speech" (Freud) of narcissistic psychotics. (In the content of the ex- pressions of schizophrenics references to bodily organs and bodily innervations are often very prominent).

» It is well known that imitation is a favourite method of irony; the Iccl- ing of annoyance at being copied shows that the action tlocs not fail in its purpose.

» On the method of converting repressed actions into thou^jht and speech stimuli sec "Technischc Schwierigkcitcn cincr Hystericanalysc" in Hysteric und Pathoneurosen, S. 49.