Overview

Asexuality and Freudian-Lacanian Psychoanalysis: Towards a Theory of an Enigma proposes that asexuality is a libidinally founded desire for no sexual desire, a concept not included in psychoanalytic theory up to now. ""Asexuality"" is defined as the experience of having no sexual attraction for another person; as an emerging self-defined sexual orientation, it has received practically no attention from psychoanalytic research. This book is the first sustained piece of exploratory and theoretical research from a Freudian-Lacanian perspective. Using Freudian concepts to understand the intricacies of human sexual desire, this volume will also employ Lacanian conceptual tools to understand how asexuality might sustain itself despite the absence of Other-directed sexual desire. This book argues that asexuality holds a mirror to contemporary sexualized society which assumes sexual attraction and eroticism as the benchmarks for experiencing sexual desire. It also argues that asexuality may be a previously unrecognized form of human sexuality which can contribute new understandings to the range and breadth of what it means to be a sexual being. This book will be of interest to anyone in the area of asexuality or sexuality – psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, university lecturers, researchers, students or those simply curious about the possibilities of the human sex drive.

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9781032103570

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Reviews

'In this richly researched work, Murphy draws on the libido theory of Freud and Lacan to give a compelling psychoanalytic account of what has come to be known as asexuality. As a recently recognised phenomenon, asexuality remains profoundly under-theorised. This book, written from the perspective of psychoanalysis, opens a new chapter in thinking about what Murphy rightly calls an enigma.' Russell Grigg, psychoanalyst, member of the New Lacanian School, Melbourne Australia 'The usual view is that Freud’s ""pansexualism"" implies that all human behaviour is sexually motivated. Lacan questioned this when he stated ""there is no sexual relation."" In this important and timely book, Murphy goes even further. Starting from the undisputed evidence that there are asexual minorities in most cultures, he explores how the absence of sexual attraction can be non-pathological, demonstrating that such an exception proves that sexuality is not a rule. This brave investigation of a different desire makes us reconsider relationships, intimacy, and sexual identities.' Patricia Gherovici, psychoanalyst and author of 'Transgender Psychoanalysis: A Lacanian Perspective on Sexual Difference' (Routledge, 2017)

'In this richly researched work, Murphy draws on the libido theory of Freud and Lacan to give a compelling psychoanalytic account of what has come to be known as asexuality. As a recently recognised phenomenon, asexuality remains profoundly under-theorised. This book, written from the perspective of psychoanalysis, opens a new chapter in thinking about what Murphy rightly calls an enigma.' Russell Grigg, psychoanalyst, member of the New Lacanian School, Melbourne Australia 'The usual view is that Freud's pansexualism implies that all human behaviour is sexually motivated. Lacan questioned this when he stated there is no sexual relation. In this important and timely book, Murphy goes even further. Starting from the undisputed evidence that there are asexual minorities in most cultures, he explores how the absence of sexual attraction can be non-pathological, demonstrating that such an exception proves that sexuality is not a rule. This brave investigation of a different desire makes us reconsider relationships, intimacy, and sexual identities.' Patricia Gherovici, psychoanalyst and author of 'Transgender Psychoanalysis: A Lacanian Perspective on Sexual Difference' (Routledge, 2017)

Author Information

Kevin Murphy, PhD, is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist practising in Dublin, Ireland. He is a Registered Practitioner member of the Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in Ireland (APPI) and a Member of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP).

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