Regression: what is it according to psychoanalysis (and criticism)

The Freudian concept of regression is well known today, although it is clearly declining over the years. because of the theoretical and practical progress that has taken place in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis.

In this article we will analyze the concept of regression according to psychoanalysis and we will review the different nuances of this term. To finish we will review some of the most representative criticisms that have been made about the regression.

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Defining the regression

According to Sigmund Freud, considered the founder of psychoanalysis, regression is a defense mechanism that consists of the regression of the ego to a previous state development. This process would occur in response to unacceptable thoughts or impulses that the person cannot deal with adaptively, and it could be transitory or chronic.

Freud stated that, throughout psychosexual development, young people run the risk of becoming psychologically anchored in one of the stages, without being able to advance completely through the later. This is known as “fixation”, and the more intense it is, the greater the risk of reacting to psychosocial stress with regression.

In the original psychoanalytic approaches, regression in adulthood is presented as closely associated with neurosis. Subsequently, it has been proposed that this change is not always pathological or negative, but rather sometimes temporary regressions could be beneficial for overcoming discomfort or the promotion of creativity.

Michael Balint, a Hungarian psychoanalyst who is considered a leading member of the object relations school, proposed the existence of two types of regression. One of them would be benign (like those of childhood or those of an artistic type), while the other malignant or pathological variant would be related to neurosis and specifically to the complex of Oedipus.

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Typical Regression Behaviors

A very notable characteristic of this phenomenon is the appearance of typically childish behaviors and attitudes. However, depending on the psychosexual stages in which a fixation occurs, some regressive behaviors or others will appear; for example, Freud considered nail biting and smoking to be signs of oral fixation.

Oral regression would also manifest itself in behaviors related to eating and speaking. On the other hand, fixation in the anal stage could lead to a compulsive tendency to order or disorder, to accumulation and extreme stinginess, while conversion hysteria would be characteristic of regression to phallic period.

Although it can present in adulthood, regression is more common in childhood. Examples of regression would be a girl starting to wet the bed after the birth of her little brother or a preteen crying every time her classmates make fun of him.

It should be noted that, theoretically, fixation can occur simultaneously at various stages of psychosexual development. In these cases, regressive behaviors characteristic of each of the phases in question would appear, although not always at the same time.

Regression as a therapeutic method

Various followers of Freud's proposals explored the potential of his concept of regression as a therapeutic tool in various disorders associated with neurosis. Sometimes hypnosis was used as a means to try to achieve regression, while in other cases the process had a more tangible character.

Sandor Ferenczi stated that regression could be a good method to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy. In this sense, Ferenczi defended the practice of pseudo-parental behaviors by the therapist, such as give verbal comfort and even hug patients in order to help them overcome trauma or situations of distress stress.

In addition to Ferenczi, other authors such as Balint, Bowlby, Bettelheim, Winnicott or Laing also proposed the use of regression as an instrument that allowed a new "paternal re-education" more satisfying than the original. These theorists believed that regression could be sufficient for the maturation of individuals, even in cases of autism.

From this point of view, regression is associated with the famous cathartic method, consisting of helping patients process traumatic events of the past by re-experiencing through imagination or suggestion, including hypnosis. Techniques similar to this are currently applied in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Criticism of this Freudian concept

According to Inderbitzin and Levy (2000), the popularization of the term "regression" has extended its use to a large number of signifiers, which has decimated the clarity of the concept. These authors emphasize that the regression is framed in an obsolete development model (Freud's stage theory) and that the concept itself can be detrimental.

Rizzolo (2016) affirms that the concept of regression must be abandoned and replaced by the study of the person as a whole, instead of focusing on impulses or abstract needs, and that this is not possible if the relationship between a certain behavior and the circumstances that determine it in the present.

In his analysis of the therapeutic use of regression, Spurling (2008) concludes that this method has now been surpassed even in the field of psychoanalysis. Nevertheless, the concept of regression as a defense mechanism is still used today from an explanatory point of view by many people related to this orientation.

Bibliographic references:

• Inderbitzin, L. b. & Levy, S.T. (2000). Regression and psychoanalytic technique: The concretization of a concept. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 69: 195–223.

• Rizzolo, G. S. (2016). The critique of regression: the person, the field, the lifespan. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 64(6): 1097-1131.

• Spurling, L.S. (2008). Is there still a place for the concept of therapeutic regression in psychoanalysis? The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 89(3): 523-540.