What does the phallus symbolize? In psychoanalysis?

What is the definition of phallus?

“The term phallus designates the male sex organ ; it is called penis or penis“, explains Dr. Victor Soulier, urological surgeon and sexologist. rest (also called flaccid state) or rigid when he comes into erection. “Erection is a physiological phenomenon by which the male sexual organ enlarges, lengthens while becoming rigid, by a blood flow at the level of the erectile bodies (cavernous and spongy bodies)“. The upper end of the penis is also called the glanswhich is covered by the foreskin (skin fold). “At its extremity is the urethral urinary meatus, through which may leak urine during urination or semen during ejaculation“, details Dr. Soulier. Below the glans, is located the body of the penis. “Formed of erectile tissues, it contains many arterial and venous blood vessels“. We find there:

► The spongy body Who surround the urethra (urinary canal) and which ends in the glans. It is an accessory erectile body.

► The two cavernous body ; “these are the main erectile bodies, surrounded by an elastic envelope (the tunica albuginea) which allows elongation and increase in volume during erection. In case of excitement, these erectile bodies will fill with blood, which will allow rigidity“. At the time of ejaculation, semen is discharged through the urethra.”The corpora cavernosa are firmly attached to the iliac bone (pelvic bone), to allow good stability of the penis during penetrative intercourse“. Several muscles surround the corpora cavernosa and spongiosum: bulbospongiosum and bulbocavernosus muscleswhich contract during orgasm, participating in ejaculation. “The penis specialist is the urologistbut most of general practitioners are comfortable with most diseases affecting the penis“recalls our interlocutor.

What does the phallus symbolize?

The phallus has been attached to a strong symbolic value for many centuries. “Thus we find it represented in many drawings, paintings, sculptures, works, representations through the ages and periods of History, details Julie Condemine. He is often a symbol of libido, power and refers to virility and fertility. We also speak of “impotence” when certain disorders make erection difficult“.

What does the phallus mean in psychoanalysis?

In psychoanalysis, he is a symbolic element of construction of the subject. “This power is manifested through our desires and their accomplishments that could lead us to an intense and enjoyable satisfaction of self-realizationsays Gwennaëlle Deroost, sex therapist. Which means that the phallic representation is subjective since it is individual and specific to each person. . Moreover, this phallic desire therefore for power is often unconsciously born of lack of assertiveness needs (or frustration) since childhood (such as the Oedipus complex)”. This need for power and self-affirmation is also based on the representation of the reality of each person to perceive themselves and include themselves in society. “What I call “the inner fire” in which one feels this great desire to express his power to the world, his personal demarcation. Once accomplished, this power of realization then translates into a feeling of omnipotence, of feeling alive and present on this earth. Our phallus is then well erected. However, this will for power can be completely blinded, oversized or on the contrary diminished. “This then leads to relational imbalances or behavioral drifts manifested in particular by emotional, intimate, sexual, professional and personal relationships known as “toxic””. For example, “we can have a phallus:
► Wounded, castrated, repressed because we can’t achieve our desires and we don’t find our place, our value in our life, how to manifest our personal power and have it validated in this world for lack of confidence/self-esteem.
Frustrated by this feeling of dissatisfaction after having accomplished a desire because unconsciously we judge that we did not deserve our place on this earth and we will tend to self-sabotage our victories of personal achievement and reduce our personal power.
► Or on the contrary, this phallus perhaps what I call narcissistici.e. based on a constant thirst for power through authoritarian and violent imposition of his values, of his frustrated desires without taking into account otherness, thus reducing the people in front of him to ensure his place on this earth“.
All these images of these phalluses in disharmony are the result of unconscious and disturbing factors of our past. “To understand all these games of power or non-realization of the self, thePsychological and therapeutic support is essential in order to bring awareness on unconscious issues and truly regain personal power“, concludes the sex therapist.

Phallus dysfunction and psychology

A distinction must be made between several types of disease:

• cutaneous: phimosis (foreskin too narrow), dermatoses, psoriasis, eczema…
• infectious: some Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can also cause skin lesions of the penis (syphilis, herpes, etc.)
• tumours: some malignant tumors can touch the penis.
• traumatic: the penis canfracture“ during shock or traumatic sexual activity

The penis can also be distorted in erectioneither congenitally (congenital curvature) or acquired, It’s Peyronie’s disease. “This fairly common condition most often appears after the age of 50, which can affect up to 8% of men. It can follow microtraumas of the erect penis, can be favored by certain diseases (diabetes, hypertension,). The penis can then bend or deform in erection; this pathology is usually associated with erection pain, shortening of the penis and erectile dysfunction.

“These disorders can interfere with sexuality and impact male intimate life”

It can also affect much younger patients“. erectile dysfunction : This is a repeated inability to obtain or maintain an erection for more than 3 months; it is to be distinguished from the simple “failure” of erection. “She may have a physiological and/or psychological cause. It sometimes makes it possible to discover other cardiovascular diseases which can be life-threatening (e.g. coronary heart disease)”. Another disease can affect the penis when the erection does not disappear spontaneously: it is the priapism. “This term is used to designate a prolonged and painful erection (more than 3 hours) leading to a penis ischemia. Since the blood can no longer circulate, the erectile tissues can be damaged and become fibrous beyond 36 hours of erection.“. It is a surgical emergency. The predisposing factors are multiple: taking medicated (ex: drug promoting erection), genetic disease (sickle cell disease), some blood diseases (leukemia…). If not treated quickly, it can have serious consequences on sex life. Ejaculation can also be disturbed. “If it is too fast (<30 seconds) we talk premature ejaculation ; if it is too late (>30 minutes) we talk delayed ejaculationadds Julie Condemine, midwife and sexologist. These disorders can interfere with sexuality and impact male intimate life.“. Screened, we can offer medical and sexological care for this kind of problem.

Thanks to Dr. Victor Soulier, urologist surgeon and sexologist in Saint-Etienne, to Mrs. Julie Condemine, midwife and sexologist in Saint-Étienne, and to Gwennaelle Deroostsex therapist in Lille and member of the Psychologue.net committee.