ABSTRACT
It is characteristic of psychoanalysis today that concepts that once seemed clear and precise are now, in our pluralistic theoretical framework, diffuse or expanded,often beyond definition,although analysts continue to speak and write as if we all know what we are talking about. It would be surprising if the idea of perversion did not show some of these attributes, since perversion not only is one of the earliest analytic concepts but is highly bound both to theory and to cultural norms. I will begin by giving some samples of attempts at definition that may illuminate the domain of our interest, omitting some major contributors as I illustrate the shifting meanings of perversion. I will then discuss the core conflict of passivity and the three fantasies that are always present in perversion, the male-female difference in perversion, and a bit about perverse play and the range of perverse life.
