“Cribs in Caves”
Domination, the fetish of some, is Freud’s theory of how children, very young children, act in accordance with the pleasure principle. As described in his book, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, the pleasure principle describes people who look to attain pleasure and avoid pain or suffering to keep themselves physically and mentally stable. How can a small child possibly be developed enough to comply with such a mentality? Ah, “fort da.”
“Fort da” is a game Freud describes. The game consists of the child throwing and toy out of is sight, and then retrieving it using the string attached. He goes on to say that this game is a reflection of the child’s emotions towards his mother’s departure. The child is sending away the toy as if he is sending away his mother, putting him or herself in control of the situation thus relieving him or herself of the emotional distress associated with being left alone for hours by his or her caregiver. If only they had Beyond the Pleasure Principle in Plato’s cave.
In Plato’s Allegory of the cave, it was the prisoner’s obligation to return to the cave in order to teach the other imprisoned about the forms and realities outside the hole in the rock. If Freud were to have edited the allegory, the story would have differed. The prisoners would have convinced themselves that they have sent away their released brother and that they are better off in cave, all in order to deal with the emotional distress. They would be trying to be happy.
From “fort da,” one can take away the idea that happiness is control and stability. This notion has been mentioned once before by a rather intelligent and dashing young student in the class of the ever-lovely Professor Kaufman. It is very possible, however, that the aforementioned student is complimenting himself in order to gain control of the situation. Who knows?
