#059: Cathexis
Thoughts from bed while with a stomach bug and a canceled trip to Paris
I’m supposed to be in Paris right now but a stomach bug snuck up on me and I was forced to cancel the trip, which has me feeling pretty devastated.
This trip was spontaneous but the four days I had carved out felt like the perfect storm: I cleared out my calendar, flights were cheap and a beautiful hotel that just opened invited me in. I also never got to experience Paris during the holidays and I was excited to do so for the first time.
One of my favorite ideas of Freud is cathexis, the libidinal mental and emotional investment of energy in an object, idea or person. Cathexis explains how we form attachments or fixations, how we find meaning, fulfillment or connection. It’s not just about the object of our focus (a person, job, trip, or idea); it’s about what that focus symbolizes for us. The things we cathect to often reveal our deeper desires, fears and unmet needs. And because the id does not distinguish between a mental image and reality, i…