Unnatural Love. Psychoanalysis on Perversion and Desire (2026)

Two virtual hosts discuss the key points of Unnatural Love, a paper by Mark Kinet in the Dutch Journal of Psychoanalysis. He argues that psychoanalysis sees perversion not simply as a sexual deviation but as a complex way of coping with innerconflict. Freud viewed it as an expression of the child's early sexuality and as a defence against deep-seated fears of loss and vulnerability. Klein linked it to primitive anxieties and aggression, while Lacan understood it as a way ofresisting the limits and rules that make social life possible. Stollerdescribed perversion as an attempt to turn the pain of childhood trauma into asense of power and control. More recent thinkers, such as McDougall—who speaksof a self-protective form of sexuality—and Benvenuto, who highlights the lossof mutuality and genuine encounter, have further expanded this psychoanalytic perspective. Ultimately, Kinet suggests that perversion sheds light on universal human struggles with love, desire, control, and vulnerability.For the paper in the Dutch Journal of Psychoanalysis: Onnatuurlijke Liefde Visit ⁠Mark Kinet ⁠for books, articles, and further resources.Current Psychoanalysis brings together more than 35 books and other writings by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Mark Kinet. Each episode explores how unconscious meaning, personal history, and the therapeutic relationship illuminate psychiatry, psychotherapy, and culture. Two virtual hosts discuss carefully selected texts, translating complex psychoanalytic ideas into clear, engaging conversations while remaining remarkably faithful to the original work. For clinicians, students, and anyone curious about the human mind.