What is sublimation, give examples

This article will focus on sublimation.

Our whole life occurs under the influence of various desires that arise unconsciously, are both positive and negative in nature, and also cause different emotional reactions. Sometimes we follow these desires. And sometimes, especially if they are destructive and asocial in nature, to the extent of our mental development, moral qualities and upbringing, we look for acceptable solutions to resist them. One of the options for such solutions is to transform our negative desires into something positive. This process in psychology is called sublimation and is very important for awareness.

Description

In a broad sense, sublimation is, in psychology, a protective mechanism of the human psyche that relieves the tension growing inside and allows you to throw out its excess to achieve some positive goal.
In this way, unacceptable personal impulses can be switched to something more attractive that will be accepted by society. You can see how sublimation energy is redirected using the following examples:

• people prone to violence satisfy their needs through police work,
• for those who have an unhealthy interest in corpses, the energy of sublimation is transferred to work as a pathologist,
• when giving up an active sexual life, it helps to spend energy on creative development or scientific research.

The simplest form of expression is dreams, bright and vivid, which are remembered for a long period of time. Higher form - drawing, music, design and much more.

The concept of human energy transformation was first discovered by the famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud at the end of the 19th century. He viewed the concept exclusively from the positive side, and justified it by the fact that in this way a person unconsciously seeks to relieve internal discomfort.

The scientist argued that sublimation means the transfer of the main source of sexual energy to the creative process, spiritual development, and the creation of works of art.

In his opinion, the meaning of sublimation is that the usual attraction to the opposite sex can be switched to something else, far from sexual satisfaction.

The activity of natural instincts can be transformed into one that could correspond to the cultural and aesthetic norms of society. Basically, this energy of sublimation is a powerful engine of any type of activity and often turns into creativity.

According to Freud, desublimation is the reverse transfer of the flow of sublimated instinctive energy to the original sexual object or the transition to behavior that others consider uncultured. How repressive desublimation manifests itself in modern youth. They throw wild parties, but at other times the energy of sublimation helps them study well and master a profession.

Crystal-gas transition diagram

$p=BT^{frac{3}{2}}a^{-frac{alpha{}w_0}{kT}} (3),$ where:

• $w_0$ – sublimation energy;
• $B$ is a constant characterizing the substance.

Here, point $B (T=Θ)$ located on the graph (Fig. 1) corresponds to a two-phase state - saturated vapor located above the crystalline substance. The steam is in a state of dynamic equilibrium with the solid phase.

Figure 1. Graph. Author24 - online exchange of student work

As the temperature increases, the crystal becomes a gas. An increase in pressure causes the gas to desublimate and enter the solid phase. The crystal-gas phase transition diagram is similar to the liquid-gas transition diagram. Points below and to the right of the curve (which correspond to lower pressure and higher temperature) indicate that the substance is in the gas state.

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Sublimation in psychology

Experts say that sublimation in psychology is a mental mechanism that has protective properties against internal tension caused by certain circumstances, in order to redirect energy to achieve a goal. Thus, it can be argued that every impulse that is unacceptable to the individual has the opportunity to be used positively, directed towards constructive activity rather than destruction. Examples of such redirection in life:

1. Being a police officer is about redirecting violent tendencies.
2. The specialty of a pathologist is the sublimation of interest in the dead, death and corpses.
3. Working as a surgeon is a transition to sadistic tendencies.
4. Creative activity, success in science - redirection of sexual energy.

Sublimation is understood as one of the mechanisms for protecting the human psyche, which is capable of relieving tension in conflict situations. To sublimate means to transform instinctive forms of the psyche into forms of activity that are socially significant for society and the person himself. Aggression can be released in sports, or in very strict methods of education, and eroticism is sublimated in creativity and friendship.

At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, the concept of mechanism was used by the creator of the psychoanalytic teaching about man and culture, Sigmund Freud. His concept of art states that to sublimate is to transfer the main source and root cause of the creative process, artistic works, and spiritual culture.

The energy of instincts can be transformed into morally positive energy and one that corresponds to the aesthetic norms of society. This may be an energy associated with creativity. In connection with such an understanding of the possibilities of transitioning the natural instincts inherent in a person and their focus on higher goals, the psychoanalytic significance of art may border on the absolutization of activity.

Examples

There are many examples of sublimation in physics, but there are also quite a lot of examples of the reverse process. Both categories are worth considering.

• Dry ice. This is probably the most common example of the process. Surely everyone has seen or held it in their hands at least once. At one time, dry ice was an extremely popular subject for filming videos on YouTube. Almost every person has seen at least one such video. It is worth noting that ice is used not only for entertainment purposes. It also has quite wide application in everyday life.
• Drying clothes in the cold. Absolutely every housewife hangs out her laundry in the cold in winter. It would seem that it should return frozen, but it returns completely dry. This is due to the fact that sublimation of water molecules has occurred. This is the most obvious example of the use of sublimation in physics.
• Frost. This is the most obvious example of desublimation in nature, which absolutely everyone has associated with. The process occurs when there is an extremely sharp cooling and the dew point passes too quickly. This phenomenon is widespread. You can see frost in late autumn and winter. It is most clearly visible in October-November, when there is still very little snow.
• Pattern on the windows in winter. Yes, it turns out that it is desublimation that creates our New Year's atmosphere. Intricate patterns arise due to the huge difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures.

The essence of the method

Freud's method of sublimation helps a person resolve internal conflicts, rather than suppress them within himself. To search for solutions to problems, consciousness redirects the flow of human energy into another direction. The whole process is its main function. There are quite a few examples of how sublimation energy is used in everyday life.

Cultural prohibitions within society do not allow a person to express his aggressive or sexual desire in the form in which he would like. Therefore, the energy of sublimation is directed into other areas of activity, and its unrealized remainder is transformed into dreams.

The German philosopher Theodor Adorno argued that the mechanism of sublimation can lead to the manipulation of people's consciousness.

The duality of consciousness is clearly visible when choosing different TV shows to watch. People are more likely to be guided by psychological biases rather than using analytical skills.

As an example, let’s take a situation where a person chooses to watch crime-themed TV series and films, although he himself absolutely does not accept violence in life. This way he frees himself from everyday worries about this, which is why he finds such films very interesting for himself.

Important! Psychologists say that watching such crime chronicles suppresses a person’s bad negative inclinations. This sublimation of energy significantly reduces the crime rate.

The monotony of life and routine drive people into depression, who begin to feel useless and disappointed in themselves. This is compensated by watching various TV shows, playing computer games or surfing the Internet. This is exactly how energy sublimation works.

Sublimation in women

Each person has his own preferences in life, and therefore it is clear that we can all transform any energy in different ways. Female sublimation has its own characteristics. For ladies, sublimation of love is often relevant. Representatives of the fair sex have quite a few options for transferring energy. A woman can transform her accumulated energy into:

• creative activities (drawing, embroidery, beading);
• sports and fitness;
• work;
• homework;
• parenting.

Nature of the process

Freud also classified as sublimation those types of activities to which a person is motivated by sexual desire, but their orientation is different, they pursue a different goal. Examples of these types:

• Scientific research,
• creation of works of art,
• social activities.

Sublimation according to Freud is the redirection of negative energy to work or to the creation of socially important objects. The psychologist was sure that “civilization” is created in conditions when the energy of sublimation is transformed into something useful for society.

Many psychotherapists adhere to the theory that all great works of art were created in the process of sublimation associated with mental torment, unrequited love, dissatisfaction.

The concept also implies a transition from one mental state to another: melancholy is replaced by happiness, sadness by pleasure.

We have already found out what sublimation is in psychology. Usually the process occurs unconsciously, but sometimes it can be carried out purposefully. To do this, you don’t need to make titanic efforts, but just learn to hear and understand yourself:

1. Allow yourself to dream, develop your imagination. Let your dreams be the wildest, this is the secret. Great discoveries happen when a person gives free rein to his imagination
2. Learn to listen to your intuition. After all, it is largely thanks to her that people do things that can be difficult to decide on, and as a result they win.
3. Learn to let new people into your life and take every new day as a gift, and not as something for granted. This will bring you a feeling of lightness and gratitude.

You can trace how the sublimation of energy manifests itself at different stages of human life. At an early age, the sublimation of energy through artistic creativity can become established as a favorite activity, and a person can use the method throughout his life. Attraction is encoded in the symbols and the brightness of the colors used.

Adolescents will need additional forms to transform the “drive breakthrough.” Children aged 11-15 years begin to actively train and play sports, their sublimation energy is spent through movement. Sometimes they change sections if they do not find the desired expression of energy through the chosen sport. At the same time, they are engaged in intellectual, cognitive activities.

In young people, sublimation energy is spent on labor activity. Favorite work and rewards bring pleasure to the body and mind.

Adults enjoy the opportunity to realize their fantasies with their loved one. Elderly people are engaged in growing vegetables, fruits, and landscaping the area near their house.

It is interesting that this process occurs differently in men and women. Women mainly transform love by transferring their activity into areas of activity such as raising children, caring for the home, fitness, needlework or painting.

In men, the energy of sublimation is directed to the area of ​​​​sexual activity, although they are able to transform it into something beautiful. Representatives of the stronger sex often dive headfirst into work, build a career, and devote themselves entirely to what they love: hunting, fishing, sports, music. The main thing is that they approach this with soul.

Sublimation

By heating solids, we can observe the process of their melting and then the evaporation of the liquid. When the temperature decreases, the reverse process occurs. However, sometimes with an increase in the temperature of a crystalline substance, it does not melt, but immediately evaporates. An important parameter in this case is not only the temperature, but also the pressure above the surface of the solid.

A solid contains molecules that have sufficient energy to overcome the attraction exerted by other molecules. These “energetic” molecules can break away from the surface of a solid and end up in the surrounding space.

The process of transition of a solid state of a substance into the gaseous phase, without its transition into a liquid, is called sublimation or sublimation.

Sublimation occurs at a certain temperature and pressure and is accompanied by the absorption of heat. Sublimation is a first-order phase transition.

The sublimation process is accompanied by an increase in the internal energy of the system. In crystalline packing, particles oscillate around equilibrium positions. The distances between them correspond to the minimum interaction energy at a given body temperature. During the process of sublimation, the spatial lattice is destroyed, the distances between particles increase, this leads to an increase in the energy of interaction between them.

During sublimation, the energy of each molecule changes, therefore, the more molecules there are in the body, the greater the energy consumption that occurs during the phase transition.

$Q=e_0 N (1).$

$λ=e_0/m_0$ and

$ m=m_0 N (2),$

• $λ$ – specific heat of phase transition (sublimation);
• $ m_0$ is the mass of one molecule of a substance; m is the mass of the entire substance.

The distances between particles during sublimation become approximately ten times greater than in the solid state. Whereas when a substance melts, the distances between the molecules do not change very significantly relative to the distances in the crystalline body. Consequently, the specific heat of fusion is significantly less than the specific heat of sublimation.

As the pressure increases, the sublimation temperature increases.

Desublimation is the reverse process of sublimation. During desublimation, crystallization occurs from a gaseous state without the substance passing into the liquid phase. During desublimation, heat is released.

Sublimation in men

Representatives of both sexes can transfer their sexual impulses to something else and ultimately create a real masterpiece. This explains what sublimation is. There are several options for how men sublimate energy:

1. They plunge headlong into professional activities. In other words, they devote all their energy to their career, and there is simply no mental or physical reserve left for other goals and aspirations.
2. They start to get creative. On such days, real masterpieces can be created, which only great masters can do.
3. They play sports intensively. Physical activity can be large and regular.
4. They devote themselves completely to their favorite hobby. These can be active sports, fishing, hunting, music.

but on the other hand

No matter what anyone says, not everyone can sublimate. A person whose sexual energy is overflowing may not engage in creative activities or devote himself to work. On the contrary, when their desires are suppressed, such people become aggressive and even go as far as assault and violence.

Attention! A striking example of this behavior is demonstrated by serial killers and rapists when they commit sexual crimes.

What is sublimation, we study

Sublimation as a way of psychological protection

How to sublimate correctly?

It is important to know where and how to sublimate energy. Here are some tips on how to learn a purposeful transition mechanism:

1. It is important to learn to accept every new day and every person in life as a gift.
2. You need to allow yourself the wildest dreams and at the same time develop your imagination. This is one of the most important principles of the transformation mechanism. With the help of imagination, the best discoveries can arise.
3. You need to rely on your intuition. Together with imagination, it can help catch those ideas that are floating in the air. Sometimes this is what defines genius.
4. Most talented inventors used the so-called “black hole effect,” when they locked themselves in a dark room and thus became completely abstract. This allowed the psyche to abstract from what was happening around and focus on certain tasks.
5. It is important to remember that emotional highs are similar to the state of falling in love. It is necessary to live through a situation with such feelings where there is a desire to succeed in something.

The concept of sublimated sexuality is usually understood as the transition of sexual desire into creativity. Sexual energy is the most powerful and accessible. When a person changes something in this area, he feels an improvement in well-being, perceives the world differently, creative possibilities increase, and relationships with people become better.

When a creative person talks about his muse and inspiration, he means the object that will help the energy transform into creative energy. Until now, psychologists have not figured out how the transition of sexual energy into creative energy occurs. We can say with confidence that this has happened to everyone at least once in their life.

According to experts, self-destruction is the result of a violation of the instinct of aggression, which is designed to support life. However, a person needs energy sublimation. There are such methods of this kind of discharge:

1. Transferring emotions to inanimate objects.
2. Discharge using psychoanalytic methods.
3. Increasing self-esteem through art, science and education.
4. Playing sports is an incentive to defuse aggression and demonstrate healthy competition.
5. Using inspiration for something that really matters, rather than against imaginary opponents.

General concept

Sublimation in physics is the process of transition of a substance from a solid to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state.
In another way it is called sublimation of the substance. This process is accompanied by the absorption of energy (in physics this energy is called “heat of sublimation”). The process is very important and has wide application in experimental physics. You may be interested in: Here are fresh riddles about vitamins for the prevention of sore throat!

Desublimation, on the contrary, is the process of transition of a substance from a gaseous to a solid state. Another name for this process is “deposition”. It is completely the opposite of sublimation. During deposition, energy is released rather than absorbed, and in very large quantities. Desublimation is also very important, but it is much more difficult to give an example of its targeted use by a person, especially in everyday life.