Whims and Obsessions
On a philosophical and psychoanalytical breakdown of whims and obsessions, and which is better...
“I should say I was gratifying a whim.’ He smiled for the first time and looked at me. ‘But I don’t think you have anything so frivolous as whims, do you?’ It was cold. I drew myself closer to him. ‘An impossibility. You could only have obsessions.’”
As soon as I read this line in Dawson’s novel I knew I had to unpack it more. For what is the difference between a whim and an obsession? Which is better? Are they destructive or productive?
Both terms can be defined as:
Whims — a sudden wish or idea, especially one that cannot be reasonably explained
Obsessions — something or someone that you think about all the time
At first glance, I was surprised that Dawson’s line seemed to favour obsessions over whims. Whims felt lighter, whereas obsessions have always carried negative connotations — you know, like a stalker. But after these definitions I realised this distinction makes sense. Whims are sudden and often irrational. Obsessions, even if fraught, are long-term. They suggest a hidden rationality, some unconscious logic guiding attention over time.
I had intended to look at this line through the lens of philosophers, but I soon found that psychoanalysis was also fruitful — which again makes sense given the plot of the novel! I shall weave between different thinkers and decipher what a whim and an obsession could be.
Søren Kierkegaard
Whims:
Kierkegaard has the Aesthete which could be considered a whim. The aesthete represents a state of life that is defined by pursuit of pleasure in escape of boredom. Living selfishly this means avoiding commitment and inevitably leads to a fragmented identity.
This is someone who lives for the moment. They chase arbitrary impulses to avoid boredom. A whim is but a survival tool for those who do not want a fixed identity, thus they shift from one idea to another. Think of it as trend hopping.
Obsessions:
Obsessions, on the other hand, are caught up with anxiety about human freedom. Diverging from a psychological framework as an existentialist, Kierkegaard saw obsession as a retreat from the discomfort of self-reflection. The solution to removing obsessions then is to embrace anxiety.
Reflections:
Based on Kierkegaard’s distinction between whims and obsessions I don’t think either are particularly healthy — perhaps the original quote did not intend for one to be! Obsessions as a escape mechanism from anxiety does make sense. Likewise, I do see whims as being a form of trend hopping. Jumping from hobby to hobby because you don’t want to settle down. I think there is a lot of food for thought here.
If you’re interested in learning more about Kierkegaard, try this.
Sigmund Freud
Notes upon a Case of Obsession Neurosis
You cannot have a research session without Freud popping up.
Whims:
For Freud the whim could be seen as a formation between the id and the ego. A socially acceptable outlet for something deeper. It would be some sudden or trivial desire that would have currently hidden origins.
Nonetheless, these whims would inevitably be obsessions for Freud as very few desires are random
Obsessions:
Obsessions are quite clear to pick out in Freud’s work. Obsessional neurosis is a condition that would be driven by intrusive and ritualistic behaviour. They function as compromises between repressed desires and the ego’s defences. These are typical mental conflicts and don’t exhibit themselves outwards.
Reflections:
Perhaps Freud is somewhat correct? Perhaps whims and obsessions are but the same thing but at different stages? That is why they are so difficult to distinctly identify?
These questions made me consider the etymology of both terms.
Obsession is from the 1510s. It had originally meant blocking up. In the 1600’s it had adapted to mean ‘hostile action from an evil spirit’. And finally in the late 1670’s it came to be similar to today’s defintion.
Meanwhile whims is from the 1640’s and once meant fanciful object. And then in the late 1690’s it came to take it’s meaning today.
I think both older meanings say a lot about each term.
Jacques Lacan
Seminar XI: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis
For you cannot have Freud without Lacan either!
Whims:
Desire is like a whim for Lacan. It’s not a tangible object, but a placeholder for what has been lost. It represents the unattainable, the gap between the need and demand. Lacan categorises desire as a metonymy — an endless shifting from one object to the next.
Obsessions:
The Drive is an obsession for Lacan. The drive is seeking partial satisfaction in a circle and repetitive way. It is more than pleasure, it is jouissance — painful excessive enjoyment. In sum, there is an element of suffering to it.
Reflections:
Lacan’s desire sounds a lot like whims to me. The repeated idea across both terms is that whims are temporary, whereas obsession is long term and repetitive.
Maurice Merleau Ponty
Whims:
For Ponty a whim could be seen as a sudden shift in intentionality, it is the body’s pre-reflective redirection toward a new possibility. As a phenomenologist, this would emerge from perception and desire that already structures the world.
Obsessions:
Contrastingly, obsessions are about the narrowing of the field. Obsession means you are caught up with past, present and future possibilities. You are stiffened and the world is organised by a single theme
Reflections:
I have always been favourable to phenomenology for it’s practicality, I think Ponty demonstrates this quite well in these short snippets I have included.
I like the idea that they are both of the same ‘field’ and it’s like closing or opening a camera. Whims are when the camera is open and obsessions are when they are closed — you are unopened to new ways of seeing.
Both obsession and whims seem to be mysterious but these theories have helped me clarify my perception and relationship to them. I can see strengths from a psychoanalytical framework, but the phenomenological one makes the most sense to me.
I do, however, remain quite hesitant about whims. I still think they are more dangerous than obsessions. They are too temporary and remind me of trend hopping.