Transgressive eroticism and the making and unmaking of the self beyond the object body.

Transgressive eroticism, particularly the phenomenon of 'Overlove,' can both construct and dissolve embodied selfhood. Hyper-intense erotic practices are not merely psychopathological symptoms but existential strategies that disrupt normative consciousness and enable new forms of self-other relations. Drawing on Georges Bataille's writings, clinical literature, and literary case studies, the analysis shows that transgressive eroticism acts as an 'anti-moral' force dismantling subject-object binaries, revealing an elemental layer of being. It dissolves self-boundaries through dissipation and ecstatic union with others, operating as existential praxis. This reframing challenges entrenched psychiatric binaries and advocates for a clinical ethos attentive to both hazards and generative potential, uncovering utopian possibilities for new collective intimacies.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper examines transgressive eroticism-specifically the phenomenon of "Overlove"-as an experiential field that both constructs and dissolves embodied selfhood. It asks how hyper-intense erotic practices function not merely as psychopathological symptoms but as existential strategies that disrupt normative consciousness and enable novel forms of self-other relations. Through phenomenological and conceptual analysis, the study draws on Georges Bataille's writings, clinical literature on psychopathology, and interpretive readings of literary and case-study material to map the experiential structures and effects of transgressive eroticism on bodily consciousness. Transgressive eroticism acts as an "anti-moral" force that dismantles subject-object binaries, revealing an elemental layer of being; it dissolves self-boundaries via dissipation and ecstatic union with others. These practices operate as existential praxis rather than mere pathological symptoms. The phenomenology of transgressive eroticism uncovers utopian potentials for new collective intimacies. By reframing overlove as a dialectical engagement with the boundaries of selfhood, this study challenges entrenched psychiatric binaries and advocates for a clinical ethos attentive to both its hazards and its generative potential. Future research should investigate how the understanding of transgressive erotic practices can enrich therapeutic strategies, ethical frameworks, and theoretical models of identity, agency, and relationality. Level V: Opinions of respected authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.