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Self-flagellation is often understood as self-punishment. History teaches us, however, that the same physical act has taken various psychological meanings. This chapter starts with the origins of religious self-flagellation. The practice of flagellation was nevertheless kept alive in most religious orders and congregations, especially in newly created orders such as the Jesuits. Since the publication of The Civilizing Process by the sociologist Norbert Elias (1897-1990), we expect a given culture to evolve from a phase of restraint imposed by others to one of self-restraint. According to Freud, the superego's self-punishing function presupposes a deeper psychological structure, that of narcissism. Using Elias's scheme, we can investigate the extent to which the introduction of self-flagellation as discipline was a sign of a broader turn to self-restraint. Keywords: Jesuits; narcissism; Norbert Elias; self-flagellation; self-restraint; The Civilizing Process
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Self-flagellation is often understood as self-punishment. History teaches us, however, that the same physical act has taken various psychological meanings. This chapter starts with the origins of religious self-flagellation. The practice of flagellation was nevertheless kept alive in most religious orders and congregations, especially in newly created orders such as the Jesuits. Since the publication of The Civilizing Process by the sociologist Norbert Elias (1897-1990), we expect a given culture to evolve from a phase of restraint imposed by others to one of self-restraint. According to Freud, the superego's self-punishing function presupposes a deeper psychological structure, that of narcissism. Using Elias's scheme, we can investigate the extent to which the introduction of self-flagellation as discipline was a sign of a broader turn to self-restraint. Keywords: Jesuits; narcissism; Norbert Elias; self-flagellation; self-restraint; The Civilizing Process
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