La abstinencia como ética de deseo

Abstract

The principle of abstinence occupies a central place in psychoanalytic technique since Freud’s early formulations, yet it is often reduced to a rule of conduct, a moral requirement, or a form of analyst neutrality. This article argues that abstinence should not be understood as a negative technique or ascetic prescription, but rather as a structural and ethical position that preserves lack as the condition of possibility for desire and analytic work. Through a close reading of key Freudian texts, abstinence is shown to function as a technical requirement aimed at sustaining transference without resolving it through imaginary satisfaction. Lacan’s reformulation displaces this principle toward the notion of the analyst’s desire, situating abstinence at the core of the analytic act and distinguishing it from both neutrality and arbitrary frustration. Finally, these theoretical developments are articulated with the challenges of contemporary clinical practice, marked by the imperative of well-being and demands for rapid solutions, in order to show that abstinence remains a crucial form of ethical resistance against the saturation of meaning and enjoyment.