Similarly, in his social concepts Reich interwove a series of affirmations of gen-
ital life, connecting them with a psychiatric theory that provided distinctions many liber-
tarians were unable to perceive. That is, it made all the difference in the world not just
whether the child masturbated, but whether the masturbation was motivated by genital
pleasure or as a means of discharging anger and anxiety. It made all the difference in the
world whether a person, in rejecting compulsive monogamy, moved on to a “lasting love
relationship” or, incapable of that kind of closeness, was promiscuous. Without such
precise distinctions, conservatives could cite (as they still do) the unhappily masturbating
child or the compulsively driven Don Juan as proof that the “living out” of sexual
impulses led to misery and chaos.
As usual, Reich sought support for his social concepts just as he had for his clin-
ical ones. Yet his sex-political work aroused considerable opposition, especially among
psychoanalytic colleagues. And it contributed to the deterioration of his marriage to
Annie.
11 : The Application of Sex-economic Concepts on the Social Scene The Sex-pol: 1927-1930 141