A Plea for Monogamy

The author argues that stable marriage depends on monogamous, emotionally informed relationships in which spouses cultivate mutual erotic fulfillment rather than reverting to ancestral selfishness. Drawing on psychoanalytic ideas about the unconscious, autoerotism, reassociation, and the organic basis of emotions, he diagnoses modern emotional unrest and examines how instincts, repression, and social comparisons shape marital behavior. He outlines practical forms of self-control and emotional leadership intended to create a home spirit and secure the wife’s erotic satisfaction. These psychological and practical prescriptions are presented as means to reduce divorce, prostitution, and marital alienation.