I Hate The Cannibalism Metaphor

Self-Consumption and the Desire for Wholeness; I don't actually hate it but there's layers.

The act of self-consumption, whether through the biting of nails or the more metaphorical urge to devour someone out of love, carries psychological and philosophical weight. Autocannibalism, defined as consuming parts of one's own body, is viewed as a pathological behavior. Yet, when placed within a broader category it can take on meanings that fly past simple compulsion. 

At the core of autocannibalism lies a deep psychological need for control. Acts like biting hangnails or consuming dead skin are often associated with obsessive-compulsive behaviors or anxiety disorders. According to Freud, such acts could be linked to the death drive (Thanatos), which Freud believed represented an unconscious compulsion to self-destruct or return to an inorganic state. The act of consuming oneself, even in small ways, can be viewed as a manifestation of this drive—the individual controls their own destruction, thus defying the passive act of decay.

Freud’s notion of repetition compulsion also plays a role here. Many individuals who engage in autocannibalism experience the compulsion to repeat this behavior, as it provides temporary relief from underlying anxiety. This act of self-consumption can be seen as an attempt to "internalize" distress, turning emotional or mental chaos into a tangible form through the physical body. The satisfaction one feels after biting or consuming parts of themselves may be rooted in this sense of control over both body and mind.

Beyond Freud, modern psychological research has shown that conditions such as dermatophagia (the compulsion to eat one’s skin) are often associated with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, anxiety, and stress. These acts serve as coping mechanisms, turning overwhelming psychological discomfort into something physically manageable. In this light, autocannibalism can be viewed as a response to emotional turmoil—a way of reclaiming ownership over one's own body in moments of distress.

The concept of consuming another person, whether through figurative or literal cannibalism, introduces a question: Is consumption a form of love, or is it a selfish act of ownership? Consider the quote, “I could eat my way to perdition to taste you.” On the surface, this expression reflects an intense desire to internalize the beloved completely, to make them part of oneself. However, underlying this sentiment is the tension between love and possession—by consuming someone, do we honor them, or do we take ownership of their existence?

Sartre’s existential philosophy provides valuable insight into this question. Sartre argued that love often involves an attempt to possess the beloved, to make them an object of one's desire. In relationships, people strive for a kind of “ownership” over the other, desiring to be the central focus of their partner’s attention and affection. In this sense, cannibalism can be viewed as the ultimate expression of ownership—by consuming another person, the boundaries between self and other are obliterated, and the beloved becomes wholly integrated into the lover.

Yet, this act of consumption is not purely selfish. Many cultures and traditions have viewed cannibalism as an act of veneration or honor. For instance, in certain rituals, consuming the flesh of a loved one or a revered leader was seen as a way to internalize their spirit, ensuring that they would live on within the community. Cannibalism here becomes an expression of devotion, a desire to merge with the other as a means of ultimate reverence. Whether literal or figurative, this type of consumption may reflect the lover’s wish to honor and preserve the beloved forever within themselves.

This merging represents not just an ending, but an absolute one—a point of no return where one ceases to be separate from the consumed object.

Philosophically, this desire for totality echoes Kant’s and Schopenhauer’s ideas of the sublime. For Kant, the sublime is an encounter with something so vast and overwhelming that it defies comprehension. Self-destruction or self-consumption, in this context, can be seen as a confrontation with the void—a recognition of one’s smallness in the face of death, decay, or oblivion. In consuming oneself, one faces the ultimate annihilation of self, transcending the boundaries of existence.

This idea is embedded in Romantic literature. Poets like Byron and Shelley wrote about the overwhelming desire for ultimate union with the beloved, often equating love with death. In these works, love is not a force that preserves life but one that consumes and destroys. The yearning for such totality becomes an encounter with the sublime, where love’s natural conclusion is the dissolution of the self.

From a biological and evolutionary standpoint, cannibalism has a clear survival function. In times of extreme scarcity, cannibalism served as a way to ensure survival. Self-consumption, for instance, could be viewed as a remnant of this survival mechanism, where the body feeds off itself in moments of extreme distress or deprivation.

Research in neuroscience sheds light on why autocannibalistic behaviors, such as skin-picking or nail-biting, can be so compulsive. These acts activate the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and satisfaction.

Behavioral disorders like trichotillomania (hair-pulling) or excoriation disorder (skin-picking) illustrate the brain’s role in self-destructive behaviors. These disorders are linked to dysregulated dopamine pathways, where the brain craves the sensation of relief that comes from self-inflicted harm.

Is consuming someone or something an act of ultimate dedication? Nietzsche wrote extensively about the will to power, suggesting that human beings are driven by a fundamental desire to assert control over their environment. In this sense, consuming another person could be seen as the ultimate expression of power and mastery—On the other hand, Georges Bataille’s writings on eroticism and transgression provide a counterpoint to this interpretation. For Bataille, acts of transgression, including cannibalism, are not about power but about dissolving boundaries between individuals. In this view, consuming the beloved is not an act of selfishness but one of ultimate unity—a merging of two beings into one, driven by love rather than control.

In both self-consumption and the consumption of another, we find a romantic desire for totality, for a complete merging of self and other. While these acts may be driven by love, dedication, or even reverence, they are equally rooted in selfishness—