Sublimate

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(pronounced sub-luh-mayt)  verb

Definition

1. to divert the energy of a primitive (especially sexual) impulse or desire from its unacceptable form to one that is more moral and productive or one that is more acceptable. 2. to modify the expression of an instinctual impulse or drive into a form or activity that is higher, more pleasing, or more acceptable (socially, culturally, ethically, etc.).

Main Example

• You may have noticed that, in recent months, whenever Americans have suggested the appointment of a blue-ribbon panel to investigate the Russian meddling in our elections, they invariably add the words “a panel or commission just like the famous 9-11 Commission.” Given that, this might be an opportune moment to salute “the four New Jersey women” who were instrumental in the creation of that esteemed panel. Having lost their husbands in the Sept. 11 attacks, these four widows, who have also come to be known as “The Jersey Girls” and “The Jersey Widows,” sublimated their grief by relentlessly prodding lawmakers in Washington to order a high level investigation into the tragic events of that day.

Workplace Examples

• We had a great speaker the other day. Her message was basically this: Every top-school M.B.A. is not going to become a big-time CEO or some other high profile figure, and those who “fall behind” in the corporate rat race can easily sublimate that frustration or disappointment into pursuing, in their personal time, a “higher” calling such as a religious, social, or environmental cause.
• There was a time when Frank, who does not suffer fools gladly, didn’t hesitate to show his contempt quite plainly for others’ actions or ideas that he felt were dumb. But, over the years, he has mellowed a lot and now he typically sublimates his annoyance at people’s stupidities by making some sort of a humorous comment.

Other Examples

• a male employee confiding to a colleague: “When I first came to work in this mecca of high fashion, I had a hard time staying focused on my job because of the vast number of extremely gorgeous women who work here...they really turned me on, which initially became a big distraction. However, I was soon able to conquer these distractions by sublimating my sexual urges to the goal of making my work so good as to win the professional admiration and respect of these ‘goddesses.’”
• some historians claiming that Thomas Jefferson’s affair with the slave Sally Hemings was to “sublimate his unrequited love” for Maria Cosway, an Englishwoman he had met in Paris
• the extraordinarily inspiring story of the late Louis Zamperini, Olympian and WWII soldier and the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s famous non-fiction book “Unbroken,” who sublimated his hatred for those who had tortured him in a Japanese prison camp by forgiving them and then traveling to Japan to publicly extend a hand of friendship
• John Walsh, whose six-year-old son Adam was kidnapped and subsequently murdered in 1981, sublimating his great pain and indignation into positive action by devoting his life to helping missing and exploited children
• You are probably familiar with the classic movie “High Noon,” in which Gary Cooper plays a small-town sheriff who is not in control of the dangerous situation fast developing, and who is constantly and unsuccessfully urging other prominent townsmen to join forces with him to subdue a gang of criminals. Well, did you know that the lead role was first offered to several other top actors of the day, including Gregory Peck, all of whom turned it down because it clashed with their self-image? By sublimating his ego to inhabit that role, Cooper turned out such an inspiring and memorable performance that it won him an Oscar. “High Noon” is registered as a national treasure with the Library of Congress.

© 2019 V.J. Singal
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