Obeyeskere argues that some Sri Lankan Buddhist-Hindus have resolved their psychological conflicts through the use of personal (but not private) symbols which have cultural meaning and the capacity to communicate emotional messages to other members of the society. Specifically, he examines the cases of female ascetics with matted hair, which he contends symbolizes a sort of divine penis to the women themselves while communicating a message of fear and revulsion to the public.
Obeyeskere says these women have objectified, or projected and externalized, their psychic pain in these matted locks, thereby allowing them to function as symptoms. But, because the locks are culturally intelligible they also serve as symbols and are capable of bestowing on the person a new social role, i.e. priestess rather than patient. He contends that the dominant emotion being objectified by the female ascetics is guilt, and that their personal experiences leading up to the development of matted hair constitute an orderly sequence of events which overtly dramatizes their inner turmoil while still adhering to the guidelines of the cultural myth model involved.
The symbol of matted hair is optional for ascetics, and is subject to manipulation by the person adopting it so it can be mae to fit her individual intrapsychic needs while continuing to function in a cultural idiom. Obeyeskere maintains that because the choice of the symbol involves option and manipulation, it is definitely linked to deep (or unconscious) motivation and, therefore, can only be understood with reference to the life experiences of the individual utilizing the symbol.
The typical sequence of life events includes the following: 1) the rejection of sexual love and a movement away from all marital and family relationships, 2) the intensification of the relationship with a god, and 3) the development of matted hair as a gift from the god as a sign of his love and a symbol of hi...