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PubMed1986

Identification and its vicissitudes as observed in children: a developmental approach.

In the last thirty-five years, theories derived from observational studies on normally developing infants and toddlers as well as on children with severe pathology have augmented Freud's original contribution to the theory of identification. Mahler's formulations, in particular, are used in this paper to demonstrate the importance for identification of the mutual interaction between mother (or caregiver) and even the very young infant, and to delineate the gradual process by which are achieved intrapsychic self and object-representations. The thread of identification is followed from earliest mirroring of the young infant to post-oedipal ego identifications. I present aspects of the treatment of a borderline adopted boy to demonstrate problems in identification which occurs in part because his two primary caregivers competed to such a degree for possession of him, each demanding loyalty to herself and to herself alone, that his identity and identifications were confused, in fact duplicated. This white child had as his alter-ego, really as part of his self-representation, a black half of the self, personified as a black boy whom he fantasized to be his twin.

Adoption↗
PubMed1986

Working with women survivors of the Holocaust: affective experiences in transference and countertransference.

This paper describes and discusses some late effects of massive traumatization on two women survivors of the Holocaust. Both had appeared to recover from their affective experience of psychic death and hopelessness in Auschwitz and to have moved towards a resumption of further stages of the life cycle. The normal transitional crises of adolescence, when children emotionally separate from their parents, led to severe breakdown in both these patients. Analysis showed that denial, repression and splitting had enabled them to distance themselves from the overwhelming horror of their past, but it had also led to concrete thinking as opposed to metaphorical, and to non-differentiation of psychic and somatic pain. Their inability to dream and the absence of fantasy life in the material could neither facilitate the analytic task of working through these patients' unbearable experience, nor enable them at first to face and recover unbearable affects during the course of the analysis. Hence the analyst's acceptance of an unbearable countertransference and careful monitoring of the affects evoked proved to be an invaluable tool.

Affect↗
PubMed1986

Two complementary cases of identification involving 'Third Reich' fathers.

The paper describes two complementary personality structures resulting from the identification processes of two patients whose fathers had believed in the 'Third Reich'. When the Nazi regime collapsed, both fathers failed to admit to their beliefs, developing a personality split characterized by 'double conscience', but each in a different way. The most conspicuous difference between the respective sons lay in their approach to reality. However, the two personality structures are virtually complementary and, taken together, make up a single structure deriving from Nazi ideology. This structure manifests itself in an extreme anal need to exercise power and control (the role of a perpetrator) and, conversely, the oral need to be dependent (the role of a victim) in a submissive relationship which has been idealized into a fateful promise. The polar extremes of submission and exertion of power exist in both patients. It is only a matter of time before the defence of experiencing oneself as a victim meets up with the repressed experience of harbouring the intentions of the perpetrator.

Fathers↗
PubMed1986

Adolescence and psychosis.

In this paper, I discuss how the specific developmental function of adolescence can result in behaviour and thought which resemble the adult psychoses but which, in most circumstances, are fundamentally different from the adult psychoses. Anybody who treats the seriously disturbed adolescent will be familiar with a simple and obvious characteristic of these adolescents--it is an irreconcilable, unanswerable quest to alter the image of the body. If we try to understand the psychotic manifestations or psychoses of adolescence, we must differentiate between (i) a psychotic episode, (ii) psychotic functioning, and (iii) psychosis. The assessment of psychosis must be reserved only for a very special category of disorder in adolescence and must not be confused with either a psychotic episode or psychotic functioning.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Oedipus and insight.

Insight is a core concept in psychoanalytic theory. The Oedipus myth has been a central metaphor in the evolution of psychoanalytic theory, particularly the psychoanalytic theory of development. Similarly, Sophocles' drama, its relation to the myth, and its repeated reinterpretation throughout the ages provide a valuable metaphor for our understanding of the role of insight in psychoanalysis and in development. We may have underestimated the importance of insight in normal development while oversimplifying its significance as an agent of therapeutic change.

Drama↗
PubMed1986

Keats's oral imagination: "'Tis not through envy".

This study of four of Keats's greatest poems explores a dynamic pattern in the poet's imagination: a relationship between the oral/fusional imagery and the romantic/oedipal themes. The poet's imagination seems to have been propelled backward from oedipal conflict to earlier narcissistic/oral unrest and pleasure. There is a layering of special psychic capabilities evident in Keats's imagination: an element of oedipal romance which stabilizes the process of sublimation, a sense of magical play and danger in the maternal/oral imagery, and powerful narcissistic longins organized through the desire to communicate and the gift for expression.

Anxiety, Castration↗
PubMed1985

On the place of siblings in psychoanalysis.

In summary, this paper is a beginning attempt to close a gap that has existed in the psychoanalytic literature. Scant attention has been paid to the significance of sibling relationships, which have largely been relegated to an ancillary position as the cause of rivalry and envy. It is the contention of this paper that sibling relationships are of far greater significance to ego development, to structural and defensive considerations, and to self and object representations. Further, efforts have been made to delineate some of the ways in which sibling relationships can foster or abet the emergence of pathology in patients. Through the presentation of case studies, it has been shown that siblings are significant objects of internalization and that sibling contacts deserve attention in the analysis of personality development, psychodynamics and in the psychoanalytic treatment process.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Progression, regression, and child analytic technique.

A detailed example is presented of analytic work with a latency age youngster. The technical problems encountered in the analysis of such a child are discussed in order to consider how child analysis can help to elucidate what is involved in the psychoanalytic process.

Assertiveness↗