Entre soi et non-soi, l’espace de la rencontre. La paradoxalité du vivant

Abstract

ObjectivesHuman beings are characterized by a paradox, which is that on the one hand they draw nourishment from others, and on the other they possess a reflexive consciousness whereby they proclaim their difference. The purpose of this paper is to show how this paradox opens onto a particular view of psychiatric disorders. MethodsThe paradox is analyzed in adolescents, who are apprehended here as revealers of human contradictions. Adolescence is indeed a period of adjustment that can serve as a model for the investigation of responses to personality-disorganizing threats or other entities in the field of psychopathology. ResultsIn adolescents, destructiveness is always a possible response to emotional overwhelming. For the most vulnerable adolescents, behaviors under influence (groups, gangs, sects) are often a way to preserve the unity of the self, and to find an active role. Thus psychiatric disorders can be considered as adaptive behaviors intended to defend one's own territory. DiscussionReflexive consciousness allows the development of a sense of continuity of the self, with a differentiation of the inside from the outside, self from non-self, which are the matrices of identity. Adaptive behaviors are not so foolish from the standpoint of the subject, but they become pathogenic when they destroy bonds. The progression towards destructiveness or towards creativity can depend on the quality of encounters with significant persons, whether family members, peers, caregivers or educators. There are therefore strategies that need to be implemented to strengthen narcissistic foundations, and the feeling of having a value, for oneself and for others. ConclusionsAdults should show their confidence in life and in the adolescent, with the conviction that there are other ways of existing than being one's own executioner.