Qui j'ose aimer : parents séparés, vécu dépressif et devenir du féminin

Abstract

During a persistent violence among the parents in parental separation, either expressed in words, or acted, insidiously latent, the child, and the daughter in particular, is trapped in a loyalty conflict and a depressive mood. Conflict elaboration can be blocked and femininity identification capacities can be hindered. Moreover, the relationship between a mother and her daughter can lead to a “devastation” either in a kind of homosexual fusion or through an experience of hatred. The importance of the depressive elements can be observed in a large number of children confronted with these situations of endless conflict. They can appear in different ways, and through clinical observations, three types can be distinguished: • The expression of explicit depressive feelings, appearing as well in the speech of the child, as through her projective productions. • The transposition, with or without verbal or non-verbal expressions, of a depressive core with somatic symptoms (vomiting, headaches). • The acting out, being a kind of psychic tension release, which cannot free itself by means of a mental and symbolic elaboration.