Psychic Structure Research Articles

Role of maternal imago transformation in psychotherapeutic process

In modern psychology, the topic of human attachments is part of the issue of social relations between people, their regulation in the field of education, upbringing, and psychotherapy. The formation of attachment types is rooted in family communication systems characterized by family rules, personal boundaries, and direct communication. Individual and family psychotherapy offers many effective tools for developing family systems and compensating for the negative effects of their influence on the individual. The family system allows each family member to consolidate the foundations of narcissistic identity, as well as become a subject of their own history and a social subject. Each child is born mentally in the heart of an existing family psychic apparatus, which is supported by a socio-cultural matrix. Culture contains and maintains the syncretic background of the psyche and supports the process of psychic structuring. Interactions and affective exchange have psychic consequences, and the emergence of representations demonstrates the role of caregivers. Psychoanalytic theory is based on the basic premise that the representation of an object arises from the reactivation of traces of pleasure associated with the experience of need satisfaction that unites infants and their mothers. An exceptional place in the inner life of a person is occupied by the unconscious image of the mother, the maternal imago, the change of which entails a transformation of attitudes towards the world, society, people and oneself, which has led to the relevance of this research topic. The object of study of the article is the maternal imago. The subject of the study is the process of transformation of the maternal imago in psychoanalytic work. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the possibility of changing the maternal imago in the process of psychoanalytic work and the reflection of these changes on the client’s attitude towards himself and others.

Learning to Trust: Two Clinical Journeys

In this paper, the author seeks to honor Joseph Palombo’s legacy through presenting two treatments of young women whose severe child abuse has caused not only PTSD, but also damage to their capacity to develop an integrated and positive identity with stable self-esteem. To provide a context for the clinical material, a brief overview of self psychology is presented. When what is called the “empathic mode of listening” is consistently utilized by the therapist, patients generally develop selfobject transferences, which function to temporarily stabilize the patient’s fragmented self. Over time, the psychoanalytic exploration of these transferences gradually leads to their internalization in the form of more integrated psychic structure, more stable self-esteem, and less vulnerability to fragmentation. The therapeutic journeys of Emily and Maia, including my own at times intense internal responses to them, illustrate in detail and depth how this process has enabled them to begin to feel an integrated sense of self and enhanced self-esteem, despite the traumatic impact of their extreme child abuse and severe PTSD. They also illustrate how a self psychologically informed treatment, often in conjunction with medication, can be a powerful tool in promoting recovery from even extreme child abuse.

Sure It Works in Practice, but Does It Work in Theory? Appreciating Fred Pine.

Fred Pine is a major contributor to contemporary Freudian analytic work. He expanded the breadth of clinical psychoanalysis by showing how the analyst could integrate ever expanding perspectives in analysis, and he expanded its depth through greater insight into how development affects psychic structure and, thereby, the context within which unconscious conflict and compromise is experienced and processed. Both of these-his expansion of potential variables implicated in the process of dynamic conflict and his developmental focus on structural deficit-have led to a way of Freudian thinking that is highly assimilative and integrative. Pine's focus on integrating disparate points of view-not different theories, but clinical observations that are featured in different overall theories-illuminates clinical possibility and nuance. Pine's work leads to questions about the relation of psychoanalytic theory to analytic practice and the definition of contemporary Freudian psychoanalysis itself.

Khe Sanh and Jung

Abstract This paper looks at the 2015 use of the Australian rock song Khe Sanh by far-right nationalist group Reclaim Australia and how it points to deeper archetypal dynamics at play, which are driving the appearance and behaviour of groups like this. Drawing from the work of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung, I treat the song as an expression of the archetype of the fallen hero, who confronts darkness but cannot reintegrate back into the social world and, instead, remains fallen. As I discuss, this song resonates deeply with Reclaim Australia members because it reflects their own ideological conceptions of their place in the changing Australian nation. I use a Jungian archetypal approach because it allows us to explore the underlying psychic structure and instinctive patterns that drive the behaviour of groups like this. Where other approaches may simply focus on the behaviour, an archetypal approach goes much deeper, addressing the root of the behaviour.

Petrification, Chaos, Primitive Triangulation and the Therapeutic Power of Game-Play

ABSTRACT This article discusses the use of traditional structured games such as Monopoly, Draughts, War and UNO, in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children in severely disturbed states of mind. The author focuses on two opposite poles of disturbance: states of psychic petrification, typical of children on the Autism spectrum, and states of chaos, typical of children in psychotic states of mind. It is suggested that these structured games can serve as a vehicle for what Alvarez terms the language of “fatherese,” a call to psychic growth, structuring, and communication with the outside world. Drawing on Houziel’s and Rhode’s thinking on the bisexuality of the psychic skin, it is proposed that structured games combine male elements of structure and solidity with female elements of emotion, uncertainty, and porosity, thereby enabling work on a primitive level of triangularity. Two clinical examples are presented: the first where the therapist introduced a process of negotiation into a game of Monopoly with a child adhesively addicted to petrified game-play; the second where the therapist initiated a game of SET to introduce psychic structuring and a space to think. These clinical examples are analyzed in terms of Bion’s concepts of the Establishment and the Messianic and Amir’s concepts of psychic tonality and atonality.

Encounters with totalitarian objects in the super-ego development of Generation Z adolescents

Over the past three years we have encountered social processes that have shattered our steady way of living: the COVID pandemic, social unrests and splits after presidential elections, the war in Ukraine. Adults with a post-totalitarian personality have experienced a re-activation of their inner totalitarian objects, but “Gen Z” adolescents without the personal experience of living in a totalitarian system react differently to current realities. Practitioners are witnessing a dramatic increase in social anxieties and anorexia nervosa – psychopathologies characterized by the introjections and projections of intrusive controlling objects, a strict punitive super-ego that resembles the dynamics of inner totalitarian objects. This can be attributed to the increased exposure to the Internet during the COVID-related social isolation, with a decreased possibility for reality testing. The Internet acquired an overbearing influence on all domains of personality development for Generation Z individuals, including on the super-ego. The Internet houses totalitarian cyber-objects that increase their presence and influence in situations of social and developmental unrest, impinge on the development of psychic structures, and can lead to related pathological psychodynamics.

Эзотерический подход к экспликации понятий страдания, объективированной воли (эго) и имманентной целенаправленности с позиции концептуальной идеи об эволюционной каузальной финалистичности

This study endeavors to explicate and elucidate, from an esoteric perspective, the potential, prospective, and functional content of such phenomena as suffering, objectified will (with the ego representing the referent of the psychic structure of the subject), and immanent teleology. Drawing upon the philosophical perspectives on suffering and objectified will by German philosopher A. Schopenhauer, as well as referencing the esoteric teachings of American philosopher-mystic F. Merrell-Wolff, the philosophical views on human existence by J.-P. Sartre, the spiritual concepts of Canadian psychologist E. Tolle, and the arguments posited by Aristotle in favor of the existence of a final cause, the study aims to analyze these phenomena. An attempt is made to demonstrate the interconnectedness between the claims of the objectified will, as discussed in philosophical discourse, and the ideas of theoretical physicist S. Hawking in the field of physical sciences, particularly in the evolutionary development of the universe. Through the discourse, immanent teleology, manifested in life itself as an inclination towards eternal peace, is asserted as an a priori form of understanding the world of phenomenal spatiotemporal multiplicity. In contrast, the objectified will strives for the identity of infinite energy density through possession, sole proprietary ownership, and governance over the objects of the universe. These dual directions culminate in liberation through the overcoming or destruction of enslavement, ultimately leading to the annulment of time and space.

Level of structural integration in people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders - applicability and associations with clinical parameters.

The psychic structure of people with psychosis has been the subject of theoretical and qualitative considerations. However, it has not been sufficiently studied quantitatively. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the structural abilities of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective psychosis using the Levels of Structural Integration Axis of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis System (OPD-2-LSIA). The study aimed to determine possible associations between the OPD-2-LSIA and central parameters of illness. Additionally, possible structural differences between people diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective psychosis were tested. This cross-sectional study included 129 outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. Measures of structural integration, symptom load, severity of illness, cognition, and social functioning were obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the overall structural level and the structural dimensions. Correlation coefficients were computed to measure the associations between OPD-2-LSIA and variables regarding the severity of illness and psychosocial functioning. Regression models were used to measure the influence of illness-related variables on OPD-2-LSIA, and the influence of OPD-2-LSIA on psychosocial functioning. Participants diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders were examined with regard to possible group differences. The results of the OPD-2-LSIA showed that the overall structural level was between 'moderate to low' and 'low level of structural integration'. Significant correlations were found between OPD-2-LSIA and psychotic symptoms (but not depressive symptoms), as well as between OPD-2-LSIA and psychosocial functioning. It was found that variables related to severity of illness had a significant impact on OPD-2-LSIA, with psychotic, but not depressive symptoms being significant predictors. OPD-2-LSIA was found to predict psychosocial functioning beyond symptoms and cognition. No significant differences were found between participants with schizophrenia and schizoaffective psychosis. There was also no correlation found between OPD-2-LSIA and depressive symptomatology (except for the subdimension Internal communication). Contrary to theoretical assumptions, the results of the study show a heterogenous picture of the psychic structure of people with psychosis. The associations between OPD-2-LSIA and severity of illness, particularly psychotic symptomatology, as well as the influence of OPD-2-LSIA on psychosocial functioning, are discussed.

Combining biosemiotics and post-normal science to study the formation and adaptation of the identity of modern society

This paper draws on biosemiotics to reflect on the role that scientific inquiry plays in generating (useful) inputs to the process of decision making. In particular, the social theory of Luhmann is used to postulate that the formation of society’s identity requires the effective integration of two interrelated processes: (1) self-organization, a biophysical process that requires guided interactions based on effective rules (physical or tangible perspective), and (2) self-referential autopoiesis, a socio-psychological process that demands a communication process capable of preserving shared values (notional or abstract perspective). Rules are based on explanation narratives that are useful for improving interactions. Values are based on the emergence of societal myths and socio-technical imaginaries that fuel the concerns requiring collective action. It is argued that in the process of decision-making, rules (stored in a common memory) and values (generated by the psychic structure) affect each other in an impredicative way. The reproduction and updating of a given identity of society therefore would require a systemic quality check on the whole process of production and use of scientific information for decision-making, and hence a negotiation based on a mix of technical, moral, political, and ethical issues.

Humanistic transformation and the ego-oriented social character

This paper explores Erich Fromm’s significant scientific contribution through his development of a theory and method that elucidates the representation of society within the individual through their psychic structure formation, termed the “social character.” Initially, an outline of Fromm’s theory and methodology is presented, highlighting his insights into the formation of various social characters and examining their alienating and pathogenic impacts as “socially patterned defects.” Using the example of the authoritarian character conceived by Fromm, it is relatively easy to understand from a historical distance what the “socially patterned defects” consist of and how a humanistic transformation ought to look. This will be illustrated in a second part. Since the formation of social character is time-related, the third part uses Fromm’s theory and method to analyze the effects of the digital revolution on the formation of social character. The “ego-oriented social character” I have identified distinguishes itself from both the marketing character and narcissistic social character formations. This is reflected last but not least in the “socially patterned defects” of a pronounced ego weakness, which will be discussed in conclusion.

Stiftung dekolonisiert: Eine Lektüre von Merleau-Pontys Vorlesungen über Institution

Abstract This paper offers a close reading of Merleau-Ponty’s Institution Course Notes to reflect on the history of colonisation as both an event and a structure. On the one hand, colonial invasion is a singular cataclysmic event; on the other hand, it establishes legal, social, economic and psychic structures that seem increasingly inevitable the more they are repeated. Likewise, decolonisation may require a singular liberatory event, but it also calls for the (re)establishment of alternative traditions that issue a different “call to follow.” A critical interpretation of Merleau-Ponty in conversation with abolitionist and decolonial thinkers helps to clarify the temporal and political relation between event and structure, building bridges between phenomenology and radical politics.

Introduction à une pulsion du mouvement à partir de « L’esquisse d’une Psychologie » de S. Freud. Le cas des mouvements autistiques

AimThe aim of this article is to identify the psychic function of those movements referred to as “wandering and roaming including the motor agitation that certain patients are presenting.” These considerations, which interested the first alienists, are still relevant in contemporary psychopathology, in particular regarding hyperactivity in autism, which will be our main focus. Based on the psychoanalytical concept of the drive, we propose an economic model leading from the body to the psyche, a model of the movement drive operating in clinical psychology. MethodFor this purpose, we will combine data from an epistemological study of the movement drive hypothesis with research on hyperactivity (Jean Bergès, Jean-Marie Forget) and autism (Marie Couvert or Marie Christine Laznik). An in-depth study of one of Freud's pre-psychoanalytical texts will enable us to identify Freud's special interest in the question of movement (Bewegung) rather than motor skills, and its effects on the psychic structuring of the new-born child at the dawn of its encounter with its environment. ResultsIt will then be possible to develop a model of a movement drive and its structuring effects: on the body, from motor agitation to the appropriate action, and on the psyche by the construction of the subject's own singular spaces. On the basis of this theoretical model, we will identify what we call “continuous walking” in autistic subjects. DiscussionWe will then discuss whether or not each individual/human subject is able to move within the space produced by the structure; in other words, the possibility of a differential diagnosis based on the question of movement and the appropriation of space. ConclusionThe movement drive finds coherence in psychoanalytical writings, and proves to be effective for thinking about the support of the suffering individual/human subject, taking into account the articulation between body, psyche, and space.

Analisis Id, Ego, dan Supergo pada Tokoh Lolita dalam Novel Secret Obsession Karya Anggarani

Id, ego and super-ego are separate psychic structures in humans but interact with each other. This concept was formulated by Sigmund Freud. This journal discusses the id, ego and super-ego in the literary work of the novel entitled Secret Obsession by Angkai. The problem of this research is how the id, ego and super-ego influence the behavior of the main character in the novel entitled Secret Obsession by Budgeti. The method used in this research uses a literary psychology approach with Sigmud Freud's psychoanalysis theory regarding the id, ego and super-ego of the character Lolita in the novel Secret Obsession by Budgeti. The results of this research can be concluded that Lolita shows more mature ego development, is able to control the id's feelings of pleasure and interact more realistically. Additionally, Lolita's superego side shows moral evolution, such as guilt, regret, and the drive to become a better person. The factors that influence the development of Lolita's character consist of the people around her, the environment, and hurt feelings. Analysis is carried out from the beginning, middle, to the end of the story, showing significant character evolution.

Homeostasis and self-regulation

ABSTRACT Homeostasis, a self-regulating process that aims for stability, is presented to be the most fundamental regulatory principle of the psyche. Stability, or avoiding the extremes, is crucial for survival. The mind operates on different layers of homeostasis. Freud’s three phylogenetic layers and regulating principles, namely nirvana, constancy, and psychic structure, are reviewed here. The self-image and its identity of perception form the core of the structure. In a clinical context, a cure that deviates too much from the self-image is perceived as threatening stability. The therapeutic relationship is an ideal setting for fostering the ego’s mentalization capacity and the development of psychic structure. This paper demonstrates how mentalization and autonomous self-regulation challenge pathologic homeostatic regulation through clinical examples. The defensive resistance to cure, with its intriguing deep unconscious phylogenetic roots in homeostatic regulation, underscores the practical implications of these theoretical viewpoints in a clinical setting.

Le passage à l’acte suicidaire dans sa dimension perverse, analyse d’un cas clinique

ObjectiveThe notions of psychosis, neurosis, and perversion structured clinical thought during the golden age of psychoanalysis. But, even if psychosis and neurosis are still an integral part of our medical vocabulary, perversion, on the other hand, has become a forgotten or even obsolete concept. However, some mechanisms of interaction between patients and more precisely some suicide attempts seem to be significantly related to it. In this article, we offer the reader a second look at this clinical perversion. MethodologyThis article aims to study some perverse mechanisms that are present in clinical work with suicidal patients and to establish a current, historical, and non-exhaustive definition that will answer the following question: “can a suicide attempt be thought of as a perverse act in its address to the therapist?” The theoretical input will be supported by a preliminary clinical illustration about the hospital and ambulatory monitoring of a young patient. ResultsWhen suicidal acting out takes on a special meaning addressed to the therapist and allows the patient to seize power in the therapeutic relationship, we can clearly see the characteristics of perversion. DiscussionA cautious approach should be adopted about this proposition: not all suicidal acts are to be associated without nuance with perversion. Similarly, it is up to the therapist to understand the mechanisms developed by the patient in the therapeutic relationship and to make them the object of shared therapeutic work. ConclusionThis article offers the reader a theoretical and clinical approach to the suicidal act in patients whose psychic structure can be considered perverse. It allows us to: differentiate between addressed and un-addressed suicidal acts, acknowledge the resulting clinical difficulties, and explore avenues about the monitoring of patients after a suicide attempt.

Psychological crisis as a necessary factor of development? Human nature according to Kazimierz Dąbrowski

Kazimierz Dąbrowski believed, that human nature is hierarchical and multilevel in its character. An attribute peculiar for our species is developmental instinct, which differentiates human beings from animals. Dąbrowski indicated, that distinguishing mark of humanity is to be ‘doomed to development’, to reach increasingly higher levels of development, what can be accomplished through processes of disintegration. The key assumption of the Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) is that dissolution of internal psychic structures leads to suffering and psychological crisis. But, according to Dąbrowski, it is a generally positive phenomenon, because it is necessary for development of rich and complex psychic structures, and the final goal of processes of disintegration is personality. The aim of this article is to present major terms and assumptions of TPD and also to discuss a Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s perspective for an understanding of some psychological difficulties.

William Carlos Williams and Emily Dickinson Wellcome: The Conflict of the Doctor Persona and the Christian Science Anima

Abstract Emily Dickinson Wellcome has been called the “essential muse” of her grandson, William Carlos Williams. Paul Mariani, when bestowing this sobriquet, further states that Williams identified her “with nothing less than the deepest promptings of his unconscious self” (8). To look more deeply into Williams’s unconscious self and detect Emily’s presence, this essay relies on a close reading of three poems—“Dedication for a Plot of Ground,” “The Last Words of My English Grandmother,” and “An Exultation”—against the psychic structures proposed by Jungian analytical psychology. Emily’s adherence to Christian Science alluded to in the poems and referenced in Williams biographies will be demonstrated as a crucial component of the contra-sexual unconscious complex Carl Gustav Jung terms the anima, contrasted against the consciously constructed persona of the medically oriented ‘Doctor Williams.’

What Does the Patient Need Now? Discussion of “We’re Living in a Society: Ideology and the Social Object”

In response to Eric Schwartz’s creative and timely paper, this discussion focuses on three points: First, that analytic patients of this social and cultural moment call upon us to reformulate even relatively recent understandings of—to use Stephen Mitchell’s phrase—“what the patient needs,” agreeing with Schwartz that contemporary analytic subjects are liable to be much more deeply and consistently troubled by the social realm and their places within it. Second, the concept of implication is put forward here as a way to elaborate and deepen our understanding of what is called for in the kind of intersubjective meeting that Schwartz illustrates. Third, this discussion takes up some additional considerations in applying Schwartz’s proposed adaptation of a Fairbairnian model in understanding the role of ideology in psychic structuring; concluding that in acknowledging subtle, multiple, and conflicting feelings and attachments in ourselves, we may inhabit our complex implication in ways that further the kind of responsive intersubjective engagement that our patients and our moment ask of us.

First Days after Death - A Jungian Comparison between the Beliefs of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Post-mortem Experiences in the Tibetan Bardo Plan

This study examines the psychological aspects of the Bardo Thodol according to C.G. Jung and its relationship with Serbian Orthodox Christianity. Through a comparison of Jung's work "The Seven Sermons to the Dead" (published 12 years before his encounter with Buddhism) and "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," the researcher identifies similarities between these texts, the Bardo Thodol and the writings of the orthodox Church (with an accent on the Serbian Orthodox Church) These similarities include the significance of the soul after death, salvation symbolized by a luminous element, and the presence of an initiator guiding the soul towards salvation (reminiscent of the Orthodox belief in angels). Additionally, the interval between the moment of death and deliverance, present in both traditions, is highlighted. Jung's postscript to the translation of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" provides valuable insights into the psychological aspect of the book and the varying concept of the soul in Eastern and Western literature. He emphasizes that metaphysical assertions are expressions of the soul and, hence, psychological in nature. Jung describes the Bardo Thodol as a process of initiation aimed at restoring the divine nature of the soul, lost through birth. The Bardo Thodol is deeply rooted in the archetypal representations of the unconscious. Jung's concept of archetypes as universal and hereditary psychic structures helps to understand the connection between the Bardo Thodol and the collective unconscious. Furthermore, the journey through the Bardo of Reality can be seen as a representation of the process of individuation, seeking to achieve wholeness and completeness. Drawing parallels between Orthodox Christian mythology (mitarstva) and the Bardo of Reality, the researcher observes numerous similarities. This raises the question of whether mitarstva, with its well-organized structure involving demons, angels, repentance, and the 40-day journey of the soul after death, represents archetypal representations translating the layers of the collective unconscious in a Christian-pagan population. Therefore, this study sheds light on the intriguing similarities between the Bardo Thodol and Serbian Orthodox Christianity from a psychological perspective, deepening our understanding of the complex interplay between ancient religious traditions and the universal elements of the unconscious mind.

Relationship between psychodynamic functioning, defensive mechanisms and trauma in patients with PTSD?

Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) present a variety of symptoms, with different intensities, causing impairments in the individual, social and occupational functioning areas. The aim of this study was to understand the psychodynamic functioning of patients with PTSD, exploring the relationship between symptom severity, quality of life, subjective suffering, conflicts and psychic structure regarding sociodemographic characteristics, styles and defensive mechanisms. This is a cross-sectional quantitative study with 60 participants. The following were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis-2 (OPD-2) and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40). Participants had moderate to high symptom severity, with significant subjective suffering and isolation. The main conflict was Need for care x Self-sufficiency and the level of Total Structure was moderate/low. The use of immature, neurotic, and mature defensive styles was observed. More primitive personality structures, more rigid defenses and greater dependence were found in patients with history of past trauma. Other mental disorders were also associated. OPD-2 was effective to assess the psychodynamic functioning characteristics of patients with PTSD. Therapeutic treatment should focus on the psychic structure and not only on symptom control. Prevention strategies should target vulnerability factors and strengthening of protective factors.