Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: what made the Monster monstrous?

This paper discusses the genesis of the famous story of Frankenstein which arose from a dream experienced by Mary Shelley whilst on a holiday shared with her husband Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr Polidori and her step sister Claire Clairmont. The novel relates how the creature created by Victor Frankenstein horrifies him, is rejected by him and called a monster. The monster's ensuing despair and subsequent murderousness is eloquently described. The whole book is clearly connected to Mary Shelley's experience as an infant whose mother died after giving birth to her and her subsequent loss, as a mother, of her own new born infant. It is suggested that the novel imaginatively describes what it is to have been primarily rejected as an infant and to feel regarded as a monster.

Narcissistic disorders in clinical practice.

In this paper, the concept of narcissism in the psychoanalytic literature is reviewed and three uses of the term are defined, firstly, clinical narcissism, secondly, an innate force or tendency opposed to relationships and thirdly, narcissistic personality disorders. The latter can be further differentiated on the basis of the transference/countertransference into borderline (thin-skinned), aloof (thick-skinned) and as-if (false-self) narcissistic disorders. The characteristics of each of these patterns are described. The author suggests that narcissistic disorders arise when there is a failure of containment in infancy and childhood that gives rise to an ego-destructive super-ego leading to the evolving of a narcissistic organization. The libidinal defensive organization arises when parental failure of containment is the primary factor and destructive organization when the infant has an excess of object-hostility. Two case descriptions are given to illustrate the distinction between a predominantly destructive and a predominantly libidinal narcissistic disorder and the author suggests that both arise from the production, by projective identification, of a narcissistic relationship with an ego ideal in order to evade a relationship with a destructive parental super-ego.

Subjectivity, objectivity, and triangular space.

The author reviews his ideas on subjectivity, objectivity, and the third position in the psychoanalytic encounter, particularly in clinical work with borderline and narcissistic patients. Using the theories of Melanie Klein and Wilfred Bion as a basis, the author describes his concept of triangular space. A case presentation of a particular type of narcissistic patient illustrates the principles discussed.

La interpretación: ¿hecho seleccionado o idea sobrevalorada? / Interpretation: selected fact or overvalued idea?

Los autores describen el uso de Bion de la noción de ´hecho seleccionado´ en la evolución de las interpretaciones analíticas. Apuntan hacia la similaridad entre el surgimiento de una ´configuración´ a partir de un hecho seleccionado, y una cristalización de certeza delirante a partir de una ´idea sobrevalorada´. Se describen los riesgos que tiene para el paciente la imposición de una idea sobrevalorada. Se subraya la importancia de prestar atención al subsiguiente desarrollo en sesiones siguiendo las interpretaciones en busca de evidencia de reacciones conscientes o inconscientes, y se ofrecen ejemplos clínicos del uso de un hecho seleccionado para llegar a una interpretación, y del uso inconsciente de una idea sobrevalorada para formar una interpretación, y el subsiguiente análisis de sus efectos

A situacao edipica e o medo do caos

Para alguns pacientes, o surgimento da situacao edipica nao e vivenciado simplesmente como doloroso, mas, sim, catastrofico. Em termos miticos nao e O Paraiso Perdido, mas o retorno do caos e a destruicao da ordem. Em termos psiquicos, e uma confusao insondavel e/ou um vacuo, um vazio, escuro, sem limites e sem fundo. Para alguns pacientes, o terceiro objeto e como os monstros do caos das cosmologias dos antigos, uma ameaca potencial permanente a ordem psiquica, apenas mantida sob controle por organizacao defensiva; tais pacientes acreditam que a analise, a nao ser que controlada por eles, ameaca soltar esse monstro. Para outros, o terceiro objeto na transferencia e adotado como fonte de sabedoria e protecao, ocupando um lugar como Deus, o Pai Todo-Poderoso, no Paraiso Perdido de Milton, e a relacao objeto primario com a mae e evitada. Em ambos os casos, o que se teme e a conjuncao, no interior da transferencia, do objeto primario (de desejo e subjetividade) com o terceiro objeto (de conhecimento e objetividade). Essa conjuncao, teme-se, ira produzir um equivoco maligno personificado no objeto parental combinado. Sugiro que a necessidade de concordancia e inversamente proporcional a expectativa de compreensao, portanto, onde nao ha absolutamente qualquer expectativa de compreensao, e necessaria a concordancia absoluta. Isso apenas pode ser alcancado por tirania, obediencia absoluta ou magica (uma forma de identificacao projetiva). Portanto, uma transferencia, nessas circunstancias, caracteriza-se por controle tiranico, aderencia completa ou ilusao. Numa analise, em diferentes epocas ou diferentes momentos, pode ser qualquer um dos tres.