Narcissistic Rage and the Murder of Allison Baden-Clay.

The trial and the appeals in relation to the killing of Allison Baden-Clay in Queensland in 2012 focused attention upon the role of relevance of motive and thereby intention in what was ultimately found to be the murderous conduct of her husband Gerard Baden-Clay. There are strong grounds for concluding that he had narcissistic personality disorder, a consequence of which can be particular susceptibility to narcissistic injury and thereafter narcissistic rage if the person perceives themselves threatened by attack to their reputation and integrity. This article reviews the extensive clinical literature on narcissism, insofar as it has potential relevance to the commission of crimes of violence and argues that identifying Baden-Clay as having the disorder provides a useful psychological insight into his conduct.

Dilemas do analista / Psychoanalyst's dilemmas / Los dilemas del analista

O autor discorre sobre situações impactantes, utilizando histórias clínicas acontecidas no decorrer de um longo percurso. Nos exemplos iniciais, em função de aspectos narcísicos insuficientemente trabalhados em sua análise pessoal, o analista encontra dificuldades para sustentar a posição analítica. Com o passar do tempo e a elaboração desses traços narcísicos, desenvolve tolerância e capacidade de reparação, o que lhe possibilita acolher angústias e projeções dos pacientes, funcionando como continente que processa emoções.

The author writes about some impactive situations, by using clinical vignettes that happened throughout a long period of time. In the early examples, the psychoanalyst found difficulties in upholding his psychoanalytic position because some narcissistic aspects had not been explored enough in his own analysis. As time has gone by and those narcissistic traits have been elaborated, the analyst has developed tolerance and repairing ability, which have enabled him to receive patients' anguishes and projections, so that he has been working as a container that processes emotions.

El autor describe situaciones impactantes, utilizando historias clínicas ocurridas durante un largo período de tiempo. En los ejemplos iniciales, debido a los aspectos narcisistas insuficientemente trabajados en su análisis personal, al analista le resulta difícil sostener la posición analítica. Con el paso del tiempo y la elaboración de estos rasgos narcisistas, desarrolla tolerancia y capacidad de reparación, lo que le permite acoger angustias y proyecciones de los pacientes y servir como un contenedor, procesando emociones.

Frida Kahlo e Diego Rivera: paixão e dor / Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: passion and pain

Algumas ligações amorosas nos intrigam pela tenacidade em se manter apesar da grande intensidade de frustração e sofrimento que acarretam ao sujeito. A pergunta que surge é: o que determina a escolha insistente para objeto de amor de um parceiro que não corresponde ao afeto nele depositado? Este trabalho procura examinar a relação tumultuada de Frida Kahlo com seu marido Diego Rivera, que tomava um lugar central na vida da pintora e se caracterizava por experiências repetidas de dor. Ela sentia que ele representava “mais que sua própria pele”, como se esperasse reproduzir através da ligação com ele o sentimento de fusão inicial que um bebê estabelece com sua mãe nos primórdios de sua vida. O que se repetia, no entanto, era o fracasso em construir um elo primitivo suficientemente bom, que lhe faltou na sua relação inicial com a mãe. A tenacidade com que ela mantinha a ligação com Diego podia estar baseada em uma tentativa de dominar a situação traumática, ou ainda em uma forma de manutenção do elo com a “mãe morta”, a mãe ausente e deprimida. Por meio da pintura e de seus autorretratos, Frida Kahlo podia ser “mãe de si mesma”, e encontrava um canal criativo para lidar com suas emoções e sua dor.(AU)

Some liaisons intrigue us for their tenacity to remain, despite the great intensity of frustration and suffering they cause to the person. The question that arises is: what determines the persistent choice of a love partner that doesn´t correspond to the affection the partner gives? This work examines the tumultuous relationship between Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera, who was the central Frida’s life, that was characterized by repeated experiences of pain. Frida felt that Diego represented “more than her own skin,” as if she expected to reproduce through the link with him the initial fusion feeling established by the baby in his early life. What was repeated, however, was the failure to build a good enough primitive link, that lacked in Frida’s initial relationship with her mother. The tenacity with which Frida kept the connection with Diego seemed to be based on an attempt to master the traumatic situation, or in a way of maintaining the link with the “dead mother” who is seen as the absent and depressed mother. Through the paintings and her self-portraits, Frida Kahlo was a “mother of herself” and found a creative way to deal with her emotions and her pain.(AU)