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The Piggle: confrontations with non-existence in childhood
The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|September 9, 1999
Summary
Confronting existence and non-existence, especially during childhood, can be overwhelming. Psychoanalytic treatment helps integrate these profound experiences, moving from fragmentation to reconciliation.
Area of Science:
- Psychoanalysis
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Childhood experiences of existence/non-existence can be overwhelming.
- Parental failures can impede a child's integration of experiences.
- D. W. Winnicott's 'The Piggle' offers insights into a child's processing of these concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how confrontations with existence/non-existence impact a child's resources.
- To examine the integration of these concepts through psychoanalytic treatment.
- To understand the role of parental failures in childhood development.
Main Methods:
- Interweaving Winnicott's case study with personal clinical experience.
- Applying Matte-Blanco's terminology to analyze condensations and equivalences.
- Examining the movement from paranoid-schizoid to depressive positions.
Main Results:
- Confrontations with existence/non-existence can overwhelm a child's coping mechanisms.
- Parental failures significantly hinder a child's ability to integrate profound experiences.
- Intensified affect can lead to a breakdown of logical distinctions, blurring self and other.
Conclusions:
- Psychoanalytic settings can facilitate the integration of dichotomies.
- Therapeutic work aids in moving from fragmentation towards reconciliation and renunciation.
- Understanding these early experiences is crucial for resolving loss of self.