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Internalization of the absent father.
1Tavistock Clinic, London.
The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
|January 1, 1991
Summary
This case study explores a woman's internalized father figure, shaped by fantasy and reality. Therapy helped her integrate fragmented self-parts, leading to stable relationships and questioning innate father-related propensities.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
Background:
- Presents the psychoanalytic case study of a woman raised by a single mother.
- Examines the development of her mental representation of an absent father.
Observation:
- The patient's father representation was influenced by her desires, maternal narratives, and personal discoveries.
- Transference revealed split-off self-parts and bipolar father representations originating in childhood.
Findings:
- Therapeutic work involved exploring the origins of these representations, their impact on relationships, and resistance to change.
- Successful integration of fragmented self-parts and stabilization of relationships were achieved.
Implications:
- Highlights the psychological need to internalize a father figure, even a fantasized one.
- Raises questions about an innate human propensity for father introjection, independent of actual paternal presence.