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Psychoanalytic perspectives on emptiness.

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association

|January 1, 1984

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The feeling of emptiness can be understood as a complex interplay of internal conflicts, not merely a lack of mental content. This perspective offers a more effective therapeutic approach for patients experiencing profound emptiness.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychoanalysis
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Theoretical models explaining mental events via structural deficiencies pose challenges for therapeutic application.
The experience of emptiness often presents as a profound absence of content, complicating treatment.

Observation:

A clinical case demonstrates that emptiness, like other mental events, arises from conflicting wishes, prohibitions, compromises, and gratifications.
Understanding these dynamics clarifies the meaning behind the experience of emptiness.

Findings:

Equating structural deficiencies with a lack of mental content can lead clinicians to unconsciously collude with the patient's avoidance.
This dynamic can perpetuate pathological gratifications and lead to treatment impasses.

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Implications:

A conflict-based understanding of emptiness offers a more dynamic therapeutic pathway than deficiency models.
Clinicians must recognize and address the underlying conflicts driving the experience of emptiness to avoid treatment stalemates.