The revenge motive in the primal scene

This paper concentrates on two aspects of the sequelae of the primal-scene experience that have not been fully covered in the previous literature. First is the idea of the narcissistic mortification which is part of the oedipal defeat as dramatized by the primal-scene experience and, secondly, the persistent drive for vengeance on both the parent figures in the primal scene. The quest for vengeance may play an important role in character and symptom formation and has specific manifestations in the transference during treatment. The clinical data from a patient in whom these elements were significant are matched by the manifest elements in the motion picture Blow-Up. The clinical experience gives insight into the eleboration of the themes in the motion picture, indicating how sequelae of the primal scene are recurrent in the artistic representation and give insight into the character of the hero.