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[Therefore force, when obsession is present?]
1Kinder- und jugendpsychiatrische Universitätsklinik und -poliklinik, Basel.
Praxis Der Kinderpsychologie Und Kinderpsychiatrie
|April 29, 1998
Summary
Obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) in children is often a phase, but obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be a defense mechanism. Understanding OCB and OCD is crucial for relationship dynamics and therapeutic interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Child Development
- Psychoanalysis
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) is a common feature in relationships, particularly in early infancy.
- Repetitive biological functions in infants can evolve into automatic psychic functions, sometimes manifesting as constrained interactions aimed at re-establishing omnipotence.
- While OCB in young children often lacks clinical significance, it demonstrates high intrapsychic persistence throughout psychophysic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the nature of obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) and its relationship to anxiety and developmental stages.
- To understand obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a potential defense mechanism against oedipal strivings or psychotic functioning.
- To examine OCD as a relational illness and the therapeutic necessity of continuous 'unchaining' during transference.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCB) and its manifestations in infancy and childhood.
- Exploration of the psychoanalytic concepts of defense mechanisms, transference, and relational dynamics in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Discussion of the therapeutic process involving verbalization of regressive anxieties and rages for transformation.
Main Results:
- OCB is characterized by intrapsychic persistence and can be inversely related to anxiety.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can function as a defense mechanism and is fundamentally a relational illness.
- Therapeutic intervention requires continuous 'unchaining' during transference to manage expressed anxieties and rages, facilitating relationship transformation.
Conclusions:
- OCB in early development is distinct from clinical OCD, which may serve as a defense.
- Effective therapy for OCD involves addressing relational dynamics and transforming regressive emotions expressed during transference.
- The inclusion of a third person in the therapeutic relationship can be facilitated by transforming these anxieties.