Tome XVII, no. 1 - 2024 (12)

EDITORIAL / Oana Laura Nica

Abstract: Narcissism continues to pose a significant challenge in the realm of psychoanalysis. In this collection of articles, authors delve into the distinction between primary narcissism, characterized by a primitive world devoid of objects, and secondary narcissism, marked by the internalization of the object. They explore the influence of the environment in fostering secondary narcissism, the intricate connection between narcissism and identity, the presence of literary characters that embody psychoanalytic concepts of narcissism, and the interplay between narcissism and creativity.Read moreKeywords: .

1 - Argument on the theme / Georgiana Dobrescu

Abstract: The theme of this year’s issue, Narcissism, tries to capture the multiples facets of its manifestations in our life and furthermore, all over the world. Nowadays, we live disturbing times, with ongoing wars and many other conflicts around us. The “Narcissism of minor differences”, inevitable in any group, the intolerance for differentiations, for other opinions and solutions, lacks of differentiations, the illusion of supremacy of a nation toward others and so on, risks to create problems that could prove very difficult to be overcome. Read moreKeywords: .

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2 - Primary Narcissism and Creativity / Nadia Bujor

Abstract: Reformulating Freud’s hypothesis that primary narcissism has a protective function for life, S. Nacht attributes to it the role of “guardian of life”. Primary narcissism, “an absolute affective climate”, is indispensable for the construction of the human being and life itself. According to us, the concept of “narcissism as guardian of life” belongs to the “common representational treasure”. It represents, for each of us, an inexhaustible source of representations and creations. The universal fund of primary narcissism is a “living core” built by “reminiscences” of centuries of culture and civilization. We strongly emphasize this shift in perspective from the universal to the subjective, from the existence of a multitude of possibilities in becoming, echoing in the latest research in biology and in contemporary analytical writings. Authors such as Bion, Winnicott, A. Green, Ogden, Meltzer..., view us as preordained heroes destined to seek and find the mysteries and beauty of the internal/external world, enveloped in the infinite richness of the infantile... Read moreKeywords: primary narcissism as guardian of life, common representational treasure, true self, capacity for reverie, analytical setting, micro-chimerism

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3 - Narcissism and the Search of Sexual Identity / Radu Clit

Abstract: Narcissism is an inner self-image requiring an external confirmation. This is more evident in gender identity, as two clinical cases will support. The first is that of a young man accepting with difficulty his homosexuality. He was in individual therapy with the author, in private practice, for several years. The outcome was satisfying. The second case was followed in a psychiatric day care, where he was admitted for unclear reasons. He had several bouts of psychotic breakdown and progressively talked about being a victim of sexual abuse committed by his stepfather, as a child. Despite he was practicing various forms of sexuality, the patient assumed the fear of having an attraction for paedophilia, which he knew it was forbidden by law. This situation was the same for homosexuality in the past, and the first patient was confronted with attitudes linked with it, but eventually felt freer to accept this identity. The second patient, as a victim of a paedophile, was not protected by the law, but had to abide by it. Even if narcissism is opposed both to sexuality and to the object, the sexual and gender identity must integrate these aspects in a way acceptable to narcissism. Read moreKeywords: ego cathexis, gender identity, narcissism, object relationship, paedophilia, sexuality

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4 - From de Grail to Zen, in Search of Non-Existence / Bogdan Sebastian Cuc

Abstract: In the attempts to understand narcissism, starting from Freud’s introduction of this concept, ther e are several perspectives, all beginning with the fragile image reflected under the pressure of seeking truth, presumed reality beyond what is reflected. What is the path to truth? Is truth the result of discovery or construction? Who has access to truth? Who can testify to truth? These are questions I embarked on alongside Italo Calvino and his book “The Nonexistent Knight”. Several reviews regarding “The Nonexistent Knight”, one of Calvin o’s books alongside “The Baron in the Trees” and “The Cloven Viscount”, which brought him international recognition, have been written. The most intriguing, paradoxically, was written by the author himself, appearing on page 4 of the Romanian edition publi shed by Univers in 1999, under the pseudonym Tonio Cavilla: “This time, the author has delved further into the past, through centuries, and his novel unfolds among Charlemagne’s paladins, in that Middle Ages beyond any historical or geographic plausibility a characteristic feature of chivalric poems”. Read moreKeywords: truth, image, mirror, affect, dream, disaffection

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5 - Bernardo Soares on the Couch. Pessoa’s The Book of Disquiet as Illustration of Negative Narcissism / Marc Herbrecht

Abstract: The Book of Disquiet of Fernando Pessoa is about the suffering of Bernardo Soares. Bernardo’s parents died before his age of three. Soares is a fictional creation and does coincide with what Pessoa experienced. Soares captures Pessoa's dynamics: the identification with a dead object is portrayed in his poetry and expressed as negative narcissism. Soares appears as a hypersensitive person who is bombarded by perceptions and emotions. He incessantly complains of emptiness and disgust with humanity. He splits himself in parts where one part is keenly observing how other parts are suffering and annulled. The internalization of the negative is impressive in Soares. Soares has become a Narcissus who despises Echo. A major recurring theme is repulsion. The presence of the other inhibits his thinking. Soares mirrors himself in his dreamlife. He has become a living death. This literary masterpiece is linked to Green’s identification with a dead mother and his concept of negative narcissism. Read moreKeywords: Book of Disquiet, death mother complex, negative narcissism, destructive narcissism, Green, Pessoa

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6 - On Perfection / Cleopatre Athanassiou Popesco

Abstract: The author aims to examine the intricacies of the experience of perfection by drawing on clinical material provided by a patient who remained confined for years in an imperative of internal perfection, leading to various obsessive defense mechanisms that limited her connections with the external world. The author revisits what in Freud’s work on primary narcissism is associated with understanding the need for perfection but continues a theoretical exploration of this concept based on the construction of ego identity in relation to its object or, conversely, independently of this relationship. An identity within an evolving psychic space transitioning from bi to tri-dimensional aspects. A transformative movement in the patient’s material will allow her to shift from a rigid position in her perfection towards a more flexible, imperfect yet human position. Read moreKeywords: dependency, psychic space, identity, narcissistic ego, omnipotence, perfection

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7 - Narcissism. Psychogenetic, Technical Aspects and Countertransference Challenges / Veronica Sandor

Abstract: This work aims to address the psychogenetic aspect of narcissism, the characteristics of this psychic dimension, and the destinies of primary narcissism in structuring the individual. The paper mentions a series of typical challenges in the transference relationship with patients marked by archaic narcissism. Additionally, it describes specific unconscious countertransference reactions in relationships with these types of patients. In this regard, detecting fixation points and the perseverance of persistent archaic defenses is important for both the development of normal narcissism and pathological structures. Read moreKeywords: primary narcissism, secondary narcissism, psychogenesis, transfer, counter-transference, mirror stage, psychopathological structuring

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8 - Narcissic Matrix and Contemporary Avatars / Codruta Zerfas

Abstract: The article proposes an analysis of the narcissistic social architecture through the spectral light of the contemporary Zeitgeist, a sifting through the thinking filter of psychoanalysis, regarding the internal attributes that motivate the orientation of the collective mind towards certain accents of the current ideology. By the narcissistic matrix, I am referring to the structure and organization of human experience, animated by: anxieties, conflicts, deficits, defenses, phantasms, ordering ideals, relational algorithms, basic assumptions and I consider that this unity of the structuring of the psyche is closely related to the underground generators of philosophies, theories and imagos that animate contemporary social landscapes. Read moreKeywords: self, self-objects, grandeur, omnipotence, intersubjectivity, narcissistic relationships

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9 - Daydreaming as Transitional Phenomenon / Argyropoulos Konstantinos

Abstract: The author examines the concept of daydreaming as a means of transitional phenomenon between himself and his analysand, Demeter. He proposes that daydreaming functions as a transitional phenomenon and protective mechanism, enabling Demeter to endure intense emotions that arise due to the analyst's silence during sessions and absence on weekends. Additionally, daydreams fulfill both Demeter's conscious and unconscious desires for the analyst, notably in terms of her transference and the reevaluation of her relationship with traumatic primary figures, encompassing both positive and negative parental experiences. Furthermore, the article delves into the significance of Demeter's daydreams, exploring their potential role as either resistance or genuine memories. Extended periods of daydreaming in Demeter's case culminate in a dream, and through interpretation, the author reveals the underlying wishes and unresolved issues embedded within Demeter. The article concludes by emphasizing the analytic progress achieved as Demeter's daydreams and dreams serve as gateways to accessing her unconscious and comprehending the dynamics of her transference. This process empowers Demeter to work through childhood traumas and emotional challenges and rewrite her personal history. Read moreKeywords: clinical case, daydreaming, dreams, reverie, transitional phenomenon, capacity to be alone

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10 - Burnout, the War Within or Rome Fiddles While We Buru / Ioana Lazar and Stefan David

Abstract: This study explores the multifaceted nature of burnout, delving into its roots in individual vulnerabilities and institutional practices under the lens of sociocultural and ideological frameworks. Historically linked to professions with intense public interaction, the burnout phenomenon is recognized through several symptoms, such as exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy, greatly impacting both personal wellbeing and professional productivity. This study critically analyzes how sociocultural ideologies shape perceptions and responses to burnout, proposing that merely focusing on individual or immediate institutional solutions overlooks deeper societal influences. Using psychoanalytical frameworks, the study illuminates the symbolic interactions between individual psyches and their sociocultural milieus, which perpetuate burnout. The key findings suggest that solutions to burnout should not only address individual symptoms but also incorporate systemic changes that consider sociocultural contexts. Such comprehensive approaches are essential for sustainable interventions. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of burnout, urging a shift toward integrating sociocultural dynamics in addressing the syndrome. The implications extend beyond individual recovery, proposing changes that could reshape institutional practices and cultural perceptions of work, health, and wellbeing. Read moreKeywords: Burnout, ideal of the self, institution, ideology

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11 - The Group Apparatus in the Clinical Application of Ethnopsychiatry / Irena Talaban

Abstract: The article deals with the ethnopsychiatric clinical practice as an investigative and group therapy apparatus, as it has been carried out in France for over 30 years. The author, a psychologist and psychotherapist, briefly presents her encounter with ethnopsychiatry. Trained in Romania, where she practised for 16 years, the author immigrated to France and began a second apprenticeship in ethnopsychiatry with Professor Nathan, pupil and follower of Georges Devereux, psychoanalyst, anthropologist, ethnologist and founder of ethnopsychiatry. It presents Georges Devereux’s concept and its clinical application by his pupil, Tobie Nathan. Summarizing two clinical sequences, the author highlights the specificity of the patients as well as of the ethnopsychiatric consultation. The functions of the group, technical issues, and elements of transfer are mentioned. Read moreKeywords: group, etnopsychiatry, tradition, cultural frame, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis

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