Some roots of persistent homosexual fantasy and the quest for father's love: conflicted parental identifications in a male patient: fragment of an analysis

This is a clinical paper, which includes material from sessions, presenting the process of the analysis of a young adult male whose narcissistic character patterns, related to and evolved from failed attempts to integrate conflicting parental identifications. These unintegrated mother and father identifications contributed to life-long latent homosexual fantasies. Rodney's analysis indicates that for a boy/man, even a mother who has the qualities of a good enough parent, is not good enough to enable him to reach a nonconflicted manhood. A mother cannot provide for the boy the male model he needs and is searching for, the male who would affirm him in his maleness. Rodney wanted a father on whose shoulders he could stand to become a man. Rodney's persistent homosexual fantasy life, his quest for father's love, and his search for a masculine object to identify with stem from a combination of several factors. Rodney's regression to the negative oedipal phase was probably stimulated when father left the family. Rodney was eleven at the time. He felt overwhelmed experiencing himself as the oedipal victor. Unconsciously, Rodney feared his exacerbated incestuous wishes. He projected them upon his mother and subsequently incorporated them in his fantasies. His regression to more infantile dependency feelings was defensive. Rodney's father was an unsuitable object for identification. He was disinterested in Rodney and emotionally unavailable. Rodney, however, sought his father, whose lack of loving acknowledgement resulted in a lack of affirmation of Rodney's masculinity. Mother provided for Rodney the loving acknowledgement he lacked in his relationship with father. She was emotionally sustaining, an energetic, vibrant personality, who was seen by Rodney as a "superior human being." Rodney consciously idealized his mother toward whom he unconsciously also had ambivalent feelings. Rodney's identification with mother was not counterbalanced by the presence of a strong, loving father figure whom he could have used as a suitable model. This led to the development in Rodney of a strong sense of effeminization. Rodney in his homosexual fantasies assumed the so-called "feminine victimized" role. The regression to the negative oedipal phase contributed to an exacerbation of erotic, father-directed feelings, intensified by the identification with mother. Rodney was fixated in his quest for father's love. In addition, Rodney's unconscious guilt related to father and mother directed incestuous impulses, and his intense aggressivesadistic feelings contributed to the masochistic cast of his masturbation fantasies. Rodney's narcissistic aims and the quality of his narcissism changed during the analysis. His grandiosity almost disappeared. Rodney's goals became realistic and he acquired the skills necessary to achieve them. Inhibitions related to the "fear of success" were worked through. This enabled Rodney to compete successfully. His healthy narcissism derives from the success of his many achievements. Though Rodney remained a basically narcissistic personality, he did derive great pleasure from being a giving person. This was one of the many ways in which he identified with his mother. At the present, Rodney's identifications are selective and do not evoke intrapsychic conflict.     

Some problems in faculty selection of patients for supervised psychoanalysis

The selection of patients for supervised analysis by candidates involves special tasks in evaluation and prediction. A number of problems emerge when the entire faculty of an institute participates in evaluating such patients. These include the different ways in which the initial consultant and the Admitting Psychoanalyst view their roles; insufficient consideration given to the specific criteria of suitability for analysis by a candidate; and the tendency to emphasize oedipal pathology while overlooking relevant ego capacities.     

Lesbian homoerotic transference in dialectic with developmental mourning: On the way to symbolism from the protosymbolic.

This clinical study illustrates the developmental nature of homoerotic transference, when the psychoanalyst is attuned to the evolving dynamics of the mourning process, in this case with a lesbian analysand. The analysand's psychic fantasies of the female analyst as a muse and a demon lover figure are seen to transform into discrete mother and father transferences, as split off feminine and aggressive parts of the self are reintegrated along with heterosexual desires and oedipal desires. Protosymbolic enactments in terms of romantic gift giving and other seductive overtures transform into symbolic expressions of love, concern, regret, and tenderness. A lesbian marriage is preserved, and the loss of intimacy with men is mourned so that desires for intimacy with men can be sublimated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression as the search for the lost self.

Explores depression as a narcissistic disturbance in which the self is unconsciously expected to accomplish grandiose expectations and is regarded as a failure when it does not. These omnipotent fantasies include the prevention of object loss and triumph over death. In the later years, difficulties in maintaining self-esteem can predispose a person to depression since aging unavoidably involves dwindling opportunities, failing health, and loss of loved ones. A psychotherapeutic approach is outlined, focusing on the treatment of depression as a search for the lost self in which the development of healthy narcissism is seen as activating arrested or inhibited ego functions. The development of a positive cathexis of the self is seen as a safeguard against the self-destruction implicit in deep depression. This psychotherapeutic approach is demonstrated in a clinical vignette of a suicidally depressed woman in her 60's. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two unconscious fantasies as mediators of successful psychotherapy.

Describes the role that the concept of the unconscious fantasy—an organized configuration of unconscious ideas and images—has played in psychoanalytic theory. A series of laboratory experiments that demonstrated under controlled "double blind" conditions how the activitation of 2 unconscious fantasies could serve an adaptation enhancing function are described. How they served the same function when they were inadvertently activated in various types of psychotherapy is also discussed. One of the fantasies—the "symbiotic gratification fantasy"—is cited as particularly apt to be activated in systematic desensitization, client-centered therapy, and meditation. The other—the "sanctioned oedipal gratification fantasy"—is cited as most apt to be activated in Masters and Johnson type sex therapy, touching and other body contact therapies, behavior assertiveness training, and encounter treatment. (66 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brief psychotherapy for unresolved grief in an 82-year-old-man

This man experienced in old age the torment that occurs when early fantasies that underly anxieties are enacted in real life. His elderly wife, when she became confused, ordered their son to drive him from the marital home. When the wife died, the son kept the news from the husband until after the burial. These acts created in reality the fantasy of a reversed oedipal situation, with the son succeeding as a competitor for his father's wife. If the father had resolved his own oedipal strivings satisfactorily, presumably he would not have feared such competition. But there seemed to have been some early environmental failure that had prevented him from integrating in the process of maturation his own wishes for his mother and his fears of his father. Yet, despite the patient's advanced years, the early failure situation seemed to fade as he used the therapy not only to work through his grief, but also as an opportunity to experience anew in the transference a more facilitating environmental adaptation to his needs.     

Antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness is associated with infiltration of eosinophils in lung tissue, but not with bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia or neutrophilia

Hemimicropsia is a rare disorder of visual perception characterized by an apparent reduction of the size of objects when presented in one hemifield. We report two cases of hemimicropsia resulting from focal brain lesions. The first patient was an art teacher and could accurately depict his abnormal visual perception. He subsequently died and his brain was examined post mortem. In the second patient, micropsia was assessed by a quantified size comparison task. The size of a given object is normally perceived as constant across any spatial position. Hemimicropsia may thus be considered a limited violation of the size constancy principle. Behavioural and anatomical data are discussed in relation to the neural basis of visual object perception in humans.     

An idea whose time is already here.

Reviews the book, The search for oneness by Lloyd H. Silverman, Frank M. Lachmann, and Robert H. Milich (1982). If theory is to be more than just fodder for theoreticians, it must lead itself to clinical practice, either in direct use with patients or by intersecting with clinical observations. The search for oneness does both. The authors show through deduction, and illustrate with clinical vignettes, that "oneness", or the lack of it, can be seen as a root cause of many disturbances involving ego functioning, choice of defense, core conflicts, and character traits. They also show that exploitations of this fact can lead to therapeutic gain through interpretation and through empathy. In empathy, oneness fantasies are stimulated and gratified through joining with the patient, especially when the therapist is evocatively able to enter the patient's subjective world to see things from the patient's point of view. The book is well written; this, in conjunction with the novelty of its central idea and the strength of the evidence adduced to support that idea, makes the book a persuasive, evocative document. After reading the book, many clinicians will likely do as I did: listen for, and sometimes stress, oneness and separation issues with their patients to a greater extent than usual. The book supplies the reader with the bonus of clear and pith abstractions of several theoretical approaches; it serves as a mini-text. Its brevity demonstrates how much paper and eyesight could be saved if other authors exercised similar attention to synthesis and conciseness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Techniques for strengthening clients' observing ego.

The construct of the observing ego has received little attention in the psychotherapy literature since it was first introduced by Freud, yet its attainment is considered one of the hallmarks of mental health. Despite the importance of increasing clients' observing ego functions, little has been written about how to accomplish this goal in psychotherapy. This article describes an integrative psychodynamic approach to treatment that selectively uses modified techniques from other theoretical approaches. The relationship between the therapeutic alliance and the observing ego is discussed, and 4 techniques for increasing observing ego functions are suggested: (1) the use of clarification following catharsis; (2) increasing reality testing; (3) serving as an auxiliary ego; and (4) the use of distancing techniques such as the conscious projection of a problem, use of metaphors, humor, journals, and the gestalt empty chair technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The superego in observing ego functioning.

The work of Sterba and Strachey is drawn upon to formulate the observing ego in terms of its close relationship to the superego as a whole. The superego proper and ego ideal of both patient and analyst play major roles in development and maintenance of observing ego function, as do superego and ego ideal components implicit in psychoanalytic procedure, set-up, process, and attitude. The crucial juxtaposition of real object/analyst with archaic object/analyst produces an analytically engineered conflict, with observing ego function itself a resultant compromise formation. Conditions that may enhance or hinder observing ego capacity are examined with particular reference to superego functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of adapting luminance on the latency of visual search

Computational models of attentional processing typically view the "attentional spotlight" as a winner-take-all network whose focus can be shifted serially about a display if required. As a result, lateral inhibition is assumed in these models to be an important mechanism involved in visual search. On the basis of this assumption, we predicted that changes in adapting luminance would produce specific changes in search latency functions in virtue of affecting visual inhibition. The results of our first two experiments confirmed these predictions: when search was difficult, and produced reaction time results characteristic of serial processing, there was a main effect of adapting luminance and a significant interaction between adapting luminance and the number of display elements. These effects were both reflected in increases in the slopes and the intercepts of average search latency functions when adapting luminance was decreased. When search was easy, and produced pop out effects characteristic of parallel processing, there were no significant effects of adapting luminance on search latency. The third experiment used adapting luminance to further explore the possibility that arrow junctions are detected preattentively. The results suggested that a visual search for such elements involves a substantial serial component, which weighs against the claim that they are detected by low-level vision.     

Significant prognostic factors in breast cancer of Japanese women: special reference to nuclear grade and sinus histiocytosis

Progress of psychotherapy and of related behaviour sciences makes evident the importance of a better understanding of human relations. But psychoanalysis finds it hard to describe interpersonal processes without transference. In order to remain within the conceptional frame of metapsychology it has to see interaction between individuals as the oral, aggressive or sexual cathexis of an object or as satisfaction or denial of the subject by the object. The structure of the "ego", which--in analogy to medical thinking--is conceived as an organ with its functions, is considered to have no interpersonal activities. The "ego" of the classic psychoanalytic theory is chiefly occupied with itself. It has to care for its egoistical interests and to guarantee its self-preservation. As an auxiliary and meanwhile popular concept the "self" has been introduced to describe object-relations. This concept is not sharply defined. Due to its metapsychological implications it produces additional theoretical difficulties. Linguistic studies show that every inventory of words implies a certain insight into reality. For this reason the metapsychological machine-like concept of psychic structures does not permit new ideas about interpersonal relations. If we leave metapsychology and base on colloquial speech we see that the experience of "I" is much more related to persons than the rather autistic concept of the "ego" shows. Further we learn that self-preservation cannot be an egoistical interest; it depends on the attachment to others. All feelings of self-esteem depend much more on interpersonal relations than on "narcissistic regulations". From these experiences three conclusions are derived: a) One of the main qualities of the ego is the relatedness to persons. b) The concept of narcissistic regulation as a successor of primary narcissism is no longer useful. Narcissistic traits develop as the secundary compensations if the individual failed to build up satisfactory interpersonal relations. c) The revision of (a) ego-psychology and (b) theory of narcissism asks for modifications of the therapeutic technique, where now the interest is especially concentrated on interpersonal problems instead on the pathology of the ego.     

Effect of tachistoscopic stimulation of subconscious oedipal wishes on competitive performance: A failure to replicate.

Studied the effects of subconscious oedipal wishes on the dart-throwing performance of 72 18–29 yr old undergraduate males. The research was designed (a) to replicate the study by L. H. Silverman et al (1978), who found that Ss' dart-throwing performance improved after they viewed the subliminal stimulus "beating dad is ok" and worsened after they viewed "beating dad is wrong"; (b) to see if dart-throwing behavior is also affected by supraliminal oedipal stimulation; and (c) to investigate the influence of priming (i.e., preexperimental arousal of oedipal wishes) on the effect of tachistoscopic stimulation. Previous results were not replicated despite close adherence to the Silverman et al methodology, nor were other significant effects found. Questions are raised about the ability to have an impact on subconscious oedipal wishes in a behaviorally observable way using this paradigm. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self psychology and the analysis of the superego.

The thesis of this article is that self psychology can be construed as a superego psychology in that both involve an intensive study of the self-regulatory and self-evaluative functions of the mind and their precursors in early object relations. Kohut's clinical contribution can be redefined in terms of the structural model as the delineation of the regressive, pathological, and healthy methods through which the ego attempts to restore the approval of the superego. Kohut's grandiose self can be seen as a precursor of the ego ideal and his idealized parent imago as a precursor of conscience. Conflict between the ego ideal and the conscience constitutes a vital aspect of intrapsychic functioning which self psychology has neglected in its focus upon developmental arrest. Sexual and aggressive aims play an important role in regaining the approval of the superego through their unique capacity to evoke a sense of the omnipotence of the corporeal self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Archaic transference and anaclitic depression: Psychoanalytic perspectives on the treatment of severely disturbed patients.

Suggests that both archaic transferences and anaclitic depression, although often thought of as reflective of a regressed mental organization, are also often found in the analytic material of neurotic patients. The subjective sensation of emptiness does not imply a deficit condition but rather an affect that can be analyzed. Unlike anxiety and guilt-ridden depression, anaclitic depression does not perform a signal function. It tends not to exert a pressing interpersonal claim on the other through archaic transference wishes when a person is not in need of external regulation and is capable of momentary depression tolerance. Two parallel developmental lines can be observed: (a) from anaclitic to guilt-ridden depression and (b) from archaic to oedipal transferences. The 2 lines are held to possess parallels, despite their seeming disparity. Reports describing anaclitic depression and its implications for technique from object relations theorists, ego psychologists, and self psychologists are considered. (65 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

First pregnancy: Therapeutic issues for both female and male psychotherapists.

Discusses the reactions of psychotherapy clients to their therapist's 1st pregnancy, including the stimulation of unresolved oedipal and early developmental conflicts, fear of rejection and abandonment, and separation anxiety. Intensification of a maternal transference, sexual identity issues, and maternal loss and deprivation issues, along with hostile fantasies toward the unborn child and envy of the therapist as a mother and a sexual and fertile person, may arise. The reactions of the female therapist to her pregnancy may include emotional changes related to hormonal fluctuations, fatigue, and a growing sense of physical vulnerability; distraction due to the kicking of the fetus; and reduced functioning as a therapist due to feelings of fear, anger, guilt, and confusion over leaving her patients. Despite the paucity of research into the impact of impending parenthood on male therapists, it is suggested that they may experience many of the same role changes and conflicts, emotions, and reactions experienced by female therapists. Two case vignettes are presented to illustrate patient and therapist reactions to pregnancy, and suggestions to help both therapists and clients prepare to deal with issues surrounding the pregnancy are offered. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego involvement: A critical examination of some methodological issues.

To further explore the parameter of ego involvement, college Ss were given tasks on conditions of high and low ego involvement. The results confirmed that degree of ego involvement can facilitate task performance, but not to the degree heretofore thought. Ss have a higher level of aspiration on tasks in which they are ego-involved, but ego-involvement instructions are most effective when S realizes he is participating in an experiment where the dimension of ego-involvement is being explored, i.e., he has the appropriate set. Interest in doing well on a task was seen as a valid measure of ego involvement for at least some Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some thoughts on the ego ideal. A contribution to the study of the "illness of ideality"

Man searches continuously for the time when he was his own ideal--a time that is coincident with primary fusion with the mother. The fantasy of this fusion underlies the incest wish. Because of his helplessness, the child must postpone the realization of his incest wish and project it forward into the future. However, if the subject chooses the pathway of the oedipus complex and identification with the father to realize his incestuous fantasy, circumstance may lead him to circumvent the oedipal shpere and, through the mechanisms of regression, return to the mother of primary fusion. As in Aesop's adage, the ego ideal is at the source of the best and the worst of things.     

A special oedipal mechanism in the development of male homosexuality.

A special oedipal mechanism in the development of homosexuality in high functioning neurotic men—the plicate Oedipus complex—is described, in which the father serves simultaneously as both the object and the prohibitor of erotic excitement in the oedipal-age boy. This mechanism, it is argued, replaces the more widely recognized negative and positive oedipal mechanisms and functions correspondingly in superego formation and general psychosexual development. The consequences of the plicate Oedipus complex for the homosexual male are described in terms of later sexual behavior, interpersonal relations, superego functioning, and transference paradigms. Guidelines for psychoanalytic therapy with homosexual men are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)