Trauma of illness--crises in self concept regulation by cancer patients

Oncological diseases often represent a psychic trauma, which leads affected patients into a narcissistic crisis. Starting from the concept of narcissistic regulation system (Deneke, 1989), the origins of the destabilisation of the self are described, and parallels to persecution trauma will be drawn. The longing of the patients for symbiotic relationships are investigated in their double sense. On the one hand they serve the patient to stabilise his self, on the other hand they involve the danger of traumatisation within an object relation. The consequences for the process of mourning and integration will be discussed.