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From the Enigma of Identity to “Becoming a Subject”: The Transitional Double

From the Enigma of Identity to “Becoming a Subject”: The Transitional Double In the field of psychopathology, “narcissistic and identity-related suffering” refers to a type of suffering characterized by a lack of being that centrally affects narcissism and identity continuity/discontinuity. Present in many clinical and psychopathological pictures, these problems in turn invite us to undertake a rereading of the modalities of structuration of subjectivity in the course of development. Elements for a model of identity construction are proposed based on the paradigm of the double. Approached from the angle of paradox, identity is thought of as a process in the service of “becoming a subject” based, essentially, on the role of the object and its reflexive function. Drawing on the concept of “transitional double,” this perspective allows the foundations of subjective identity and their stages of construction to be described; these foundations underlie the creation of an internal psychic mirror, the locus of one’s relationship to self. These considerations give us a better understanding of the logics of narcissistic and identity-related pathologies, which are characterized in particular by a failure of reflexive capacities, revealing the uncertainties of the dual relational dynamic in the course of early development. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association SAGE

From the Enigma of Identity to “Becoming a Subject”: The Transitional Double

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References (37)

Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2023 by the American Psychoanalytic Association
ISSN
0003-0651
eISSN
1941-2460
DOI
10.1177/00030651231154621
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In the field of psychopathology, “narcissistic and identity-related suffering” refers to a type of suffering characterized by a lack of being that centrally affects narcissism and identity continuity/discontinuity. Present in many clinical and psychopathological pictures, these problems in turn invite us to undertake a rereading of the modalities of structuration of subjectivity in the course of development. Elements for a model of identity construction are proposed based on the paradigm of the double. Approached from the angle of paradox, identity is thought of as a process in the service of “becoming a subject” based, essentially, on the role of the object and its reflexive function. Drawing on the concept of “transitional double,” this perspective allows the foundations of subjective identity and their stages of construction to be described; these foundations underlie the creation of an internal psychic mirror, the locus of one’s relationship to self. These considerations give us a better understanding of the logics of narcissistic and identity-related pathologies, which are characterized in particular by a failure of reflexive capacities, revealing the uncertainties of the dual relational dynamic in the course of early development.

Journal

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic AssociationSAGE

Published: Feb 1, 2023

Keywords: transitional double; identity; subjectivity; reflexivity; double; intersubjectivity; primary narcissism; otherness; psychic mirror

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