The delusional formation viewed through a freudian lens as a switch in the relationship to the schizophrenogenic mother : a look at two cases of psychosis with mental retardation

Abstract

Freud identified in the psychotic formation a flight and an active phase at remodeling, adding that the loss of homosexual affections prompts the flight. Later research on the schizophrenogenic mother described the childhood of the psychotic subject as involving intense relatedness and aggression. Through a case-study approach, we considered two female adult cases of mental retardation with psychotic symptomatology. We hypothesized that at the appearance of the psychotic symptoms, the subject has performed a switch in the relationship to the hostile parent, so as to state that all along he or she was the hostile. The hypothesis came out after re-examining Freud's analysis of the case of Schreber. The two cases were administered a short clinical interview. This was followed by the administration of the Thematic Apperception Test. Responses were analyzed using Holt (2008)s Primary Process Scoring method followed by analytic interpretations. We made the tentative diagnosis of disorganized schizophrenia for first case and of major depression with catatonic features for the second. We identified an upbringing involving verbal aggression in the first case and physical and verbal aggression in the second case. A Freudian approach allowed us to spot in the first case a psychotic formation in line with the hypothesis and a loss of homosexual affection and to see in the second case a withholding of further libidinal investment in the hostile parent and homosexual affections that were in place. The discussion reflected on the other facet of the relationship to the hostile parent, namely the libidinal impulses.