SELF-MUTILATION

TRAUMA AND HELPLESSNESS

Authors

  • Daiana Trintim de Jesus Universidade de Caxias do Sul
  • Tânia Maria Cemin Universidade de Caxias do Sul

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1678-9563.2023v29p67%20-%2090

Keywords:

self-mutilation, anguish, helplessness, psychoanalysis

Abstract

This essay is an excerpt from the Professional Master's thesis in Psychology, completed at the University of Caxias do Sul. This study aimed to understand some elements of the phenomenon of self-mutilation, based on situations of helplessness and trauma identified in the experiences of participants in this research. For that, semi-structured interviews were carried out with people with a history of self-mutilation practices, attended at the Applied Psychology Service of a university in Serra Gaúcha. The collected data underwent content analysis, and its results indicate that self-mutilation is linked to the subject's first relationships with the Other and the conflict arising from these. Thus, primordial helplessness works as an opening to the adult world, as it allows the baby to experience a first experience of satisfaction, provided by the intervention of the Other. In this way, the infant's initial helplessness corresponds to the prototype of every traumatic situation.

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Published

2024-12-17