SEDUCTION TRAUMA - REPRESENTATION, DEFERRED ACTION, AND PATHOGENIC DEVELOPMENT

Seduction trauma refers to a range of phenomena currently described un der the rubric of child abuse. Freud elucidated the fantasy distortion and elaboration of traumatic experience and retained the importance o f actual trauma. Psychic trauma is associated with the alteration of s elf and object representations and ensuing new identifications, e.g., with victim and aggressor. The ''deferred action'' of psychic trauma i s an antiquated concept and psychic trauma has immediate effects as we ll as far reaching developmental consequences. Prior trauma predispose s to later traumatic vulnerability and to trauma linked to phase speci fic unconscious conflict. The pathogenesis of child sex abuse and the enactment of oedipal incest extends before and after the oedipal phase , is often associated with other forms of abuse, and has a history of pathogenic parent-child relationship.