THE PSYCHODYNAMIC TREATMENT OF A DISTURBED ADOLESCENT - A VYGOTSKIAN PERSPECTIVE

From the vantage point of the interplay between action and language, t he author traces the mental transformation of a disturbed adolescent d uring the course of treatment. Conceptually, this account superimposes the work of Vygotsky on a psychoanalytic understanding of the clinica l process. Through systematic observations of the patient's behavior a nd speech, as well as of interventions aimed primarily at fostering th e reemergence of intense affects, the author describes four cycles of communicative complexity. The beginning of self-reflection in a withdr awn, impulsive, hostile teenager, within the arena of an intensive psy chodynamic treatment, reinforces Vygotsky's position that crucial chan ges in the relationship between speech and action can occur in a short period of time.