AGGRESSION AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF

In this paper we explore the idea of aggression as a defence against t hreats to the psychological self. This aspect of the self allows refle ction about people in psychological terms and develops, in the first t hree years of life, through appreciation of mental states in the other . When the object is unpredictable or hostile, recognition of this is painful to the child, and his reflective function will not be adequate ly established. The defences of aggression or avoidance will be invoke d very frequently. In time, aggression may become an organising influe nce in the construction of the self; pathological destructiveness then takes the place of emotional relatedness and concern for the other. p sychoanalytic treatment no longer works primarily by addressing confli ct. Instead, particularly through interpretations of transference and countertransference, the analyst recreates an intersubjective process which enhances the patient's reflective self, this time in the safety of a benign relationship.