1973 On aggression:

its onto and phylogenetic aspects, its manifestations in the psychoanalytic process

Abstract

he author and her collaborators see aggressiveness as an autonomous psycho-physical need, that impels the human being to search for the other, in order to survive. In his state of extreme dependence, the child is in contact with his first object, using his skin and mouth, through movements and fantasies, being able to, from these first experiences, feel aggressiveness not only in the sense of a curious and loving “ad-gredi way”, with which he initiates the great adventure of living, but also to become aware of his destructive possibility. In perspective of Humanity, the conquest of the moon and the atomic destruction are examples of these two aspects of the aggression phenomenon. Some data are referred to on the aggressive behavior in primitive human societies, in some animal species and in some indian groups. Finally, the author gives three examples of the manifestations of aggression in relation to the psychoanalytical process. In the first situation, the aggression exploded before the treatment, which started in the phase of total self-destruction. The fact of having found a good object enabled the patient to recover. In the second episode, the aggression was manifested during the psychoanalytical process, in relation to the mother, who was felt as a bad object. This change in the patient brought about, as a result, improvements in his mother’s behavior, and a better relationship between the two. In the third situation the aggression was manifested during analysis, against the therapist and it was worked through productively on a transferential basis.