Concepts of psychic trauma in psychoanalysis: a comparative approach

Psychoanalytic concepts of psychic trauma

Abstract

The concept of neurosis, associated with the inability to respond to psychic trauma, underlies the psychoanalytic approach. Developing the theory and method further, psychoanalysts of various directions changed the idea of psychic trauma as the cause of problems in the human soul, often so dramatically that the original concept of Freud and Breuer was lost in their complex constructions. However, the conceptual analysis of the reasons why such changes became possible was carried out quite a long time ago. Accordingly, this fact pushes us to the goal of this work: to compile a holistic view of the evolution of views on psychic trauma in psychoanalytic thought, to identify differences on this issue and to identify the key difference in these concepts. To do this, it was necessary to solve the following tasks: to analyze key views on mental trauma by theorists of various areas of psychoanalysis, to make a comparative table of differences in the concepts of mental trauma. Fundamental disagreements of psychoanalysts were established on the most important component of the issue of psychic trauma: who plays the role of a catalyst – the psyche of the subject or external objects. From our point of view, all other differences in concepts come from here.