Adolescent Psychoanalysis

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Omnipotence and the Adolescent

Chapter 6

Part 1

Ordinary ‘defenses’ with which we are all familiar, are often seen in these dialogs. They are explored as with any other part of the dialog. It is on this very issue, however, upon which the analysis of adolescents often founders. How material is addressed, to adolescents at least, is crucial. The temptation for many of us to identify defences presence directly to the adolescent is great. For many of us, this is why we went to school. Defenses, mental mechanisms, transference, psycho-analytic theories, what the patient ‘really’ means, etc. were our lessons and are as seductive to us as can be imagined. Perhaps our lessons can be envisioned as Sirens beckoning to us, demanding we use our lessons, concretely, lest we be blinded. No Siren worth its salt beckons us to use these elements of our training as only a background to our work. However, what makes the experiences and ideas that are put forth in this book unique, is that the Siren’s song is relegated to a very useful but background position. That this is so is a most difficult task for all of us to either understand or support or follow. We have been taught that the identification of these issues is what we are supposed to do. Our teaching also holds that once identified, they are ‘interpreted’ according to ones analytic school.

For example, ‘omnipotence’ may be seen in the patient as seen in the ‘dialog’. The concept of omnipotence is well known to all of us. Yet, the meaning is different in some degree to all of us. The meaning to a Kleinian of that concept is different than to followers other schools. Knowledge of that concept, our ‘knowledge’, must be relegated to our background. We know what we think it is. We must determine what they think ‘it’ is. Our task is not to accuse a patient of ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ may mean to the analyst, but to find out what ‘it’ means to the patient. To the adolescent, ‘it’ may have no unique meaning. Or, alternatively, ‘it’ may have a unique meaning which is entirely unrelated to the meaning attached to ‘it’ by us.

One of the great advantages of exploring the dialog, the ride, etc., of the adolescent is that we find out what the adolescent means, not what we think they should mean. This is a simple but profoundly difficult task. We ‘know’ what people mean, or at least suppose that we do. Adolescents and others are constantly re-teaching us how to be an analyst of them, how to determine what they really mean and how to talk about that with them. This ‘teaching’ goes on and on, from moment to moment, session to session, patient to patient, forever. To enthusiastically look forward to and welcome this ‘re-teaching’ is difficult in ways that are beyond my descriptive abilities. I was trained as a Kleinian by many experts on that subject here in Los Angeles. To work as I suggest means that I have to abandon the certainties that were attached to my training. I ‘knew’ what patients meant and told them so. I no longer know, except insofar as I try to find out what each patient ‘means’ from that patient. Certainty, which I possessed, is gone. Uncertainty has taken it’s place.

One encouraging thing can be said, however: Sessions become infinitely more interesting, inspirational and meaningful.

The following vignette is from the treatment of a very grandiose 16 yo girl.

“I really fooled my mother. She thinks that I was at my girlfriends last night” she said.

“Fooled?” I asked

“Yeah. I made up some stupid story and she believed it” she said.

“Is she really stupid or are you a world class liar?” I asked.

“Both. I can get away with lying to anyone, especially my mother” she said.

“Is this a skill that you have developed, learned, studied?” I querried

“It’s just natural to me. But I have been caught a few times” she said.

“How in the world did a world class liar get caught?” I asked.

“Well, I’m only human” she said.

“ That’s disappointing. Can’t count on anything much anymore” I said.

“Well, I exaggerate a lot” she added

“My disappointment increases and increases” I said (laughing)

“You have to be realistic” she smiled..

“Oh no. Not realism. How boring” I said. (again laughing)

“Yeah. But that’s the way things really go. You’re the one who is supposed to be telling me that” She laughed.

“Well, I probably missed the ‘realism’ class. Or, possibly am just slow. Or both” I said (laughing)

“Yeah, right” she said, (again smiling)

(In discussing vignettes, of which there will be more and more, I am afraid that I will come across as grandiose and self-important sounding to those who don’t think I’ve slipped a cog. That is certainly not my intent. However, I have no real source for my material other than sessions in which I have participated and need to use as examples. As an undesirable consequence of that, there are lots of “I” statements, which I prefer not to use. Such statements, however undesirable, as well, are not reflective of how I think.)

In this interchange a number of things occurred. Her ‘omnipotence’ was seen. We might call ‘omnipotence’ a prominent mental mechanism of hers. What, if anything our term, ‘omnipotence’, might mean to her, however, is unknown. What she did say was: she, a world class liar, likes to lie to mother, who for the most part is both stupid and gullible, that she gets caught occasionally, but that is the way life goes and why is it she is explaining the way life goes to me, which, after all, is my job, which I should certainly do since she thinks I am smart. Perhaps these elements should be added to the definition of our concept ‘omnipotence’. It appears that we would be adding and adding new meanings to our concept ‘omnipotence’ until that concept would lose all meaning except, perhaps, as a reminder of the good old days.

There was no direct identification of her supposed problem except as put forward by her. This discussion was conducted in such a way that it was not offensive to her. She was able to discuss these issues and did not take these discussions as an assault on her character. She willingly and cooperatively participated in this discussion. An appropriate sense of humor was present both from me and her. And, finally, as often happens, she ended up debating with herself, ‘criticizing’ herself and criticizing me for doing such a bad job. A little realist modesty often goes a long way. In this instance, she ends up both laughing at and with me, and defending me against her.

Sessions like this one so seem to have the effect, however, of bringing the adolescent and myself even closer. Perhaps it can be described as a human to human contact.

A serious subject, addressed lightly, but deeply, and our being an ally of each other and the analysis continuing.