Obsessional phenomena and the development of imaginative competence.
Obsessional phenomena are discussed in the light of anxieties arising around the ages 8-12. Three cases of the disappearance of obsessional symptoms are then described. In one remarkable sequence of dreams preceded recovery; in another it was the establishment of a secure therapeutic bond; in the third it was falling in love. The capacity securely to differentiate between fantasy and reality is seen as an essential development element in the recovery from obsessionality.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004325:Dreams; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D011606:Psychosexual Development