The character of the exception as a defense against deformity.
There is a tendency to regard Freud's paper on "the exception" (1916) as describing a general narcissistic defensive organization, but this paper argues that Freud was primarily concerned with the character of the exception as a defense against acknowledging bodily deformity. Two cases of bodily deformity, one fictional, one drawn from the author's practice, are presented to explore the role of magical identification with an ego-ideal in the regulation of self-esteem in the exception. The first shows a case irrevocably stuck in the character of the exception; the second example shows how analysis can help to effect some lessening of the defense. The paper ends with brief observations on technique in relation to the exception.
Ken
K
Robinson
D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005619:Freudian Theory; D006801:Humans; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D009289:Narcissism; D012649:Self Concept