Relire l’« Esquisse » du point de vue métapsychologique de la fonction maternelle1

Abstract

This article explores the genesis of psychic life prior to the establishment of internal objects, beginning with fetal development and passing through the early constitution of precocious parent–child relationships. Freud’s “Project” (1895) serves as the basis for integrating the physiological foundations of psychic life and the constancy principle. The author combines his research in infant observation, following the Esther Bick method, his recent work onmentalization and the reflective function in children and adults, and his research on the relationship between the psyche and the body. From these approaches, a common denominator is extracted, involving the importance of rhythm, sensoriality, and elements of emotional and physiological regulation. They relate to a specific aspect of the constancy principle, supported by the maternal function in the course of analytic treatment, which has importantconsequences for the management of the transference and countertransference. To illustrate these ideas, the author has drawn three clinical vignettes from his hospital practice with children and their parents, and his private practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy with adult patients.