63rd Annual Conference

Saturday February 25

Morning Open Sessions

(8:45-9:45 am)

Session 230

The Many Faces of Abuse: Treating the Emotional Abuse of High-Functioning Women

Presenter:         

Joan Lachkar, Ph.D., Affiliate Member SCPI, Psychoanalytic Institute, Beverly Hills, California

This one-hour open session extends beyond narcissistic/borderline relations to a variety of didactic configurations, e.g. what happens when histrionic gets together with an obsessive compulsive or a schizoid with a dependent personality. The “dance” of the couple will encompass the underlying themes/dynamics that lies beneath the defense and dynamics of these various love bonds.  The highlight will present the complexity in the treatment of cross cultural couples and introduce the new concept of the "V-spot". Specific treatment strategies will be offered along with lively case illustrations, and role play with active group participation.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Demonstrate how old archaic injuries impairs the couple’s current perspective of reality ((judgment, perception, reality testing).

2. Demonstrate the couple’s mutual projections and how each one tends to identify or over-identify with the negative projections of the other.

3. Demonstrate various theoretical concepts as Self Psychology and Object relations to marital conflict

Course References:

1. Bion, W. (1961). Experiences in Groups and Other Papers. London: Tavistock.

2. Fairbairn, W. (1954).  An Object Relations Theory of the Personality. New York: Basic Books.

3. Lachkar, J. (1998). The Many Faces of Abuse: Treating the emotional abuse of high-

functioning women. Northvale, NJ:  Jason Aronson.