The prohibited hatred of the father : a psychoanalytic study of the Rat Man
Authors
Coen, Vivienne Mary
Issue Date
2008
Degree
MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
This thesis will provide a detailed examination of the Rat Man case from the perspective that Paul (aka: the Rat Man) had a repressed deep hatred of his father that was prohibited by the latter. It will say that this hatred was compounded by a 'painful beating' that Paul received from his father when he was just 4 years old. Details of Paul's sexual life will be chronicled and Freud's theories on early infantile sexual life will be included along with the pre oedipal phantasy that 'a child is being beaten'. Following on from this there will be a detailed look at the young Paul's Oedipus complex. The second part of this thesis will take the theories of Lacan into consideration in relation to this case. It will deal mainly with Lacan's "Paternal Metaphor" seminars but also some of his other work. This is a very important part of the thesis as it pays attention to the oedipal triangle of the child, the mother, and the father whereas Freud focuses mainly on the father/ son relationship in this case. Finally the conclusion will provide a succinct account of what has been learned from a psychoanalytic point of view during the construction of this work.