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Obsessional phenomena and the development of imaginative competence
Author(s) -
Holmes Jeremy
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1982.tb01493.x
Subject(s) - psychology , falling in love , fantasy , competence (human resources) , psychoanalysis , developmental psychology , social psychology , literature , art
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 a 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 developmental element in the recovery from obsessionality.