Psychoanalysis.  2011 Apr;22(1):19-26.

Developmental and Psychopathological Issues of Intrapsychic Loneliness and Aloneness during Midlife: A Clinical Case

• Colarusso
• Montero GJ

Abstract

This paper begins with exploration of the origins of psychic loneliness and aloneness and presentation on a developmental line of human experiences from infancy to midlife. The theoretical section is followed by the presentation on detailed clinical materials obtained from the ongoing analysis of a fifty-one year old male patient who is unable to deal with issues related to aging. Prior to receiving treatment, the patient attempted to alleviate his increasing feeling of isolation and loneliness by leaving his wife and having affairs with other women. When his symptoms intensified, he reluctantly sought treatment. Unresolved abandonment issues lead to the formation of an elaborate compensatory fantasy life in both childhood and adulthood. The paper concludes with a detailed developmental discussion on the patient's psychopathology and the analytic process.

Keyword

Midlife; Loneliness; Aloneness; Countertransference; Development; Metapsychology; Transference

MeSH Terms

Aging
Countertransference (Psychology)
Fantasy
Female
Humans
Loneliness
Male
Psychopathology
Spouses
Transference (Psychology)