Diane 35 Verses Juliet 35

Psychopathology in separation and divorce custody

Mario Andrea Salluzzo

News in
Psychology, Vol 19, No.3-4, July -Dec. 2004, pp. 221-235.

We are pleased to point out to visitors of our site Salluzzo Mario Andrea's article, published in the latest issue of the journal Current Psychology.

Psychologist working in the NHS over 10 years, Salluzzo has been dealing with some issues related to years of separation. His other publications have appeared in 2004 on news of '

Institute for the Study of paternity and ' Italian Association of Forensic Psychology.

The author, after presenting an overview of the problem, passionately delves into the pain of separation, difficulties in the relationship with the children, the psychosocial dynamics, the responsibility of the professional classes involved in psychological and psychotherapeutic methods , touching and finally, the controversial issue of legislative reform. In particular, it seemed interesting to extend the concept of acting out

- derived from the theory of psychotherapy - the phenomenon of judicial conflict in separated families. Here, therefore, the entire paragraph that the author has devoted to the theme of 'acting out

judiciary.

Acting out judicial

The concept of acting out stems from the theory of dynamic psychotherapy (Freud , 1914). It is to designate, in short, all the series of behaviors that can be impulsive, or otherwise characterized by repression and / or poor mentalization - no metabolism of alpha function, according to the theory of WR Bion (1962) - in order to address improperly, outside the context of psychotherapy, a source of psychological distress. The person genuinely believes to adopt appropriate strategies to face the uncomfortable reality is only in perpetuating destructive behavior and cronicizzanti own and others' distress. In this case, the act becomes an impediment to understanding the psychological nature of the problem. In so doing, the former spouses may refer unthinkingly - psychoanalysts would call "acting out" (acting) - the separation and conflict to continue for years - sometimes lifelong - use the judicial system in a perverse way, that is, as the stage where it is the distress, in deceptive hope of repairing their suffering.

fact justice is inadequate to reveal the psychological causes of the conflict, or may require the love, understanding and family welfare. In addition, the unresolved discomfort that prompted the couple to split, add other psychopathological disorders accessories, we equate to the compensation neurosis (Giberti F, Rossi R., 1983). Are those that push the former spouses to endless claims in a vain attempt to be given all the wrongs inflicted on the other. But the assessment of such wrongs often turns out to be critical, as sometimes only in their subjectivity out to be such, or, if it actually existed would be difficult to prove. The interest to prevail in court disputes and psychopathological reactions inevitably pollute the reports of the contenders. Some authors speak in this context of "factoids" (de Cataldo, 1997) to describe the uncertain nature of the above who is subjected to interrogation or expert opinion in court. What's more, even the inevitable subjectivity of experts appointed as CTU in various court proceedings contributes to a more uncertain and unsatisfactory ratings. The experts, in fact, different formations and psychic methods can also provide the court with conflicting versions of the same case, depending on their preparation. Consequently, the recognition of wrongs from the magistrates could become impossible, with the side effect of seeing the continuing dissatisfaction in both parties for many years.

Finally - partly because of the inherent nature of the measures, which typically provide for penalties, restrictions, penalties and damages against either party, with the consequent tendency of the parties to forge their own attitudes and reports on events that took place - the legal system can only generate the greatest possible avoidance of the inner understanding of psychological factors that have reduced the unfortunate failure of the protagonists of the story to their life plan together. Because of this it is: the separation and divorce, to varying degrees in each case, are often a traumatic event, a failure, and who can come there to be prepared and succumb to despair. The family hardships that result in killings and suicides are all too often on the news.

Who separates driven by an urgent need, without having sufficiently developed a thoughtful decision, it is often plagued by a terrible state of discomfort that makes it impossible to understand what is happening. Taken from the need to eliminate as soon as unbearable suffering that is not used, ends up in the judicial methods put a naive confidence, guided by the illusion of a quick resolution of personal problems and organization of life caused by the disruption of torque. The lawyers do not always have the psychological preparation ol'intuito to push their clients to reflect, nor the power, of course, to get them to do so. Nor is their task to identify the psychopathological nature of the conflict. Often share with their clients the same mentality to the quick and painless resolution. In doing so they end up colluding with the chronic and intractable continued conflict and the causes that have generated. That the legal solution is easy to prepare mentally and quick to get there is no doubt, would be effective is not possible to predict, but optimistically or magically attenderselo. There is no guarantee that the legal proceedings undertaken does not become a perverse process irreversible.

Not to mention the paradox - that completes the picture of what might be termed the judicial perversion of acting out - that the justice system as practiced by the couple in conflict, is itself based on the conflict and, as such, can only exacerbate the stress and cause a chronic long term nature of psychopathological reactions. Absurdly, the intervention of justice is used by the former spouses to implement in the form notarized, a series of violence, extortion and retaliation between them, thus defeating the intention healing, not only of the divorce law, but also that of other laws aimed at limiting domestic violence.

Clinical experience shows that couples conflicts may remain locked in a relentless hatred for decades if not for life, and that the much longed for liberation on the other hand, at this point that we could identify as a recovery from their discomfort psychic, whose former spouses are in prison, it becomes impossible, as both are inextricably joined in a deadly embrace (T. Main, 1966) that prevents him from finding the opening psychological mentalizing the past and present, eventually lose confidence enthusiasm to fully envisage a future life. Once destroyed, the fusion of Eros, the couple remain together - more than before - The fusion of hatred.

We are in a situation similar to that in the sixties Mark Levy MD (1968) complained about the violence in psychiatric institutions. The operators were well aware of psychiatry at such inhumane treatment underwent the mentally ill, but all forms part of the 'establishment

and ended up not even notice us, because their professional role was recognized by the society only in that way. In other words, to defend their identity structure, was stronger than the need to adhere to the social consensus, enshrined in the laws of the State, rather than assume the real suffering of the sick. Just as was the case for the hospitalized mentally ill, so when families in crisis entering the justice system is the same process of objectification and destorizzazione described by Dr.

The subjects dealt with by technical means of judicial institutions lose their personal role in their destiny to be subjugated to the logic of power laws do not meet the needs and the actual pattern of the phenomenon on which they must go to operate. The role of legal practitioners end up being merely acquiesces to a system that unabashedly apply its laws, regardless the damage it causes. Gaetano Giordano (3 rd National Report Eurispes-Telefono Azzurro on the Status of the Child) will not hesitate to talk about chopping family when considering the destruction of the emotional relationships between parents and children, and marked distress and social it follows that individual, as an emerging feature of judicial management of marital separations.

The psychiatric reform movement of the sixties emphasized that the course of the mental illness of the inmates did not belong to this primarily as he wanted to leave the psychiatric science to understand, but that the disease was the direct result of the encounter between the event and the institution appointed to cure the disease.

In our case we find ourselves faced with a system where the difficulties come in pairs to receive justice and healing in their lives, but end up finding in many cases only add discomfort - so iurigeno - and impaired psychological well-being for future generations. It is natural to ask if we are only facing a couple of psychopathology, or to the aggravation caused by the evil practices and regulations of the system sociogiuridico. And 'no doubt the unintended to harm judges and categories (lawyers, consultants, social workers, etc.). perverse mechanisms involved in collusive on display, but it is true that they often participate with awareness, knowing that their work may lead to a ' further suffering. This, in the eyes of society, therefore does not make them innocent, but jointly responsible - we might say - with the system in which they conduct their business. Could do otherwise, begins to exceed the experience of inescapable submission is for the current and begin to rebel against the idea of \u200b\u200bbeing forced to transfer all the errors in their work basic system in which they operate. Instead continue to implement what might be called a kind of madness legalized.

REFERENCES 3 rd National Report Eurispes-Telefono Azzurro on the Status of the Child.

Basaglia F. eds, (1968) The institution denied

, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Milan.

Bion WR (1962) Learning from

, (1972) Hogarth, London.

de Cataldo L. (1997) An examination of the child

, Notebooks ISISC No 13, pp.119-149, quoted in R. Giorgi, Mother Teresa did not marry Hitler, the Italian Association of Forensic Psychology, No 14, pp.5-7, 2003.

Freud S., (1914) Remembering, repeating and working , (1975) Works, vol.7, pp.353-361, Basic Books, New York.

Giberti F, Rossi R., (1983) Handbook of Psychiatry , Piccin, Padova.

T. Main, (1966)

A theory on marriage and its practical applications , Interactions, n.1/1993, pp.81-107.

EUR Thanks to the publishing house Edizioni Romane University who kindly allowed the publication of this excerpt from the journal Current Psychology.