Affect Integration in Psychoanalysis: a Clinical Approach to Self-Destructive Behavior

Self-destructive behaviour can be an attempt to reverse self-fragmentation or breakdown secondary to feeling overwhelmed by unbearable affect. Therapeutic attention to blocks in the development of affect integration may help individuals process painful feeling states more efficiently, thus dealing with tension states more constructively. 2 cases are presented as illustration. The cessation of the self-destructive behaviour was followed by the resumption of the normal developmental process.