The notion of trauma em Freud and Winnicott

Abstract

The intention of this presentation is to comment on the differences between the notions of trauma in Freud and Winnicott. As such, it will be demonstrated how Freud conceived of trauma as unreleased excitement, using hysteria as a model, and emphasized that his concept of trauma is constructed with the aid of speculative auxiliary concepts. Next, it will be demonstrated that for Winnicott the notion of trauma is not conceived of in function of an economic point of view, nor, basicly, of sexual nature, nor centered on Oedipus Complex, but it is related to environmental failures that interrupt the continuation of being. As such, we try to explain that the notion of trauma in Winnicott is conceived of in terms of breakage in the environment`s trustfulness. In showing that, for Winnicott, the notion of trauma expresses itself in diverse meanings it is also noted that this is one of the characteristics of his theorizing, in that concepts have their meaning and their language in terms of the moment in which they are inserted in the process of maturation. Keywords:Freud, Trauma, Libido, Metapsychology, Winnicott, Maturacional processes, Continuation of being.