The processes of going into fatherhood: a clinical approach

In this poster the authors propose to discuss the problematic of going into fatherhood within a transient European society, Greece. The main goal of this study was to describe the social and psychological dynamics and long term dimension of the phenomenon through analysis of clinical interviews with young men becoming fathers for the first time in their lives. The theoretical framework and the social context of the research are presented, together with the analyses of the accounts by 25 fathers interviewed each three times, before and after their child’s birth. This clinical material serves as an illustration of the psychodynamic processes of going into fatherhood and points out two dimensions: one is intrapersonal (essentially marked by identifications to parental images) and the other interpersonal (essentially marked by the relationships with the companion/wife). An analysis of the subjects’ affects and representations shows that resolution of conscious and unconscious conflicts which take place during the process of going into fatherhood are dependant on the process of disengagement from the family of origin on the one hand and on the ability of both partners to construct a “conjugal space” on the other hand. Men (and fathers to-be) when faced with the situation may either confine themselves to culturally established schemes of their own history, or find a new meaning to their personal and relational life.Texte integral sur CD-rom