24,656
edits
Changes
no edit summary
The '[[primal scene]]' is a scene of sexual intercourse between the parents and observed (or fantasized) by a [[child]], who usually interprets it as an act of violent [[aggression]] on the part of the [[father]].
The [[memory]] of the [[primal scene]] feeds into most fantasies, and especially those of [[neurosis|neurotics]], the classic case history being that of [[Freud]]'s '[[Wolf Man]]' [[patient]].<ref>1918</ref>
The scene leads to the sexual arousal of the child, but at the same tim induces [[castration]] [[anxiety]] and thus lays the foundation for the [[Oedipus complex]].
According to [[Klein]], the child fantasizes that its parents are locked together in permanent intercourse; they merge to form the combined parent figure, and torment and destroy one another in the act of copulation.
The combined parent figure is one of the most terrifying fantasies of [[childhood]].
Whether or not the [[primal scene]] is an actual [[memory]] or a real event or a [[fantasy]] elaborated on the basis of fragmentary observations and suppositions is a question that is not really resolved by [[Freud]].
The expression "primal scene" refers to the sight of sexual relations between the parents, as observed, constructed, and/or fantasized by the child and interpreted by the child as a scene of violence. The scene is not understood by the child, remaining enigmatic but at same time provoking sexual excitement.
