Abstract EN:

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the forms of primary symbolisation in psychoanalytical family therapy (PFT). Clinical signs emanating not only on primary and secondary levels, but also on an archaic level are analysed and considered according to their narrative value. These are taken into account through clinical observations of: the body, actions, language and the use of tools and intermediary objects (such as drawing, playdoh) as well as sensations, dreams, feelings, or thoughts experienced by the therapists. The clinical and theoretical framework focuses on the neo-group in theanalysis of the therapeutic process. This is influenced by the interplay between the state of mind of members of the families, that of the therapists, as well as group dynamics. The main theme of this research is on the archaic and formal logic resulting from the multiplicity and the subjectivity of different forms of expression and communication. In taking into account clinical signs as forms of primary symbolisation, it is possible to take into account their symbolic and communicative status.Psychoanalytical theory and concepts are explored and focused in three main areas: concepts developed and defined as primary symbolisation; in the light of these processes, the theorisation of group dynamics is revisited. Finally, the oundations of psychoanalytical family therapy and its contemporary counterparts are assessed and shown to underline the existence of the process of primary symbolisation in PFT.In order to illustrate the analysis of the processes at play during the formation of primary symbolisation, three clinical vignettes of PFT are presented. To enable this clinical research, evidence was conceived, applied and revised so as to qualitatively evaluate the process of primary symbolisation in PFT. Three hypothesis are identified and developed. In the first hypothesis, a specific method of listening to the verbal content present in a session of PFT is construed. It is applied through an emphasis on two simultaneous aspects of the discourse, the form and the content. This approach helps to identify howand to what extent the neo-group is organized in its representational capacities. In the second hypothesis, an assessment model is created allowing for the identification and analysis of « formal signifiers » present in various forms within clinical material. The identification of multifaceted « formal signifiers » confirms that the presence of unconscious mental organizers within the neo-group are in place on an archaic level: viz., in « formal signifiers » and « pictograms ». A fundamental question remains - what is the content of the unfolding archaic experience being expressed verbally? They cannot be identified as either unconscious phantasies nor as preconscious thoughts. Lastly, a definition of two specific formsof primary symbolisation are given. The appearance of a hybrid memory within the neo-group. This can be seen as an attempt to represent a traumatic experience combining three different forms of expression – archaic, primary and secondary. Experiences within the group dynamics of « climatic change in the transference » which can be assessed as the reactivation in hallucinatory forms of perceptive traces linked to traumatic experiences.Three pluri-disciplinary openings allow the results of the research to be linked to other theoretical fields, such as neurosciences linked to mnesic inscription and in the artistic of areas, such as literature and cinema.