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After elaborating on the Freudian concept of symbol, he concludes: "I have decided to define, i.e. limit the notions of symbol and interpretation to one another. The symbol is a double-meaning linguistic expression that requires interpretation. An interpretation is a way of understanding that aims at deciphering symbols" (p.9). This definition, with circumscribes the concept, is valid for clinical work: psychoanalysts try to access the unconscious meaning through the interpretation of the conscious text presented by the patient. He agrees with Ernst Jones that a separation between the unconscious and the conscious is needed to complete the symbolization process. Although he emphasizes double meaning in linguistic expressions, he extends this possibility to other channels of communication (e.g. Freudian slips). For Ricoeur, symbols are over-determined. He distinguishes two poles of the symbol spectrum: one of archaic meanings, those of individual childhood, and another "towards the emergence of figures that anticipate our spiritual adventure" (pg. 496). He refers mainly to cultural and scientific topics. Therefore, sublimation is not seen as one of the vicissitudes of the drive, but: “sublimation is the symbolic function itself” (pg. 497). V. Ab. British Object Relations Influence The conceptulizations pertaining to profound influence of British object relations theories in Latin America have been related to the Kleinian theory and its developments in the work of Hanna Segal , but also the Independent tradition, especially of Winnicott and contemporary work of Parsons (See above). Donald Winnicott’s influence : Stressing the developmental dynamic and cultural dimension of symbol formation, Latin American analysts trace Winnicott’s contribution to his paper “Hate in Countertransference” (1947). Symbols can have variable meanings and need to be studied in the context of the growth of an indivual (1971), i.e. , in Christian religion, the wafer can be (Catholic community) or be a substitute for the body of Christ (Protestant community). In "Hate in the Countertransference" (1947) he specifies that the first case corresponds to psychotic functioning, while symbolization is part of the normal process: For the neurotic, the couch and warmth and comfort can be symbolical of the mother's love; for the psychotic, it would be more true to say that these things are the analyst's physical expression of love. The couch is the analyst's lap or womb, and the warmth is the live warmth of the analyst's body (p.199). Transitionality is a complex concept, which accounts for multiple events that are occurring in the course of the baby's development, within the framework of the interactions with its first objects. It is essential to note that although the transitional object is a symbol, this only indicates that the symbolization process is on the right track, but it does not mean that it is complete.
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