On three strands of meaning associated with the word nigger used during the course of a psychoanalytic treatment.

Full Abstract

The author presents an overview of recent clinical/theoretical work on the construction of otherness in structured forms of hatred. He then uses clinical material to demonstrate three interwoven strands of meaning attached to the word nigger, a pejorative used frequently by a patient during the course of a psychoanalytic treatment. As used by this patient, one strand is projective and the other essentialist. The author then reflects on his own use of the pejorative in the text--a third strand of meaning he describes as depressive.

Author information

Author/s: Moss, Donald B (DB);

Affiliation: New York University Psychoanalytic Institute, New York, USA. donaldmoss(-atsign-)mindspring.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Case Reports; Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: The Psychoanalytic quarterly (Psychoanal Q), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jul; vol 78 (issue 3) : pp 819-42

Dates: Created 2009/08/18; Completed 2009/09/02;

PMID: 19685815, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/4/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.