Page - 40 - in Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Puberty and Adolescence - The Inner Worlds of Teenagers and their Parents

40 Psychosexual development in puberty and can also speak with children about sex? If the mother has a defensive attitude towards her sexuality and if no sexual relationship exists between the parents, this constitutes a confirmation of the child’s fear of the fatal union between father and mother: the father would hurt the mother, and she must protect herself. Sebastian (12) had the following dream: I and my girlfriend were on a boat. We were playing a chasing game. Then a huge monster came and caught us. The monster wanted her to jump in his mouth and he wanted to swallow us. We ran away. Then the monster came from the other side. We both jumped overboard over the railing. I woke up. In association, Sebastian believed he thought in the dream: “She shouldn’t die. I want to save her.” Then he said he was reading a book where there was a monster with a huge mouth – not a factual book, but a storybook. In this book there was a village in the sky, a ship and a small forest, where many monsters lived. The boy, 16 years old, has never been called a man yet. He wishes to prove his strength. He travels with the ship to the forest and meets a monster. Then he kills this monster and brings it home. He is a hero and is praised as a man. He is meant to conquer other monsters – but at that point Sebastian stopped reading. In her analytic work with very young children, Melanie Klein investigated children’s fantasies about monsters. They represent an image of parts of the parental body, distorted by jeal- ousy and envy, linked together in a dangerous fashion. This “combined parental figure” (Klein 1952, 92) can arise in an idealized or threatening form, represented as a monster in children’s games. Sebastian indicates that he identifies himself with the hero of this book, but his fears of the monster are much too powerful; he cannot bring himself to read on, but must flee with his friend. He feels he is no match for such dangers and escapes to the safe harbor of childhood. Katharina describes her mood while she daydreams at the age of 15: Since three weeks ago, I am constantly tired. I just sit in front of the TV or lie down in bed. Then, time passes so quickly: I doze off and try not to think of anything, try to turn off. Just float. Then I rotate, when I think of homework I ought to do! Instead, I think of love. It is just so beautiful. I feel so safe with N. We understand each other so well, we laugh a lot. He is the first one I trust enough to say everything, and the things that bother me about him. I’m not perfect – he is really perfect – too good for me. We have really funny discus- sions about sex. He is almost two years older than me: one year, one month and one day. Both of us are too young, we’re not ready yet. Katharina speaks only indirectly of her daydreams. She is tired and dozes off in bed – a state between waking and sleeping. With her exciting, beautiful thoughts, time passes so quickly. She then jumps to a description of the boy she is in love with: N. Both are too young to have sexual experiences, but they talk