Joan Rivière e la reazione terapeutica negativa, Annalisa Ferretti Levi-Montalcini

The author illustrates the Negative Therapeutic Reaction (NTR) using a brief clinical example; then she describes the contribution Joan Rivière gave to the understanding of the NTR in 1936; she links to the ideas Melanie Klein (1935) was developing about the beginning of the depressive position and the tools for working it through. The author goes on the describe a short story of the concept of the NTR from the thirties to today, in order to focus on the tools we have understand now this type of phenomenon. She examines briefly the ideas put forth by some kleinians authors who focused their attention on seriously narcissistic and borderline patients. In their analysis, in fact, NTR is structured in repetitive and cyclical forms, giving birth to psychic organisations strongly resistant to change. The authors cited (Rosenfeld, Joseph, Steiner) have based their understanding of the NTR on Joan Rivière's contribution and they have further developed some of the ideas she first brought forth.