The documentary The Black Roses subtly shows the complex relations of adolescent girls from the « north side » of big cities, with their language and their sex. Though this provocative language sometimes acts as a factor in social exclusion, it can equally reinforce the bond between couples and allow the subject to manage her multiple identities. At the intersection of differences between sexes, ages, and various kinds of territories – cultural, psychical, political – the use of this mixed language makes possible the creation of an intermediary space, located between languages and between places.
The escalation of self-destructive acting out in adolescence is viewed as a compulsive repetition of traumatic or repeated microtraumatic events. These traumatic events, which occurred during early childhood, are or were linked to the absence of the object and the subsequent sense of emptiness that was experienced. The different functions of compulsive repetition are then discussed in the context of identity search and borderline pathology during adolescence. Finally, the author discusses the mental work required of the therapist when working with adolescents presenting these types of issues, particularly when speech cannot be used for intersubjective communication.
Adolescence, 2008, T. 26, n°4, pp. 991-1001.
Revue semestrielle de psychanalyse, psychopathologie et sciences humaines, indexée AERES au listing PsycINFO publiée avec le concours du Centre National du Livre et de l’Université de Paris Diderot Paris 7